Idioms in Articles (July 01-10, 2016)

Have you been reading the posts? To refresh our memory, here is a list of idioms & phrases which we learnt till date (from July 01-10, 2016).

A fillip to growth, and maybe inflation – The Hindu (July 01, 2016)

  • Over the course of time (idiom) – as happening over the time.
  • Fiscal consolidation (noun) – efforts/steps/strategies of the government to reduce the fiscal deficit and public debt.
  • Fiscal deficit (noun) – the difference between total expenditure and total income of the government.

Plastic roads: India’s radical plan to bury its garbage beneath the streets – The Guardian (June 30, 2016)

  • Be lost on someone (idiom) – not to be unsterstood/noticed by someone.

Heeding the 24×7 potential – The Hindu (July 02, 2016)

Sri Lanka must stay the course – The Hindu (July 02, 2016)

  • Stay the course (idiom) – accomplish the work completely.
  • Set in motion (idiom) – to begin something, start, activate, initiate, launch.

Sunny times for solar – The Hindu (July 04, 2016)

  • Energiewende (German word for “Energy Transition“) – a sustainable energy transition is the shift by some countries, most notably Germany (German: Energiewende), to decentralised renewable energy, and energy efficiency. Although so far these shifts have been replacing nuclear energy, their declared goal is also the abolishment of coal and other non-renewable energy sources and the creation of an energy system based on 100% renewable energy.
  • Net metering (noun) – Net metering (or net energy metering, NEM) allows consumers which generate some or all of their own electricity to use that electricity anytime, instead of when it is generated.

A letter to … my wife, who won’t get a job while I work myself to death – The Guardian (July 02, 2016)

Baghdad in disarray – The Hindu (July 05, 2016)

  • A tall order (idiom) – demanding, exacting, difficult, unreasonable, exorbitant, impossible.

Look who’s stalking – The Hindu (July 05, 2016)

    • Shine a harsh light (phrase) – (figuratively) exposes and draws attention to.
    • Figures of authority – parents (at home), teachers (in schools & colleges), employer (at the workplace), police (in the public place).

Disabled and disheartened – The Hindu (July 06, 2016)

  • Policy framework – a collection of principles and goals to make rules and guidelines, and to provide general guidance to planning  and development.

Discovery with Juno – The Hindu (July 06, 2016)

  • Aurora (noun) – natural appearance of “streamers” (streamer is a luminous matter visible on a planets’ polar regions). This (natural & luminous) streamer is produced by the interaction of charged particles from the sun (light) and the planet’s magnetic field lines.
  • In earnest (phrase) – serious, sincere, committed, determined.
  • Gravitational field (noun) – a space, around an object (with mass), which feels gravitation force of attraction of another object.

Raise a cup of tea to coffee – The Hindu (July 05, 2016)

  • PDA (phrase)-  public display of affection.
  • Burn a hole (idiom) – urge/make someone to spend money quickly.
  • Filter down (phrase) – to move slowly down.
  • Rest my case (idiom) – conclude my statement/argument since my claim is true & proven.

At home in New Delhi – The Hindu (July 07, 2016)

  • At home (phrase) confident/relaxed about doing something (or) At home in (phrase) – to understand/be informed about.
  • Be one’s own man (idiom) – a confident person who doesn’t need help from others and acts himself independently.
  • Take the edge off (idiom) – reduce, decrease, lessen, alleviate, allay.

Saying good-bye with dignity – The Hindu (July 05, 2016)

  • Oncologist (noun) – Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an oncologist. (Courtesy: Wikipedia).
  • A host of (phrase) – multitudegreat quantity, lot, large number.
  • Palliative care (noun) – It is a multidisciplinary approach to specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, physical stress, and mental stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal of such therapy is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. (Courtesy: Wikipedia)
  • Fall foul of (phrase) – get into conflict/trouble.
  • Rapporteur (noun) – a reporter of an research institute/organization. He himself involves in research and proceedings of  the institute/organization.

Father, son and matters of money – The Hindu (July 05, 2016)

  • Technology-averse or Tech-averse (noun) – someone who dislikes/is opposed to/against technology.
  • From the word go (idiom) – from the day one/beginning.
  • Food Inflation (noun) – increase in food prices because of a situation with high demand and insufficient supply.

Fixing the pulses deficit -The Hindu (July 08, 2016)

  • Pave the way for (idiom) – prepare for, open the way for, get ready for, procede.

A new financial bond is helping us get more girls into schools in India – The Guardian (July 05, 2016)

Enayam. Three’s a crowd? – The Hindu (July 09, 2016)

  • Two’s company, three’s a crowd (idiom) – unwanted entry of a third person making two people feel uneasy (when they (particularly lovers) are relaxing their time together).
  • TEU – Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (to measure a ship’s cargo carrying capacity).

Epic rivalries elevate sport – The Hindu (July 07, 2016)

  • Stamp of approval (phrase) – official statement, indication of approval, assent.
  • Down to the wire (idiom) – something which is full of suspense and to be decided at the very last moment.
  • In a vacuum (idiom) – separated from the ideas/influences/events/people.
  • So to say (idiom) – saying something unusually & figuratively.
  • It takes two to tango (idiom) – two people involved in a bad/tough situation are equally responsible for it.
  • Ashes urn (noun) –  It is a small urn made of terracotta (fired clay) and standing 11 cm high, believed to contain the ashes of a burnt cricket bail. (Courtesy: Wikipedia).

School Stars – The Hindu (July 10, 2016)

  • Retention rate (noun) – the percentage of a school’s first-time students continue at that school the next year.
  • Raise the bar (idiom) –  to raise standards to excel.
  • ABL – Activity-Based Learning.
  • with flying colours (idiom) – with distinction.
  • Making a beeline (idiom) – go directly/straight to.
  • Inclusive policy – provides all students with access to quality schooling that is free from all discrimination (gender, language, sexual orientation, pregnancy, culture, ethnicity, religion, health or disability, socioeconomic background or geographic location).

Note:

  • Click each one of the idioms above for their definition, pronunciation, example sentences and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
  • meanings provided for the idioms & phrases above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.

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