Royal flush – The Hindu (Nov 7, 2017)

Royal flush – The Hindu (Nov 7, 2017)

Ever since he was named the defence minister of Saudi Arabia in 2015, Mohammed bin Salman has had little patience for the way the kingdom is being ruled. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

This preview is provided here with permission.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List-1 (To Improve English Vocabulary)

1. crackdown (noun) – clampdown, getting tough/severe measures, suppression.
2. reign (noun) – monarch, rule, sovereignty.
3. sprang (past of spring) (verb) – announce/present/introduce suddenly.
4. spearhead (verb) – lead, head/ front; be in the forefront of.
5. consolidate (verb) – strengthen, secure, reinforce/fortify.
6. cosy (adjective) – intimate, friendly; comfortable.
7. conservative (adjective) – reactionary, traditionalist, unprogressive.
8. neutralise (verb) – counteract, offset, balance.
9. have someone’s ear (phrase) – attention, notice, heed.
10. ulema (noun) – the Arabic term ulama literally means”the learned ones”. scholars of Muslim religious law.
11. legitimacy (noun) – conformity to the law/rules; justification.
12. upend (verb) – overturn, turn over, inverted/reversed.
13. cleric (noun) – religious leader/priest.
14. devoid of (adjective) – lacking, without, free from.
15. ambitious (adjective) – determined, enthusiastic, striving/aspiring.
16. non-starter (noun) – failure, fiasco, catastrophe/mess.
17. backfire (verb) – rebound, boomerang, come back, have an adverse effect.
18. spin out (phrasal verb) – prolong, protract,  stretch out/extend.
19. adversary (noun) – opponent, rival, nemesis/competitor.
20. awry (adjective) – amiss, wrong, not right.
21. hotting-up (noun) – intensification; an increase in tension.
22. bound to (adjective) – certain/sure, very likely, guaranteed.
23. repercussion (noun) – consequence, result, effect.

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. 

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