Example: Analysts say that it remains to be seen whether the “constructive , t” at Xiamen will yield “solid anchorage” capable of withstanding the regional headwinds that India and China are likely to encounter in the future, as they deepen their ties in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific.
1. Anchorage [ang-ker-ij]
Noun: that portion of a harbor or area outside a harbor suitable for anchoring or in which ships are permitted to anchor; a charge for occupying such an area; the act of anchoring or the state of being anchored.
Synonyms: dock, harbor, haven, port, refuge, roadstead, slip, wharf.
2. Headwind [hed-wind]
Noun: a wind opposed to the course of a moving object, especially an aircraft or other vehicle (opposed to tailwind ).
Example: From foreign secretary S. Jaishankar’s brief interaction with the media after the meeting, it appeared that the focus of the bilateral was on border Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), rather than fresh ideas to resolve the festering boundary dispute between the two countries.
3. Fester [fes-ter]
Verb: to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate; to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh; to putrefy or rot; to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.
Noun: an ulcer; a rankling sore; a small, purulent, superficial sore.
Synonyms: smolder, aggravate, blister, canker, chafe, decay, gall, gather, irk, maturate, putrefy, rankle, rot, suppurate.
Antonyms: build, delight, flourish, grow, improve.
Example: Nationally renowned journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, known for her firebrand writing on social issues, was shot dead by unidentified assailants, right outside her residence at Raja Rajeshwari Nagar in West on Tuesday.
4. Firebrand [fahyuh r-brand]
Noun: a piece of burning wood or other material; a person who kindles strife or encourages unrest; an agitator; troublemaker.
Synonyms: demonstrator, guerrilla, instigator, malcontent, protester, rabble-rouser, rebel, revolutionist, troublemaker.
Example: The court exhorted the Centre to uphold its constitutional mandate under Article 256 and direct the States to act against the groups.
5. Exhort [ig-zawrt]
Verb: to urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently; to give urgent advice, recommendations, or warnings.
Synonyms: admonish, advise, beseech, call upon, caution, encourage, enjoin, incite, persuade, preach, prod, bid, counsel, entreat, goad.
Antonyms: deter, discourage, dissuade, answer.
Example: On Wednesday, those steps were filled with hundreds of journalists and activists, who gathered in protest with placards reading “I am Gauri”, and angry chants alleging that she was a victim of “communal forces targeting rationalists and progressive forces.”
6. Placard [plak-ahrd, -erd]
Noun: a paperboard sign or notice, as one posted in a public place or carried by a demonstrator or picketer.
Verb: to display placards on or in; to publicize, announce, or advertise by means of placards; to post as a placard.
Synonyms: advertisement, banner, billboard, handbill, marquee, poster, signboard, announcement, bill, public notice.
7. Chant [chant, chahnt]
Noun: a short, simple melody, especially one characterized by single notes to which an indefinite number of syllables are intoned, used in singing psalms, canticles, etc., in church services; a psalm, canticle, or the like, chanted or for chanting; the singing or intoning of all or portions of a liturgical service.
Verb: to sing to a chant, or in the manner of a chant, especially in a church service; to sing; to celebrate in song.
Synonyms: hymn, mantra, melody, shout, singing, tune, carol, croon, incantation, intonation, lilt, psalm, song, trill, warble.
Example: Following a convenient tweak of the rules, Maharashtra’s Social Justice Minister Rajkumar Badole and Social Justice Department Secretary Dinesh Waghmare have been able to enrol their offspring in a government scheme meant to help poor Scheduled Caste students study abroad.
8. Tweak [tweek]
Verb: to pinch and pull with a jerk and twist; to tweak someone’s nose; to pull or pinch the nose of, especially gently; to make a minor adjustment to.
Noun: an act or instance of tweaking; a sharp, twisting pull or jerk.
Synonyms: tease, twist, jerk, pinch, pluck, pull.
Example: Over 100 passengers on Wednesday got stuck inside a Lucknow Metro train for an hour due to a technical snag on the first day of its commercial run, drawing flak from former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
9. Snag [snag]
Noun: a tree or part of a tree held fast in the bottom of a river, lake, etc., and forming an impediment or danger to navigation; a short, projecting stump, as of a branch broken or cut off; any sharp or rough projection; a jagged hole, tear, pull, or run in a fabric, as caused by catching on a sharp projection.
Verb: to run or catch up on a snag; to damage by so doing.
Synonyms: barrier, bug, crunch, difficulty, disadvantage, drawback, glitch, hitch, holdup, hurdle, impediment, inconvenience, obstacle, stumbling block, bar, blockade, brake, catch, clog.
Antonyms: advantage, aid, assistance, benefit.
10. Flak [flak]
Noun: antiaircraft fire, especially as experienced by the crews of combat airplanes at which the fire is directed; criticism; hostile reaction; abuse.
Synonyms: abuse, brickbat, censure, condemnation, disapprobation, disapproval, disparagement, hostility, knock, opposition, pan, rap, swipe.
Antonyms: approval, commendation, compliment, endorsement.