The Hindu Editorial (Watch the gap) – May 06, 2022

Official data on India’s merchandise trade for April give reason for cheer at first glance. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Watch the gap) – May 06, 2022.

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The Hindu Editorial (Watch the gap) – May 06, 2022:

mind/watch the gap (phrase) – warning/instruction given (particularly to alert commuter to be aware of the space between the metro train and the platform).
widen (verb) – increase, swell, enlarge.
widening (adjective) – increasing, swelling, amplifying, enlarging.
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.
put pressure on (phrase) – affect something; push for something.
retard (verb) – delay, slow down, postpone, detain, decelerate.
growth-retarding (adjective) – relating to something that slows down (or delays or decelerates) growth.
inflation (noun) – simply meaning “cost of living”; increase of price level of goods & services and vice versa decrease of currency value.
merchandise (noun) – goods, commodities, produce, product.
cheer (noun) – cheerfulness, optimism, confidence, buoyancy, hopefulness.
at first glance (phrase) – on the face of it, outwardly, apparently.
outward (adjective) – going out from a place.
expansion (noun) – increase, growth, development.
outpace (verb) – surpass, exceed, be more than.
broaden (verb) – widen, increase, enlarge.
extent (noun) – degree, scale, level, magnitude, scope.
receipts (noun) – proceeds, profits, earnings, returns, income, revenue, gain, yield, turn over.
worryingly (adverb) – unsettlingly, disturbingly, disconcertingly.
breach (verb) – break, contravene, violate.
rolling (adjective) – not having a fixed date; rising and falling.
predominantly (adverb) – mainly, mostly.
crude oil (noun) – the raw natural resource that is extracted from the earth and refined into products such as gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and other petroleum products.
surge (verb) – rise or increase suddenly.
in the wake of (phrase) – as a result of some event, especially an unpleasant one; in the aftermath of, as a consequence of, on account of, because of, owing to.
swell (verb) – increase, rise, enlarge, widen, broaden.
onset (noun) – start, beginning, arrival.
heatwave (noun) – (a long period of) hot weather, hotness, humidity.
bolster (verb) – increase, augment, add to; fortify, strengthen, support, reinforce, buttress.
(power) demand (noun) – it refers to the maximum amount of electrical power that is being consumed at a given time, as opposed to energy which is the amount of power used over a period of time.
set the pace (phrase) – lead the way in doing something.
notwithstanding (preposition) – in spite of, despite, regardless of.
Coal India (noun) – Coal India Limited (CIL) the state-owned coal mining corporate came into being in November 1975. Coal India Limited is an Indian government-owned coal mining and refining corporation. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Coal, Government of India headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
timeline (noun) – schedule, deadline.
be a far cry from (phrase) – to be entirely different from something.
year-on-year (adjective) – year over year (for comparison).
decline (noun) – fall, drop, slump, tumble.
portent (noun) – sign/indication, forecast, prediction.
overseas (adjective) – relating to a foreign country.
set to (phrasal verb) – start doing something vigorously.
have a bearing on (phrase) – have a relevance, relation or connection to something; have an influence, impact or effect on something.
current account deficit (CAD) (noun) – the amount by which money relating to trade, investment etc going out of a country is more than the amount coming in.
disconcertingly (adverb) – unsettlingly, disturbingly, worryingly.
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.
bridge (verb) – connect, join; overcome, reconcile.
moderation (noun) – reduction, diminishing, lessening, decrease, contraction.
downward (adjective) – descending, falling, sinking, sliding, slipping, going down.
considerably (adverb) – significantly, substantially, markedly, noticeably.
conflict (noun) – warfare, war, armed conflict,, combat, battle.
in turn (phrase) – successively, sequentially.
potentially (adverb) – likely, possibly, probably.
thus (adverb) – like that, in that way, in that manner; therefore, accordingly, hence, as a result, because of that.
trigger (verb) – cause, produce, bring about, prompt.
vicious cycle/circle (noun) – a recurring series of events in which bad actions bring about bad results and so on’ (whereas virtuous cycle/circle means ‘a recurring series of events in which good actions bring about good results and so on’.
sought past tense of seek (verb) – try, aim, attempt.
steady (verb) – stabilize, balance, fix (at a level).
wild (adjective) – uncontrolled, unrestrained, out of control, unconstrained.
swing (noun) – fluctuation, change, shift, switch, variation, oscillation.
dip (verb) – decrease, fall/drop, slump.
foreign exchange reserves (noun) – Foreign exchange reserves are the amounts of assets /money in foreign currencies that a country has in its central bank (in India, it is Reserve bank of India).
central bank (noun) – the banking regulator of a county’s banking system. (e.g. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the central bank of India).
draw on (phrasal verb) – make use of, put to use, use, utilize, deploy.
ease (verb) – decrease, lessen, reduce, lower.
have one’s hands full (phrase) – to be very busy; to be completely occupied; engaged in, involved in, working at, hard at work.
battle (noun) – struggle.
imported inflation (noun) – when the general price level rises in a country because of the rise in prices of imported commodities, inflation is termed as “imported inflation”.
elevated (adjective) – increased, raised.
stress (noun) – strain, pressure, tension; trouble, difficulty.
incentive (noun) – payment or concession; inducement, motivation, stimulus.
strain (verb) – overburden, exert excessively.
avert (verb) – prevent, stop, avoid.
estimate (noun) – rough calculation, approximation, evaluation, estimation, judgement.
pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
optimal (adjective) – most favourable, optimum, ideal, perfect.
wagon (noun) – carriage, wagon, compartment.
cannot afford/can ill afford (phrase) – if you cannot afford to do something, you must prevent it from happening because it would be embarrassing and cause problems (if it happens).
drop/lower/let down one’s guard (phrase) – to relax; to become less careful; to stop being vigilant; to be less alert.
balance of trade (BOT) or trade balance (noun) – the balance of trade (BOT), also known as the trade balance, refers to the difference between the monetary value of a country’s imports and exports over a given time period. A positive trade balance indicates a trade surplus while a negative trade balance indicates a trade deficit.
trade imbalance (noun) – trade deficit.
imbalance (noun) – disparity, variation, variance, disproportion, unevenness, lopsidedness.