Vocabulary Exercise
English Skill Building – 139
Some important words from Hindu dated November 24
Call out
It means to say something loudly enough to attract attention of others for taking action against something bad.
Sentence – It’s dengue season in Bhubaneswar. Patients in hundreds have been admitted to hospitals, overstretching the healthcare system of the capital. In disgust, the health minister has called out the unsanitary conditions in the public places of the capital ordered the Municipal authorities to clean up the city to prevent breeding of mosquitoes.
Shirk
On one occasion, a woman beggar was hit by a speeding truck. She was brought to the government hospital. She wore tattered clothes and was very dirty and smelly. The duty nurse refused to attend to her. The doctor in charge of the ward asked her to be humane and dutiful. He called out her callousness and warned her not to shirk her responsibilities as a healthcare professional.
Weak-kneed
Young IAS and IPS officers join their service with great enthusiasm to remain loyal to the Constitution and serve the people diligently, but soon they get battered by criticisms, threats, and punishment transfers when they call out the corrupt actions of their seniors. It leads to their demoralization, and they start to shirk their responsibilities, if they feel their action could displease the minister. In a matter of four to five years of working under such conditions, they lose their courage and their willpower to take on the mafias and other such outlaws. No wonder, the lawless elements feel emboldened and indulge in more daring acts. They know the IPS officer is weak-kneed and can’t take any decisive action to curb the actions of the law-breakers. When the Superintendent of Police shirks his duty, the mafias have their hey-day.
At the helm of
When a terror act takes place, it is the Station House Officer (SHO) of the police station who is questioned first. This is because he is at the helm of the situation.
Docile
All husbands expect their wives to be docile and never express her dissent on any family matter. However, educated and employed women don’t hesitate to assert themselves on important matters. In the process, the system of patriarchy takes a hit.
Revamp
After the dengue epidemic went away, the government summoned a meeting of all public health officials and municipal bodies to draw up a plan to revamp the garbage clearance system of the town, and equip the hospitals so that they can cope with a sudden surge of patients.
Discretion
The chief minister has the discretion to appoint his ministers. No court can question this.
Affinity
It is seen that children of very elite class families show great affinity to pubs, luxury malls, and exotic foods.
Hanky-panky
The young woman got a secretarial job in the minister’s office, but had to resign after a month. She felt disgusted by the hanky dealings of the minister, and the manner in which some weak-kneed senior officers came to meet the minister daily behaving in a very docile and sycophantic manner.
The environment inside a ladies hostel should not be even slightly hanky-panky, so that the inmates feel secure.
Honky dory
Even after the taking over of the presidency of the party by Mr. Kharge, everything is not honky dory in the organization. Indiscipline, public show of dissent, and desertion to BJP are continuing as before.