The Hindu Editorial (Strong setback) – Jan 08, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (​Strong setback) – Jan 08, 2025:

1. setback (noun) – problem, difficulty, blow, issue, impediment, hindrance, obstruction.
2. Maoist (noun) –  a follower of Maoism (Maoism is a form of communism developed by Mao Tse Tung. It is a doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed insurgency, mass mobilization and strategic alliances). The largest and the most violent Maoist formation in India is the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
3. movement (noun) – campaign, crusade, drive, push.
4. Improvised Explosive Device (IED) (noun) – a “homemade” bomb and/or destructive device.
5. blast (noun) – explosion, detonation, burst, blowing up.
6. flailing (adjective) – floundering, struggling, stumbling, blundering.
7. insurgency (noun) – uprising, revolt, rebellion.
8. insurgent (adjective) – rebellious, rioting, subversive, mutinous.
9. precipice (noun) – a dangerous situation; a very steep cliff on a mountain.
10. go down with a fight (phrase) – to continue to fight; to offer resistance until ultimately defeated.
11. futility (noun) – uselessness, pointlessness, vanity.
12. adversary (noun) – opponent, enemy, foe, nemesis, rival.
13. cliff (noun) – precipice, rock face, ridge.
14. give up (phrasal verb) – admit defeat, concede defeat, stop trying, give in, surrender, capitulate.
15. ideologically (adverb) – dogmatically, conventionally; in a method which relates to an ideology.
16. decade (noun) – a period of ten years.
17. conflict (noun) – dispute, quarrel, tussle, wrangle, disagreement, contention, strife, friction, discord; armed conflict, armed clash. 
18. Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) (noun) – Colombia’s largest rebel group. They were founded in 1964 as the armed wing of the Communist Party and follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology.  Following a 2016 Peace Accord with the Colombian government, the FARC formally dissolved and disarmed.
19. armistice (noun) – a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting; ceasefire, truce, cessation of hostilities, peace treaty.
20. faction (noun) – a small group within a larger one.
21. cadre (noun) – a member of an activist group; a small group of people who are specially chosen and trained for a particular purpose
22. means (noun) – a method/way of doing something.
23. rebellion (noun) – insurgence, insurrection, uprising, revolt.
24. Naxal/Naxalite (noun) – Deriving its name from the Naxalbari village of West Bengal, Naxals or Naxalites are members of the Communist Party of India-Maoists (CPI-Maoist), classified under the banned LWE (Left Wing Extremism) groups.
25. current (noun) – movement.
26. venture (verb) – put forward, suggest, propose, present, posit, moot.
27. speak of (phrasal verb) – mention, talk about, comment on , remark on, refer to.
28. utilisation (noun) – use, application.
29. dastardly (adjective) – wicked/evil, cruel, heinous, wrongful.
30. personnel (noun) – employees, workforce, force, staff.
31. civilian (noun) – non-military person, ordinary citizen.
32. potency (noun) – strength, power, vigour, might.
33. inflict (verb) – cause, bring about, result in, force, impose; hand out, mete out, administer, exact.
34. grain of truth (noun phrase) – a small amount of truth in something, otherwise with falsehoods or nonsense.
35. adjoining (adjective) – adjacent, neighbouring, bordering, abutting.
36. suggest (verb) – indicate, denote, point to, signify.
37. outfit (noun) – group, unit.
38. bastion (noun) –  stronghold, support, protection, defence, mainstay.
39. extremist (adjective) – radical, fanatic, militant, extremist, fundamentalist, sectarian, partisan.
40. belong (verb) – be a member of, be associated with.
41. District Reserve Guard (DRG) (noun) – It is one of the special operational teams. It comprises local Adivasi men to counter the Maoists/Naxals.
42. Bastar Fighters (noun) – a specialised force formed in 2022 to fight Maoists. A total of 2,100 personnel were recruited from villages and trained by the Chhattisgarh Police to fight the ultras (extremists). In each of the seven districts in the Bastar range, 300 Bastar Fighters personnel have been deployed.
43. pick up (phrasal verb) – speed up, hurry up, quicken, hasten, step up, accelerate, expedite. 
44. picked up pace (phrase) – speed up, hurry up, expedite; go faster.
45. result in (verb) – cause, lead to, bring about, give rise to.
46. insurgent (noun) – rebel, rioter, subversive, guerrilla.
47. casualty (noun) – victim, fatality, loss, mortality (people killed in a war).
48. blow (noun) – shock, surprise; setback/misfortune.
49. explosive (noun) – bomb, incendiary device/substance.
50. camouflaged (phrase) – hidden, concealed, veiled, obscured.
51. knee-jerk (adjective) – automatic, instinctive, involuntary, mechanic, mechanical, spontaneous, hasty, unconscious, unthinking, unintentional, unplanned, unprepared. 
52. culprit (noun) – criminal, offender, wrongdoer, lawbreaker, perpetrator.
53. step up (phrasal verb) – increase, intensify, strengthen, augment; quicken, speed up, accelerate.
54. campaign (noun) – an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group; movement, crusade, drive, push.
55. inevitable (adjective) – necessary, compulsory, required, obligatory, mandatory; unavoidable, inescapable, unpreventable. 
56. the fact that (phrase) – used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.
57. abjure (verb) – renounce, give up, relinquish, reject/forgo.
58. get carried away (phrasal verb) – to lose control of; lose self-control; to be so excited, angry, interested etc. that you are no longer really in control of what you do or say, or you forget everything else.
59. retaliation (noun) – counterattack; vengeance, revenge/retribution.
60. play into someone’s hands  (phrase) – do something unintentionally which will give an advantage to the competitor/opponent.
61. right (adverb) – completely, fully, entirely, totally.
62. propaganda (noun) – the (deliberate & systemic) spreading of information (facts, ideas, rumours or lies) to influence public opinion.
63. state (noun) – government.
64. repression (noun) – persecution, ill treatment, suppression, oppression, exploitation
65. tempting (adjective) – attracting, appealing, fascinating, enticing.
66. wipe out (phrasal verb) – eliminate, abolish, remove (completely).
67. prudent (adjective) – wise, well judged, well advised, shrewd, sensible, careful, circumspect, far-sighted.
68. civil society (noun) – civil society refers to space for collective action around shared interests, purposes, and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors. It refers to a wide array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations [NGOs], labour unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations. Civil society – sometimes called the “third sector” (after government and commerce) – has the power to influence the actions of elected policy-makers and businesses.
69. actor (noun) – participant (in an action).
70. work out (phrasal verb) – plan in detail; formulate, draw up, put together, develop, think up.
71. ceasefire (noun) – a negotiated agreement that will be accompanied by other associated commitments to de-escalate the fighting; a temporary stoppage of war, truce, armistice. 

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 purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (Strong setback) – Jan 08, 2025: