Vocabulary in News

sequester: (n) segregation, cut, a general cut in government spending.

If the sequester is allowed to go forward, thousands of Americans are likely to become jobless.

conclave: (n) secret or private meeting, council, congress, parley
The conclave of 115 “cardinal electors” elected the new Pope.

scorching: (adj.) burning, roasting, sweltering, unbearably hot
At least three athletes fell unconscious due to scorching heat.

unprecedented: (adj.) unheard-of, novel, unusual, ground-breaking, unexampled
Rebels unleashed an unprecedented barrage of mortar fire against troops in Aleppo.

emphatic: (adj.) absolute, certain, cogent, explicit, vigorous
Nasir Jamshed led Pakistan to an emphatic win over India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

fiery: (adj.) choleric, febrile, hot-tempered, irascible, vehement
The killing of Shias in Karachi ignited fiery speeches in Senate.

panacea: (n) cure-all, catholicon, elixir, nostrum, remedy
Reconciliation is a panacea for national ills.

frolic: (n) fun, gaiety, gambol, joviality, merriment, romp
Indian cinema’s frolic with sports, especially cricket goes back a long way.

deft: (adj.) adept, adroit, apt, dexterous, ingenious, proficient, skilful
Deft handling of revolution and love made Faiz Ahmad Faiz a great poet.

acquiesces: (v) accede, adapt, approve, conform, reconcile, yield
WikiLeaks cables showed that the government privately acquiesces in the drone strikes.

adamant: (adj.) unyielding, hard-nosed, inexorable, intransigent, obdurate, stubborn
Pakistanis are adamant that Isaf should apologise for the Salala incident.

alter ego: (n) doppelganger, second self Superman’s alter ego was Clark Kent.
angst: (n) anxiety, distress, torment, malaise, perturbation, vexation
Many kids suffer from acne and angst.

antecedent: (adj.) preceding, earlier, former, prior, foregoing, precursory
They were allowed to take account of antecedent legislation.
tryst: (n) appointment, engagement, meeting, rendezvous
Anupam Kher spoke minutes after his tryst with Hollywood A-listers at the Oscars.

apoplectic: (adj.) furious, raging, fuming, frenzied, incensed, livid
Obama’s comments provoked an apoplectic reaction from Russia`s interior ministry

apostate: (n) deserter, renegade, defector, turncoat, backslider,
Mumtaz Qadri told the court that he had taught a lesson to an apostate, Salman Taseer.

rudderless: (adj.) adrift, aimless, directionless, purposeless, undirected
When Dr Qadri left for Canada, his party was rudderless.

falter: (v) hesitate, waver, vacillate
I have not faltered in my quest for a new future.

behemoth: (n) giant, mammoth, titan, leviathan
NBP is a banking behemoth in the Pakistani context.

belligerence: (n) hostility, animosity, antagonism, pugnacity, unfriendliness
North Korea should halt its provocations and its policy of belligerence towards its neighbours.

bibliophile: (n) booklover, intellectual, reader, savant
Lahore International book fair was a pure delight for the bibliophiles.

brimming: (adj.) overflowing, awash, chock-full, jammed, loaded,
We will not take anything for granted against Indians who are brimming with confidence.

broadside: (n) criticism, censure, denunciation, diatribe, philippic
She defiantly replied with a broadside.

bunk: (n) nonsense, applesauce, balderdash, claptrap, flimflam, twaddle
Now we’ve got the original sources of the article saying this whole thing is bunk.

cacophony: (n) discord, dissonance, disharmony, stridency
As we entered the farmyard, we were met with a cacophony of animal sounds.

PHR V
play down: belittle, derogate, underrate
Food safety experts played down the risk of mad cow disease entering the USA.
shrug off: dismiss, disregard, ignore, minimize
Government shrugged off controversy over Sharia enforcement in Malakand.
atone for: expiate, amend, appease, compensate, rectify
The PML-N should atone for its contacts with the terrorist outfit  and capture them.

Idioms
play Russian roulette: take big risks, skate on thin ice, gamble
President Zardari and his team continued to play Russian roulette with their government’s future.
flex muscles: use or increase your influence or power
Candidates flexed muscles before polls in Hafizabad constituency.
blue-eyed boy: preferred, favoured, chosen, recommended, pet, best-liked,
Hina Rabbani Khar said that Haqqani group was once CIA’s ‘blue-eyed boy’.