The Hindu Editorial (​​​Hot on clay) – May 29, 2025

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The Hindu Editorial (​​​Hot on clay) – May 29, 2025:

1. hot on clay (phrase) – intense competition (wherein a lot of players are competing for the championship).
2. open (adjective) – available, accessible (to all players participating in the competition).
3. get under way (phrase) – start, begin.
4. at once (phrase) – straight away, right away, immediately.
5. full of promise (phrase) – something showing potential for future success or excellence
6. establish (verb) – prove, demonstrate, show, indicate, display; achieve. 
7. stranglehold (noun) – control, grip, domination (over something).
8. Roland Garros (noun) – French open;  a major tennis tournament (clay-court grand slam) held over two weeks at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France.
9. soul-stirring adjective) – moving, touching, heart-warming, uplifting, encouraging, pleasing.
10. immortalise (verb) – honour, glorify; admire, cherish.
11. footprint (noun) – impression, effect, impact; the area taken control by someone/something.
12. stake claim (phrase) – establish, assert, proclaim, declare (one’s right to something).
13. defending (adjective) – reigning, current; currently holding a title or championship.
14. leading (adjective) – number-one, top-rank, key, main, notable.
15. candidate (noun) – contestant, contender.
16. Spaniard (noun) – A native of Spain.
17. bugle (noun) – (figuratively) signal; (bugle is generally a musical, brass instrument like a simple trumpet used for military signals). The sounding of the bugle may refer to “Daily Routines”
18. dishearten (verb) – discourage, dispirit, shake up, sadden, dishearten, unnerve, disturb, upset, trouble, bother.
19. serve (verb) – do, fulfil, complete, carry out.
20. doping (noun) – the illegal use of a drug (such as a steroid) to improve an athlete’s performance.
21. suspension (noun) – elimination, rejection, termination, exclusion, removal.
22. run (noun) – period, stretch, spell.
23. demolition (noun) – an overwhelming defeat, routing, thrashing, conquest.
24. elite (noun as modifier) – best.
25. muscle memory (noun) – the automatic movements you make without thinking about them. They’re the result of repetition and practice.
26. Grand Slam (noun) – it is also referred to as majors, are the world’s four most important annual tennis events. The Grand Slam consists of the Australian Open in Melbourne, French Open in Paris, Wimbledon in London, and the U.S Open in New York.
27. successive (adjective) – consecutive, continuous, subsequent, succeeding, following, ina row, on the trot.
28. shrug off (phrasal verb) – disregard, dismiss, ignore, forget, gloss over, make light of, pay no heed to, discount, set aside.
29. patchy (adjective) – erratic, irregular, fluctuating, uneven, varying.
30. belong (verb) – be a member of ( a particular group).l
31. airier comparative adjective of airy (adjective) – (more) open, accessible, available.
32. far from (phrase) – not, not at all; nowhere near, a long way from.
33. handful (noun) – a few, a small number, a small quantity, some.
34. jostle (verb) – fight, battle, struggle, compete.
35. the Polish (noun) – a native of Poland.
36. hand down (phrase) – without question, easily, decisively.
37. era (noun) – time, period, age, epoch.
38. tune-up event (noun) – a preparatory activity or warm-up, as before a contest or game.
39. incredibly (adverb) – very, highly, extremely, desperately, terribly.
40. draw (noun) – fixture; a list of scheduled matches (between players) in a tournament.
41. grapple with (phrasal verb) – tackle with, deal with, cope (with), contend with, address, confront, experience, face.
42. rival (noun) – opponent, adversary, contender, competitor.
43. primed (adjective) – ready, prepared, equipped.
44. nip/snap at someone’s heels (phrase) – in a competition/contest) to trail/follow someone very closely and have a chance of defeating/replacing him/her.
45. bag (verb) – win, secure, clinch; get, obtain, achieve.
46. undercooked (adjective) – unprepared; not fully readied.
47. back-to-back (adjective) – consecutive, successive, continuous.
48. secure (verb) – obtain, acquire, gain, get, pick up.
49. lead-up (noun) – circumstances, conditions, situation (before an event).
50. outside bet (noun) – the non-favourites to win the competition.
51. all action (adjective) – (of a person) doing a particular activity with great energy and strength.
52. in line with (phrase) – in alignment with; in accordance with.
53. propensity (noun) – tendency, habit, inclination, predisposition, readiness, disposition.
54. throw up (phrasal verb) – produce something.
55. eclectic (adjective) – wide-ranging/extensive, comprehensive,  broad-based, all-embracing, multidisciplinary.
56. array (noun) – a large group of people; range, variety, mixture, raft.

Note : 

1. Click each one of 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 purposes only and they may vary in a different context.  

3. This word list is for personal use only. Reproduction in any format and/or Commercial use of it is/are strictly prohibited.

The Hindu Editorial (​Hot on clay) – May 29, 2025: