Groan! Genuine Guardian goof.

"...Speaking to reporters following the funeral service of fallen comrade Gary Patterson, Abdulah (sic) said McLeod’s resignation will auger well for the MSJ..."

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-01-23/errol-mcleod-resigns-political-party

It's eethar Radhica Sookraj kan't speel propally, oar the Printa's Devel has resofaced:

"Abdullah" is of Arabic extraction and is the correct way to spell Jamaican-born Comrade David Abdullah's surname -in Arabic, "Adullah" means "son of God"...his father was a Bishop, so I guess the surname's deserving. On the other hand, "Abdulah", is of Hindi or Marathi extract -phonetically, "ab" means "now", "dulah" means "dust". From the sound of it therefore, "Abdulah" literally means "now dust".

Is it that you meant, Radhica? Or did you find the man-in-the-street connotations more germane? For, colloquially "dulah" augurs any of the following:

• confusion;disconcerted, baffled, or posed state (as of a disputant);
• discomfiture, rout, overthrow (as of an army);
• destruction, demolition, ruined or damaged state
  

from which these genitive case applications of "dulah" are derived:

• dhulice dive khata jane To beg all about the place in great disgrace and wretchedness;
• ndhulice dive lavane To become infamously notorious;
• ndhulisa milane To be mingled with the dust; to be utterly destroyed;
• ndhula phunkane (Literally: To stir up the dust...as done by cattle in scanty pastures.) To be destitute of the means of support;
• ndhula udane (ṃseta-gaṃva-mulaka-ghara-madhye.) To lie desolate;
• ndhulinta ratna sampadane-mmilane To get an utterly unexpected boon.

(Methinks 'twas from the last abovementioned genitive example Radhica or the devil turned to derive the cheek to scribble "Abdulah" instead of "Abdullah".)

Moving on! In the context, "auger" cannot be used! Here's why:

A. au·ger [aw-ger]

noun

1. Carpentry.

a. a bit, as for a brace.
b. a boring tool, similar to but larger than a gimlet, consisting of a bit rotated by a transverse handle.

2. earth auger.
3. a device consisting of a shaft with a broad helical flange rotating within a cylindrical casing to force bulk materials from one end to the other.
4. snake ( def. 3a ).

verb (colloquial)

1. to drill or bore a hole (especially a deep one), or move material, by means of an auger.

B. au·gur [aw-ger]

noun

1. one of a group of ancient Roman officials charged with observing and interpreting omens for guidance in public affairs.
2. soothsayer; prophet.

verb (used with object)

3. to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate.
4. to serve as an omen or promise of; foreshadow; betoken: Mounting sales augur a profitable year.

verb (used without object)

5. to conjecture from signs or omens; predict.
6. to be a sign; bode: The movement of troops augurs ill for the peace of the area.

But, I wasn't there, Radhica was...if she wasn't, how else would Comrade Abdullah's verbatim quotes be used? Like I said, maybe on hearing the announcement -and, like I now conjecture, in subsequent discussion with the affected parties- she concluded the colloquial "auger" most apt? Whatever! It doesn't augur well for august annals to cause readers to gasp in aghast like that.