The Hindu Editorial (Cooling the temperatures) – Aug 08, 2022

That the four-day military exercises conducted by China, in the waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan, concluded on August 7 without incident comes as a relief to the region. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Cooling the temperatures) – Aug 08, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Cooling the temperatures) – Aug 08, 2022:

cool (verb) – reduce, lessen, diminish, moderate; soothe, assuage.
temperature (noun) – the extent/magnitude/scale/range of tension in a conflict.
pick up the pieces (phrase) – bring back a situation to normal after failure/tragedy.
exercises (noun) – military drills, manoeuvres, operations.
water (noun) – sea, ocean.
incident (noun) – confrontation, skirmish, brush, collision, conflict, fight, battle.
come as a surprise/relief (phrase) – to make someone feel relieved.
drill (noun) – (military) training, exercises.
median (noun) – centre, mid point, halfway point.
Taiwan strait (noun) – it is a 180-kilometer strait (waterway) separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia (precisely southeastern coast of mainland China).
strait (noun) – a narrow sea passage (connecting two seas); channel, stretch of water, waterway.
conventional (adjective) – non-nuclear.
missile (noun) – a self-propelled/rocket-propelled weapon designed to deliver a conventional/nuclear explosive warhead with great accuracy at high speed; projectile.
aggressive (adjective) – hostile, belligerent, bellicose, hawkish, combative.
led past participle of lead to (verb) – result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.
unintended (adjective) – unplanned, unexpected, accidental.
escalation (noun) – intensification, aggravation, exacerbation.
credit (noun) – praise, commendation, acclaim, acknowledgement, recognition, kudos, regard respect, admiration.
sober (adjective) – serious/sensible, thoughtful; realistic, pragmatic.
hold (verb) – conduct, organize.
nautical (adjective) – maritime, marine, seagoing.
nautical mile (noun) – it is a unit of measurement defined as 1.852 kilometres, used on water by sailors and/or navigators in shipping and aviation. It is the average length of one minute of one degree along a great circle (circumference) of the Earth. One nautical mile corresponds to one minute of latitude.
engage (verb) – capture, catch, arrest, grab, seize.
warship (noun) – A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare.
shoot down (phrasal verb) – gun down, bring down (an aircraft or missile).
provocative (adjective) – annoying, irritating, agitational, provoking, inflammatory, goading.
justification (noun) – grounds, reason, necessity.
draw a line (phrase) – to put a limit, to set a boundary.
red line (noun) – boundary, limit (which should not be violated/crossed).
provocation (noun) – annoyance, irritation, agitation, vexation; stirring, goading, prompting.
trigger (verb) – cause, give rise to, lead to, bring about, generate.
engagement (noun) – meeting, session; involvement, taking part, participation, association.
hollow out (verb) – undermine, weaken, erode.
One China policy (noun) – The one-China policy, or the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ policy, refers to the diplomatic acknowledgement of China’s position that there is only one Chinese government and Taiwan is an integral part of that. It was originally proposed in the late 1970s by the then Chinese Communist leader Deng Xiaoping.
the dust settles (phrase) – things calm down.
ultimately (adverb) – finally, eventually, in the end.
drive (verb) – force, press, pressurize, urge.
inclination (noun) – readiness, preparedness, disposition, wish, desire.
well-considered (adjective) – examined, thought-out, planned carefully.
strategic (adjective) – relating to achieving long-term or overall goals.
objective (noun) – aim, intention, goal, purpose, target.
lasting (adjective) – enduring, long-lasting, long-term, deep-rooted.
high-profile (adjective) – prominent, most important, attracting much public attention.
no doubt (phrase) – undoubtedly, doubtlessly, without doubt.
welcome (adjective) – pleasing, agreeable, encouraging, heartening, promising, favourable, much needed, pleasant, to one’s liking.
in the face of (phrase) – despite, notwithstanding, regardless of; when confronted with.
isolation (noun) – alienation, detachment, separation.
on account of (phrase) – because of, owing to, due to, as a result of.
offset (verb) – even up, counterbalance, equalize, neutralize; make amends for, compensate for.
the fact that (phrase) – used to refer to a specific situation under consideration/discussion.
arguably (adverb) – possibly, conceivably, maybe, potentially.
environment (noun) – situation, scenario; conditions, circumstances.
herald (verb) – signal, indicate, foretell, point to, announce, spell, usher in.
a new normal (phrase) – an earlier unusual situation that becomes a standard now.
shore (noun) – seashore, seaside, beach, coastal region.
strained (adjective) – awkward, uneasy, uncomfortable, difficult, troubled, embarrassed.
teeter (verb) – see-saw, fluctuate, oscillate, swing.
teeter on the edge/brink (phrase) – to be very close to an unpleasant or difficult or dangerous situation.
abyss (noun) – a catastrophic/disastrous/awful situation.
be easier said than done (phrase) – used to say that something sounds like a good idea in theory, but it would be very difficult to do.
cut off (phrasal verb) – discontinue, break off, disconnect, interrupt, suspend.
channel (noun) – forum, medium, method, instrument, mechanism, .
dialogue (noun) – discussion, exchange, debate, discourse, exchange of views, talks.
mechanism (noun) – procedure, process, system, operation, method, technique.
heightened (adjective) – intensified, increased, aggravated, worsened, compounded.
tension (noun) – strained relations; strain, stress, pressure, unease.
general (noun) – a commander of an army.
war is too important to be left to the generals (phrase) – Georges Clemenceau, Prime minister of France (1906-1909 and 1917-1919) commented this phrase during World War I. It was a sage observation even amid the total war in which his nation was then engaged.
hostage (noun) – pawn, security (a person/thing used by others for their own purposes).