A perfect attack? – The Hindu (Word List-2 To Improve Vocabulary) Mar 17 2018

A perfect attack? – The Hindu Mar 17 2018

The attack on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy who had defected to the U.K., and his daughter Yulia in the cathedral city of Salisbury on March 4 was an outrageous act flouting all international norms. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

Word List-2 (To improve Vocabulary)

1. suspicion (noun) – doubt/qualm, question mark, misgiving.
2. defect to (verb) –  abandon/desert, go over to the enemy, change loyalties/sides.
3. outrageous (adjective) – shocking, disgraceful, appalling.
4. flout (verb) – defy, refuse to obey, go against (a law/rule).
5. nerve agent (noun) – Nerve agents are a class of chemicals called organophosphates – meaning they contain phosphorous – that are extremely poisonous. They attack the   nervous system of the human body, which passes messages from the brain to other parts of the body, telling it what to do.
6. Novichok (noun) – Russian meaning “newcomer”; a series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union and Russia between 1971-1993).
7. modus operandi (noun) – method of working; technique, procedure/style.
8. polonium poisoning (noun) – poisoning someone with a radioactive substance, Polonium. Polonium is a radioactive chemical element (atomic number 84) and it is very lethal (harmful) poison and it is trillion times more toxic than cyanide.
9. a slew of (noun) – a large number of, lot, range.
10. expel (verb) – banish, deport, dismiss/displace.
11. diplomat (noun) – ambassador, envoy, emissary.
12. retaliate (verb) – fight/strike back, counterattack, return fire.
13. get behind (phrasal verb) – to support someone.
14. bring home (phrase) – focus attention to; underline, highlight.
15. Brexit (noun) – a term used for the (supposed) departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
16. haste (noun) – excessive speed, hurry, urgency.
17. look (up) to (phrasal verb) – admire, have a high opinion of, respect.
18. realm (noun) – domain, sphere, area.
19. punitive (adjective) – disciplinary, corrective, penal.
20. fractious (adjective) – difficult, uncontrollable, unmanageable.
21. need of the hour (phrase) – some need/requirement/demand at a particular point of time.