The Hindu Editorial (Spy in hand) – Jul 21, 2021

At least a 1,000 Indian phone numbers are in a list of potential targets of surveillance using the Pegasus spyware sold by Israeli company the NSO Group to “vetted governments” with the approval of the Israeli government. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”. Below is today’s word list-1 for The Hindu Editorial (Spy in hand) – Jul 21, 2021.

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Courtesy: The Hindu

The Hindu Editorial (Spy in hand) – Jul 21, 2021:

spy (noun) – secret agent.
in hand (phrase) – available for use, ready (or) receiving attention.
pegasus (noun) – spyware, that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device, developed by the Israeli cyber-arms firm, NSO Group.
spyware (noun) – a category of software which aims to steal personal or organisational information.
come clean (phrase) – tell the truth, be completely honest, admit to one’s actions.
revelation (noun) – disclosure, declaration, report/news, announcement.
surveillance (noun) – observation, scrutiny, inspection/examination.
potential (adjective) – possible, likely, probable.
vet (verb) – assess, evaluate, scrutinize, inspect.
vetted (adjective) – assessed, evaluated, scrutinized, inspected.
subject to (verb) – put through, undergo, go through.
forensic (adjective) – relating to the application of scientific knowledge & methods to legal problems and legal proceedings.
Amnesty International (noun) – founded in 1961, it is a non-governmental organization with its headquarters in the United Kingdom focused on human rights.
peer-review (verb) – evaluate something (research or publication) by a group of experts in the appropriate field.
Citizen Lab (noun) – The Citizen Lab is an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, focusing on research and development at the intersection of information and communication technologies, human rights, and global security.
yield (verb) – produce, give, provide.
inconclusive (adjective) – indecisive, proving nothing, resolving nothing.
credibility (noun) – trustworthiness, reliability, dependability.
indeed (adverb) – in fact, actually, undeniably.
vicious (adjective) – terrible, dreadful, awful, cruel, harsh, ruthless.
abominable (adjective) – very bad, poor, terrible.
uncivil (adjective) – impolite, bad-mannered, disrespectful, ill-mannered, discourteous.
campaign (noun) – an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group.
entity (noun) – organization, institution, establishment.
the buck stops with someone (phrase) – used to describe that someone has to take responsibility for something and not try to pass it on to someone else.
fall back on (phrasal verb) – use, employ, resort to, have recourse to.
disingenuous (adjective) – dishonest, deceitful, insincere, untruthful, double-dealing.
provision (noun) – clause, (legal) term, stipulation, requirement, condition.
intercept (verb) – receive message (by monitoring (radio) communications/signals secretly).
in the interests of (phrase) – for the benefit/advantage of.
real-time (adjective) – present, actual, coinciding, concurrent, simultaneous, synchronous.
watch over (phrasal verb) – observe/monitor, overlook, oversee, supervise; spy on.
intimate (adjective) – personal, private, confidential, secret.
have a bearing on (phrase) – have a relevance/relation to something.
have no bearing on (phrase) – have no relevance/relation to something.
public interest (noun) – the public good; the advantage/benefit of the community in general.
cohort (noun) – group of people (within a particular category/classification).
probably (adverb) – most likely, in all likelihood, all things considered, perhaps.
necessitate (verb) – make necessary, require, need, demand, call for.
intrusion (noun) – interruption of, intervention in, trespass on, obtrusion into.
spy on (verb) – watch secretly, observe furtively, keep under observation, keep an eye on.
harassment (noun) – persecution, persistent annoyance, coercion/intimidation.
on the contrary (phrase) – conversely, just the opposite.
composition (noun) – formation, arrangement.
craving (noun) – desire, want, wish, greed, longing.
turpitude (noun) – wickedness, wicked character, immorality, corruptness, sinfulness.
voyeurism (noun) – enjoyment, pleasure (from seeing others’ suffering/difficulty).
perpetrator (noun) – someone who does immoral, harmful, and illegal activity; offender, criminal, wrongdoer/evil-doer, culprit.
much more (phrase) – a lot more.
compromise (verb) – undermine, weaken, damage.
sabotage (verb) – to damage or destroy something deliberately; to prevent an effort or plan intentionally from being successful.
dislodge (verb) – remove, evict, unseat, topple, overturn, bring down.
Bhima Koregaon case (noun) – it dates back to January 1, 2018, the day of the bicentenary (200th anniversary) celebrations of the Bhima Koregaon battle. The celebration was marred by violence leading to death of one person and injuries to several others.
breach (verb) – break through; contravene, violate, infringe/trespass.
plant (verb) – put, place something secretly.
prosecution (noun) – legal action, legal proceeding, litigation.
notable (adjective) – important, significant, obvious, striking, glaring, visible.
context (noun) – circumstances, conditions, situation.
the state (noun) – the government, the regime, the authorities.
trample (upon) (verb) – disregard, show no consideration for, treat disrespectfully, treat with contempt.
plead (verb) – appeal, request, ask earnestly, call on.
ignorance (noun) – incomprehension, unawareness, unconsciousness; lack of knowledge/information.
unsettling (adjective) – disturbing, worrying, discomfiting.
antithetical (adjective) – directly opposed to, contrary to, conflicting with.
creed (noun) – system of belief, set of principles, faith.
unearth (verb) – expose, bring to light, uncover, find out.
Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) (noun) – ad hoc (temporary) Committees appointed for a specific purpose (to examine irregularities and aberrations, if any, and the consequences therefore in the implementation of Government decisions and policy prescriptions) and they (JPCs) cease to exist when they finish the task assigned to them and submit a report. (Courtesy: loksabha website).
credible (adjective) – acceptable, trustworthy, reliable, dependable; believable, plausible, reasonable.
mechanism (noun) – structure, system, procedure/method.
clear the air (phrase) – reduce the tense situation; make peace, reconcile differences.
foremost (adjective) – most important.
skirt around (verb) – go around something.