the vocab weekly issue 23

Contents

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Title Page No.1. Cabal 12. Calamity 23. Caliber 34. Callow 45. Cognition 56. Deadlock 67. Debacle 78. Work Out Zone 89. Answers 9

The Vocab Weekly

1 www.wordpandit.com March 15-March 22| Issue 23

CABAL

Cabal

According to the dictionary, the word ‘cabal’ carries the following meanings.

1. A small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority. (N)

2. The plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue. (N)

3. To form a cabal; intrigue; conspire; plot. (V)

In terms of application, the word ‘cabal’ signifies a coming together of more than two parties, usually for some

vested interest of their own. To achieve this interest, they generally take the help of plots, schemes and

intrigues. Generally, this term has a negative connotation and its usage does have the implications of negative

influence and insidious planning.

A few example of its usage are:

1. The long beleaguered citizens of Egypt have triumphed, after thirty years of deployment of arbitrary power

by Mubarak and his military cabal.

2. They live in a world of paranoid fantasies, where some secret cabal is supposedly trying to set up a world

government to take away their freedoms.

3. The conservative cabal is shrewd, unified and extremely well funded; they won't let something as simple as

e-mail messages get in the way of their long range plans to permanently take control of the US Government.

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CALAMITY

Calamity

A few examples of some the worst things that a person can experience are as follows: Massive earthquakes,

huge landslides, devastating hurricanes, gruesome terrorist attacks or the onset of deadly diseases.

Well, each of the examples above can be ascribed one word to describe them: each one of them in their own

right is a calamity.

The dictionary definition for calamity is as follows:

1. An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster. (noun)

Quotes using the word calamity:

The word calamity comes with an amazing bundle of quotes that have been based on this word. Few of the

really good ones are as follows:

1. A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. - Bible

2. Calamity is virtue's opportunity. - Seneca

3. He who sees the calamity of other people finds his own calamity light. - Arabian Proverb

4. The calamity that comes is never the one we had prepared ourselves for.-Mark Twain

5. When any calamity has been suffered, the first thing to be remembered is how much has been escaped. -

Samuel Johnson

Meaning:

1. An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster: A hurricane would be

a calamity for this low-lying coastal region. (N)

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CALIBER

Caliber/Calibre

Let us start with a small bit of factual information. And then we can build our word meaning from this little

nugget.

We have at some point of time read or heard about things such as a 22 or 25 caliber guns. What does this

word caliber doing here? In guns and firearms, caliber or caliber is defined as the approximate diameter of the

gun barrel. If we apply a bit of our resplendent common sense, we realize that higher the caliber, higher the

potency of the arm (as the size of loaded gunpowder would increase proportionally).

The dictionary definitions for caliber are as follows:

1. Abbreviation. cal.

a. The diameter of the inside of a round cylinder, such as a tube. (noun)

b. The diameter of the bore of a firearm, usually shown in hundredths or thousandths of an inch

and expressed in writing or print in terms of a decimal fraction: .45 caliber. (noun)

c. The diameter of a large projectile, such as an artillery shell, measured in millimeters or in

inches. (noun)

2. Degree of worth; quality: a college of high caliber; an employee of low caliber. (noun)

Masters Tip to remember Caliber:

Just remember the tip of gun and the damage it can. You surely do not want to fight such caliber/calibre.

Usage examples for caliber:

1. Finding people with the right calibre/caliber and to slot them at the right place is a very tough job for the

HR manager.

2. It is probable that television drama of high caliber and produced by first-rate artists will materially raise the

level of dramatic taste of the nation. -David Sarnoff

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CALLOW

Callow

Origin of the word Callow:

This world has traced its presence in present English through its ancestral form. In Old English, the word

‘calu’ meant ‘bald’. This word came to be applied to young birds, who were born without any feathers and

were bald. So, the first meaning of callow came to be young or inexperienced birds.

As a figurative extension of this reference, this young birds became symbols of inexperience and immaturity.

So, this word came to be used for young people who lacked the necessary experience of life.

The dictionary definitions for callow are as follows:

1. Immature or inexperienced: a callow youth. (Adjective)

2. (Of a young bird) featherless; unfledged. (Adjective)

Masters Tip to remember Callow:

The word can be easily engraved in one’s memory with the help of the most common use of callow: callow

youth. This expression has almost become a symbolic representation, with it being used often by the seniors

to describe youngsters. The picture given below is symbolic of the same.

Usage Examples for callow:

1. This biography shows us the successful evolution of a callow young man into a modern husband and

father.

2. The performance of the youngster was even more credible, as he was playing in a team full of callow

individuals.

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COGNITION

COGNITION

Exercise your wheels of thinking and you would know what this word means. In simple terms (skipping the

complex definition that will follow), cognition refers to the process of thinking. It is the identification of

knowledge, of understanding it and perceiving it.

The most common references of cognition that one would find would be in psychology and philosophy. One

would do well to read on cognitive psychology (defined as the psychological study of higher mental

processes, including thinking and perception).

The dictionary definitions for cognition are as follows:

1. The mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

(noun)

2. That which comes to be known, as through perception, reasoning, or intuition; knowledge. (noun)

Masters Tip to remember Cognition:

Our simple reference guide for this:

Process of cognition = Process of thinking

This is the simplified and practical meaning for this word with the strange feeling.

Usage Examples for Cognition:

1. The process of visual cognition is something that deeply enriches our experience of the world.

2. The process of cognition can play tricks even on a balanced mind.

3. The mental addition of 2+2=4 is an example of cognition only.

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DEADLOCK

DEADLOCK

Imagine this situation: you and your best friend have just come to blows, both are holding each other by the

collar and waiting for the other person to land the first blow. Well, the situation is a deadlock or a stalemate,

with noting happening either way.

The dictionary definitions for deadlock are as follows:

1. A standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces or factions. (noun)

2. Sports: A tied score. (noun)

Masters Tip to remember Deadlock:

The ready reference that you can use to learn this word is a lock. Imagine the one on the kitchen door is

locked and the key is lost. And you are extremely hungry. What kind of a situation you are in? You are in a

deadlock, or to put it better, you been caught unaware by a DEAD+LOCK!

Usage:

A few usage examples for deadlock are as follows:

1. The continuing deadlock in the parliament has lead to a situation where in no meaningful work is being

done at the cost of the public exchequer.

2. The talks between United Nations and the Iranian government are aimed at solving the deadlock over the

Tehran’s nuclear program.

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DEBACLE

Debacle

If we were to name absolute disaster in a word, the word would be debacle. There are quite a few examples of

these instances which come to mind. One of those is the Japan earthquake, 2011 and the tsunami it brought

about. And to top it all, the release of radiation from the Japanese nuclear plants means we can surely label it

as a debacle.

The dictionary definitions for debacle are as follows:

1. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout. (noun)

2. A total, often ludicrous failure. (noun)

3. The breaking up of ice in a river. (noun)

4. A violent flood. (noun)

Usage Examples for Debacle:

1. After the debacle of his first novel, no one could believe that he could write such a perfect novel.

2. The financial debacle of 2008 lead to the wiping of lacs of jobs across the globe.

3. The plague that affects the city is nothing short of a debacle.

Meaning:

1. A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout.

2. A total, often ludicrous failure.

3. The breaking up of ice in a river.

4. A violent flood.

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Work Out Zone

Work Out 1: Match the following words with their respective meanings or synonyms.

Word Meaning or Synonym

1 Cabal A Worth

2 Calamity B Impasse

3 Caliber C Disaster

4 Callow D Trouncing

5 Cognition E Faction

6 Deadlock F Knowledge

7 Debacle G Fledgling

Work Out 2: Did you really understand the word? 1. Politicians often form cabals. yes no

2. Man-made calamities should be avoided. yes no

3. Bosses check employee calibre. yes no

4. Children are in general callow in nature. yes no

5. Science works on principles of cognition. yes no

6. Deadlocks are problem-solvers. yes no

7. Debacles can save one’s day. yes no

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Answers: Work Out Zone

Work Out 1 1-E, 2-C, 3-A, 4-G, 5-F, 6-B, 7-D Work Out 2 1-yes, 2-yes, 3-yes, 4-yes, 5-yes, 6-no, 7-no

the vocab weekly issue 23

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