The Hindu Editorial (Downhill driving) – Jul 24, 2023

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The Hindu Editorial (Downhill driving) – Jul 24, 2023:

downhill (adjective) – falling, sinking, going down (into a worsening state/condition).
shrinking (adjective) – lessening, reducing, decreasing, diminishing.
pose (verb) – constitute, present, create, cause (a problem or danger or risk).
hit (verb) – reach, attain (a level/stage).
(get) off to a good/rocky start (phrase) – to be good/rocky at the beginning.
rocky (adjective) – unsteady, unstable/uncertain, problematic.
outbound (adjective) – travelling/going out of your home country.
contract (verb) – decline, decrease, diminish, reduce.
quarter (noun) – a period of three months (considered as one-fourth of a year).
provisional (adjective) – temporary, short-term, interim, transitional; tentative.
shy of (adjective) – less than; short of.
reflect (verb) – indicate, show, display, demonstrate, reveal, exhibit.
drop (verb) – fall, sink, slip, slump, dip, go down, decrease, decline.
year-on-year (adjective) – year over year (for comparison).
contraction (noun) – decline, decrease, reduction.
amid (preposition) – in the middle of, surrounded by; during.
lockdown (noun) – an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.
albeit (conjunction) – though, even though, however.
pace (noun) – rate, speed.
drive (verb) – prompt, urge, force, spur, impel.
prevalence (noun) – commonness, generality, regularity, widespread presence, ubiquitousness.
shoot up (phrasal verb) – increase or rise rapidly; soar, surge, skyrocket.
conflict (noun) – war, warfare, armed conflict, military action, armed clash.
erupt (verb) – start suddenly, flare up, break out, boil over, blow up (of something unwelcome).
sequentially (adverb) – in succession, successively, continuously.
accelerate (verb) – increase, rise, escalate.
trigger (noun) – something that causes a particular action, process, or situation.
ebb (verb) – diminish, decrease, fade away, disappear; it also means recede, retreat, flow back, go out
imply (verb) – indicate, point to, signify.
trade deficit (noun) – a trade deficit (a deficit in the balance of trade) occurs when the value of a country’s imports exceeds that of its exports. It is also called a trade gap.
widen (verb) – increase, enlarge, expand.
augur well/ill (verb) – bode, indicate, portend, signal (a good/bad outcome).
impulse (noun) – urge, need, drive, desire; stimulus, fillip, impetus.
armour (noun) – protection; protective layer/covering.
gathering (adjective) – increasing.
slowdown (noun) – economic decline, recession, slump/depression.
far more (phrase) – much more.
sombre (adjective) – dull, restrained, subdued, sober; murky, gloomy, cheerless, joyless, overcast.
intangible (adjective) – non-physical, invisible, immaterial.
decidedly (adverb) – noticeably, distinctly, remarkably, clearly.
downcast (adjective) – disheartened, discouraged, low-spirited, hopeless; sad, dismal.
earnings guidance (noun) – it is a set of information offered by the management of a public limited company. It contains data on the company’s expected future results, revenue estimates, expense forecasts, earnings, margins, etc. Through earnings guidance, the company’s management communicates its future direction by establishing short-and long-term goals.
tide (noun) – movement; trend, tendency, course of events.
frail (adjective) – weak, infirm, feeble, delicate, slight, shaky.
foreign direct investment (FDI) (noun) – Investment from one country into another (normally by companies rather than governments) that involves establishing operations or acquiring tangible assets, including stakes in other businesses.
tighten (verb) – make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen.
monetary policy (noun) – monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply, and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy mentioned in the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
fiscal policy (noun) – in simple terms, it is an estimate of taxation and government spending that impacts the economy.
exacerbate (verb) – intensify, heighten, increase; aggravate, worsen, make worse.
volatility (noun) – unpredictability, instability, unreliability.
deepen (verb) – grow, increase, intensify.
wobble (verb) – be uncertain, be indecisive, be undecided, hesitate, vacillate.
fractionally (adverb) – to a very small level/degree; slightly.
The U.S. Treasury (noun) – The Treasury Department is the executive agency responsible for promoting economic prosperity and ensuring the financial security of the United States. Treasury’s mission highlights its role as the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, and as an influential participant in the world economy.
treasury (noun) – funds, resources, finances.
exude (verb) – send out, issue, give out, release (an emotion or quality).
avert (verb) – prevent, stop, avoid.
after all (phrase) – most importantly, ultimately, essentially, beyond everything.
inflation (noun) – simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.
ease (verb) – decrease, reduce, lower, moderate.
trigger (verb) – cause, give rise to, lead to, bring about, generate.
pause (noun) – temporary stoppage, break, interval.
throttle (verb) – suppress, control/restrict, stifle.
climb up (phrasal verb) – rise, ascend, increase gradually.
reverse (verb) – alter, undo, change.
descending (adjective) – falling, sinking, sliding, slipping, going down.
up to a point (phrase) – partly; to some extent/degree; to certain level/extent; somewhat.
flourish (verb) – prosper, thrive, grow, develop, burgeon, boom.
curb (noun) – control, restriction, limitation.
redouble (verb) – make something more intense/ stronger; to increase, strengthen, intensify something considerably.
vis-à-vis (preposition) – concerning, with regard to, in relation to, as/in comparison with, in connection with (Vis-à-vis from Latin via. French, means literally “face-to-face).
keep a check/watch on (phrase) – watch, observe, monitor, examine, oversee, check (something)
divergent (adjective) – different, differing, varying, contradictory.
incremental (adjective) – gradual, step-by-step, phased.
fractional (adjective) – comparatively small/tiny.