Gauntlet at Sukma – The Hindu (March 16, 2017)

Gauntlet at Sukma – The Hindu (March 16, 2017)

It would be tempting, but dangerous, to see the deadly ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday as just a desperate act of a fading insurgent group. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List-1:

1. gauntlet (noun) – a severe experience; open challenge.
2. ambush (verb) – surprise attack, trap, pitfall (a hidden or unsuspected danger).
3. writ (noun) – power, authority, influence.
4. insurgent (adjective) – rebellious, rebel, revolutionary.
5. wake-up call (noun) – something which alerts a person to a problem and makes him/her to do some remedial action.
6. beef up (phrasal verb) – strengthen, improve, reinforce/consolidate.
7. mortar (noun) – a short gun for shooting shells (bombs) at high angles.
8. road-opening party (ROP) (noun) – security personnel deployed on a stretch of road to prevent an ambush by insurgent groups.
9. make off with (phrase) – steal, run away with, carry/take something illegally.
10. unprecedented (adjective) – not done or experienced before.
11. hold (verb) – have, maintain, possess.
12. formidable (adjective) – frightening, terrifying, threatening.
13. sway (noun) – control, power, authority,
14. convoy (noun) – a group of vehicles or ships that are traveling together usually for protection (Courtesy: VOA Learning English).
15. red corridor (noun) – a region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite–Maoist insurgency (Courtesy: Wikipedia).
16. undermine (verb) – subvert, weaken/reduce, compromise.
17. flag (verb) –  indicate, signal, point out.
18. well-oiled (adjective) – (especially of an organization) operating smoothly.
19. put forward (phrasal verb) – propose, introduce, present.
20. might (noun) – strength, force, power.

Note:

1. Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/.

2. Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press. Tentative definitions/meanings are provided for study purpose only and they may vary in different context. Use it with the corresponding article published on the source (website) via the link provided. 

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