THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 3, 2016- Topic 2
A few weeks ago, many Americans would
have guffawed at any suggestion that there could be a nail-biting finish to the
November 8 presidential election. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton had a
comfortable lead in the polls, around 12 percentage points in some surveys. The
campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump had been dealt multiple blows
stemming from the “Access Hollywood” tapes, where he was caught boasting about
groping women without their consent. His popularity plummeted further after at
least nine women alleged he had sexually assaulted them years ago. However,
with less than a week to voting day, the race has tightened. For the first time
since May, Mr. Trump is leading
in one major poll. The game changer is FBI
Director James Comey’s announcement that his agency was reopening inquiries
into Ms. Clinton’s email record after discovering correspondence relating to
her in the computer of Anthony Weiner, estranged husband of her aide Huma
Abedin. There are multiple undercurrents to this vicious election battle that
need to be parsed.
In the blue corner, Ms. Clinton still
enjoys an overwhelming statistical probability of winning the 270 electoral college votes required to
secure the presidency. She maintained a statesmanlike poise throughout the
presidential debates, and in Email-gate the FBI has failed to unearth any
evidence of criminality against her so far. Yet her problem lies in the
perception of untrustworthiness created by her use of a private server while
she was Secretary of State, her proximity to deep-pocketed donors on Wall
Street and her hard line on a fiscally expansive welfare agenda for the middle
class. In the red corner, Mr. Trump has refused to tone down his abrasive
rhetoric against women, Latinos, Muslims, African-Americans and the differently
abled despite the expected backlash from these demographics and growing
alienation from mainstream Republican Party leaders. He has similarly hurled
defiance in the teeth of those demanding that he release his tax returns. His
brazen invitation to Russian hackers to go hunting for Ms. Clinton’s emails,
and allegations about
his shadowy financial connections to associates of Vladimir Putin raise
troubling questions. That 21 months of feverish campaigning have ended not with
a bang but a collective groan of disappointment in two such untrusted and
uninspiring candidates says a lot about how bitterly polarised the electorate
is. No matter who wins this ugly election, America’s leaders will have to
initiate an honest national conversation about reconciling its social mores.
Else, the world’s only superpower will find itself diminished.
Vocabulary
Guffawed: laugh in a loud or boisterous way.
Example: Both men guffawed at the remark
Synonyms: laugh heartily, laugh loudly, roar with laughter, roar
Dealt: take part in commercial trading of a particular commodity.
Example: Directors were prohibited from dealing in the company's shares
Synonyms: trade in, buy and sell, sell, peddle, purvey, supply, stock
Stemming: originate in or be caused by.
Example: Many of the universities' problems stem from rapid expansion
Plummeted: fall or drop straight down at high speed.
Example: A climber was killed when he plummeted 300 feet down an icy gully
Synonyms: plunge, nosedive, dive, drop, fall, descend, hurtle
Vicious: deliberately cruel or violent.
Example: A vicious assault
Synonyms: brutal, ferocious, savage, violent, dangerous, ruthless
Poise: graceful and elegant bearing in a person.
Example: Poise and good deportment can be cultivated
Synonyms: grace, gracefulness, elegance, balance, control
Perception: the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses.
Example: The normal limits to human perception
Abrasive: (of a person or manner) showing little concern for the feelings of others;
harsh.
Example: Her abrasive and arrogant personal style won her few friends
Synonyms: caustic, cutting, biting, acerbic, rough, harsh, hard, tough, sharp, grating
Rhetoric: the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the use
of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
Example: Born into a rich provincial family, he studied philosophy as well as
rhetoric and law.
Synonyms: oratory, eloquence, command of language, way with
words
Shadowy: full of shadows.
Example: The shadowy back streets of Stringtown
Synonyms: dark, dim, gloomy, murky, crepuscular, shady, shaded
Groan: a deep, inarticulate sound made in pain or despair.
Example: Without warning, another shot rings out, followed by a deep groan .
Synonyms: moan, cry, whimper