The Hindu Editorial (Bad to worse) – Jun 25, 2020

In another round of tit-for-tat manoeuvres, India, followed by Pakistan, has decided to halve the strength of diplomatic missions in each other’s capital. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Bad to worse) – Jun 25, 2020.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Bad to worse) – Jun 25, 2020

ties (noun) – bond, connection, association, relationship.
strained (adjective) – damaged, impaired, affected, troubled.
tit-for-tat (phrase) – equivalent retaliation; counterattack, revenge, an eye for an eye.
manoeuvre (noun) – activity, measure, plan/operation (carefully planned).
halve (verb) – reduce by half (50%).
strength (noun) – size (of a group/team).
diplomatic (adjective) – ambassadorial, consular.
mission (noun) – embassy, consulate; the diplomatic office building in a foreign country where the ambassador & team live and work.
démarche (noun) – from French, literally means step, walk, gait (a way of walking); a course of action, initiative, move (In diplomatic relations); it is a more formal way of communication of one country’s foreign affairs official to an appropriate official in another country to inform views or gather details on a given subject (or) to object/protest actions by a foreign government.
chargé d’affaire (noun) – (French) a person in charge of affairs; ambassador, emissary, diplomat.
torture (noun) – infliction of pain, torment, ill treatment.
personnel (noun) – staff, employees, workforce.
contention (noun) – allegation, claim argument.
expulsion (noun) – removal, dismissal, exclusion.
espionage (noun) – the act of spying; obtaining secret or confidential (political or military) information of a country and/or disclosing it without the permission of that country; undercover work, infiltration, counter-intelligence.
inimical (adjective) – hostile, unfriendly, opposed, antagonistic.
mobilisation (noun) – in military terminology, mobilisation is the act of assembling and readying troops together for a particular cause (e.g. war).
Operation Parakram (noun) – The Government of India launched Operation Parakram (Valour), an operation that ordered the general mobilisation of the army for war on 18 December 2001 after the Pakistan-sponsored terrorist attack on the Parliament on 13 December, 2001.
trigger (noun) – cause, reason.
eventually (adverb) – in the end, finally, at last.
thaw (noun) – an increase in friendliness.
reverse (verb) – undo, override, overrule, repeal, cancel; withdraw, take back.
downslide (noun) – decline, downward movement/trend, downgrade.
snap (verb) – break, split, separate, come apart (suddenly & completely).
downgrade (verb) – lower in status/rank/importance, demote.
shut down (phrasal verb) – discontinue, cease activity, close.
grant (verb) – give, provide.
exception (noun) – abnormality, anomaly, rarity.
line of control (LoC) (noun) – it is a 450 mile-long military control line lying between India and Pakistan’s controlled parts of the former (under the British) Jammu and Kashmir. This line is not actually a legally recognized international boundary but prevails as per de facto. After the Simla Agreement signed in July 1972, this line was officially renamed as “Line of Control” from “the Cease-fire Line”.
ceasefire (noun) – a temporary stoppage of a war, truce, armistice.
claim (verb) – to cause the loss of someone’s life; to cause someone’s death.
multilateral (adjective) – involving many different countries.
(be) at daggers drawn (phrase) – if two people are at daggers drawn, they angrily oppose each other; disagree, contradict, differ.
non-contentious (adjective) – non-disputed, non-controversial, non-contended.
coronavirus (CoV) (noun) – a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases. common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. (Courtesy: WHO)
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
collaborate (verb) – join, cooperate, team up.
locust (noun) – locusts are crop-eating insects (short-horned grasshoppers) that travel in large swarms. The desert locust is a species of locust and it is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world and a single swarm covering 1 square kilometre can contain up to 80 million locusts. The desert locusts are feeding and breeding in agricultural fields.
invasion (noun) – influx, rush, swarm (a huge number of insects invading a place to damage crops).
bleak (adjective) – unpromising, unfavourable, disadvantageous.
augur well (verb) – bode, indicate, portend (a good outcome).
occupy (verb) – hold the attention of, engross, absorb, preoccupy.
unlikely (adjective) – not likely, improbable, questionable.