When home is a highway – The Hindu

When home is a highway – The Hindu (Aug 26, 2017)

The whirring sound of moving rotor blades of the helicopter in the sky alerts everyone in the colony on the Buddha Nagara Radha embankment in Mushahari block of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List (To Improve English Vocabulary)

1. embankment (noun) – earth/stone wall/bank; causeway/barrage/bund/levee.
2. maroon (verb) –  strand, abandon, leave behind/desert.
3. breach (verb) – break, split, burst.
4. ragtag (adjective) – untidy, disorganized.
5. hastily (adverb) – quickly, hurriedly, swiftly/rapidly.
6. precariously (adverb) – insecurely; unsafely, weakly/unsteadily, uncertainly, dependently.
7. be perched (verb) – (of building) be located, be situated, be positioned.
8. greedily (adverb)- rapaciously, in a way to have excessive desire.
9. nibble (verb) – erode, diminish (gradually).
10. aloft (adverb) – upwards, in the air, in the sky.
11. blip (noun) –  a small flashing point/ a very short high-pitched sound.
12. despair (noun) – distress, anguish, pain.
13. tatty (adjective) – shabby, worn out, tattered.
14. awning (noun) – canopy, shade/cover, shelter.
15. devastating (adjective) – shocking, destructive, severe/terrible.
16. clutch (verb) – grip/grasp, clasp, cling to.
17. meagre (adjective) – inadequate, scanty, paltry/scarce.
18. frantically (adverb) – hurriedly, panically, distraughtly/worriedly.
19. vie (for) (verb) – struggle, compete, fight.
20. scramble (verb) – struggle, hurry/hasten, rush.
21. helm (verb) – steer, captain, navigate (a boat).
22. ferry (verb) – transport, convey, carry.
23. snap (verb) – break, split, separate.
24. run out (phrasal verb) – be used up, be exhausted, be finished.
25. lay hands on (phrase) – obtain, acquire, get.
26. at the mercy of (phrase) – unprotected against, vulnerable to, defenceless against.
27. hushed (adjective) – quiet, low, subdued, muffled.
28. squalid (adjective) – dirty, poor, improper.
29. filth (noun) – dirt, mud, sludge.
30. defecation (noun) – excretion, discharging faeces/stools/bodily waste.
31. fetid (adjective) – stinking, smelly, foul-smelling.
32. stench (noun) – stink, bad smell, foul smell.
33. scuttle (verb) – run, rush, race (hurriedly).
34. lounge (verb) – rest, relax, recline.
35. listlessly (adverb) – dully, unenergetically, lifelessly.
36. furiously (adverb) – intensely, fiercely, wildly.
37. lap (verb) (of water) – splash, wash, slap (against).
38. swarm (verb) – (of flying insects) move in (larger number) and to make nest.
39. surface (verb) – emerge, arise, appear/crop up.
40. fodder (noun) – food, especially dried hay or straw, for cattle and other livestock.
41. munch (verb) – chew, masticate, crunch (eat enthusiastically & noisily).
42. starve (verb) – dying of hunger, dying from lack of food, deprived of food.
43. wade through (phrasal verb) – walk through (the waterlogged road/way/place).
44. milch cow (noun) – milk giving cow.
45. well off (adjective) – wealthy, rich, affluent.
46. recede (verb) – go back, move away, withdraw; abate/decrease.
47. make do (phrase) – manage, cope, survive.
48. tokenism (noun) – the policy/practice of making token (symbolic) effort for the minority unfavorably.
49. recurring (adjective) – repeating, frequent, recurrent.
50. customary (adjective) – usual, regular, normal.
51. rue (verb) – regret, lament, bemoan/complain.
52. torrent (noun) – (of water) flood, deluge, steam, gushing.
53. fortnight (noun) – a period of two weeks.
54. thatch (noun) – a roof covering of straw, cane, palm leaves & etc.
55. penniless (adjective) – poor, moneyless, penurious.
56. loiter (verb) – linger, walk slowly, stroll.
57. usurp (verb) – seize/take over, expropriate, take possession of.
58. well off (adjective) – wealthy, rich, affluent.
59. dwelling (noun) – place of residence, accommodation, lodging place.
60. dilapidated (adjective) – run down, crumbling, decayed/deteriorated.
61. on the prowl (phrase) – move (restlessly stealthily) around in search of prey (victim/target).
62. descend (verb) – (of darkness) begin to occur.
63. laden (adjective) – loaded, weighted, piled high.
64. beckon (verb) – signal; attract, call.
65. trudge (verb) –  walk heavily, walk slowly (due to harsh conditions).

Note:   

1. Click each one en.oxforddictionaries.com/…ition/foremostof 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.