Counting?

and counting...drought hasn't ended yet

brilliant fares...bad English...advertising nonsense

Hi Panzade, Do you mean "they are still counting the number for the years of drought"?

Another qu in which I don't get what "flair" means below:
Okay, a lot of faces reappear at the beginning of an exciting or controversial thread or simply add flair to an existing one.

yes, still counting


flair ( P ) Pronunciation Key (flâr)
n.
A natural talent or aptitude; a knack: a flair for interior decorating.
Instinctive discernment; keenness: a flair for the exotica.
Distinctive elegance or style: served us with flair.

"...and counting" means that it is continuing; that the counting hasn't stopped because what is being counted hasn't stopped. Imagine a newscaster in a war zone, where bombs are being dropped. He says, "So far there have been 8 bombs..." *BOOOM!!!* "... and counting." (He said 8 bombs, but in the middle of saying it another one dropped, making it a total of 9.)

Basically, the sentence you excerpt means "there have been 5 years of drought so far, but that doesn't mean the drought has ended. There still hasn't been a break in the drought, so it will probably be 6 years of drought soon."

Very clear now...thanks Panzade and Sozobe.
But, what did "flair" mean here? I knew those definitions, Panzade. Which one is best suitable for the context?

The last one.

Glad "and counting" is now clear. :-)

Ah, thanks for serving me with you flair, Sozobe.

Oristar, it was awkwardly written; perhaps it ought to have read:

Five years and counting of drought are having . . .

Yes, Set! Your rewriting is PERFECT!

Front page of the New York Times, too. (Just noted it today...)

Btw "brilliant" has a different use in British English than American English -- it's more like "fantastic" or "wonderful." Still advertising nonsense, but correct in at least a colloquial sense if it is written for a British audience.