The politics of silence – The Hindu (Aug 09, 2016)
Silence is a useful tactic during periods of difficulty or confusion, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to have made a habit of keeping quiet until very late in the face of violence and intimidation by sections perceived as acting in the name of the ruling establishment. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.
Word List:
- Intimidation (noun) – frightening, menacing, terrifying; threatening, harassment, oppression.
- Lynching (noun) – hanging/killing/murdering someone illegally as punishment for an offence.
- Vigilante (noun) – a member of the self-appointed group which unofficially punishing crimes.
- Speak one’s mind (phrase) – to express what one is thinking openly.
- Acquiescence (noun) – permit, allow, accept; consent, agreement, accession.
- Vigilantism (noun) – unofficial way of punishing crime by a self-appointed group of people.
- Sane (adjective) – sensible, practical, advisable, responsible.
- Restraint (noun) – constraint, check, control, restriction.
- Discredit (verb) – disprove, invalidate, reject, deny.
- Indulge in (verb) – to become involved in (something illegal/unofficial).
- Masquerade (verb) – pretend to be, pose as, impersonate, disguise oneself as.
- Unequivocal (adjective) – unambiguous, unmistakable, indisputable; clear, well defined; direct, straightforward, blunt.
- By no means (phrase) – not at all, in no way, absolutely not, definitely not.
- Clamour (noun) – protests, complaints, outcry; din, racket, loud noise, uproar.
- Cut and thrust (phrase) – interesting, lively & exciting situation with full of arguments/debates.
- Sordid (adjective) – unsavoury, low-minded, discreditable, contemptible.
- Dossier (noun) – report, case history, case study, file.
- Credence (noun) – credibility,reliability, plausibility, believability.
- Cynical (adjective) – sceptical, doubtful, distrustful; pessimistic, negative, hard-bitten.
- Reconcile (verb) – accept, adjust, ccommodate, submit to, make compatible; restore relations.
- Alienate (verb) – estrange, turn away, set/drive apart, isolate, divide, distance, separate.
- Deed (noun) – act, action, activity; performance, achievement, endeavour, effort.
- Detractor (noun) – critic, disparager, denigrator, defamer.
- Atrocity (noun) – act of barbarity/brutality/savagery, cruelty, violation.
- Live up to (phrasal verb) – satisfy, fulfil, achieve, meet, equal, match up to.
Note:
- 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/ .
- Definitions (elementary level) & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.