1. Bellwether
• Something that leads or indicates a trend.
Usage: Basildon is now the bellwether of Britain’s voting behaviour.
2. Chukri System
• The Chukri System is a debt bondage or forced labour system found in parts of West Bengal.
• Under this system a female can be coerced into prostitution in order to pay off debts.
3. Impasse
• A bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach an agreement and become deadlocked.
Usage: It was an impasse, and the silence which followed emphasised it.
4. Misdemeanour
• A misdemeanour is a criminal offense that is less serious than a felony and more serious than an infraction.
Misdemeanours are generally punishable by a fine and incarceration in a local county jail, unlike infractions which impose no jail time.
Usage: In English law, crimes are usually classified as treason, felony, misdemeanour and summary offence.
5. Rankle
• Of a comment or fact cause continuing annoyance or resentment.
Usage: The casual manner of his dismissal still rankles.
6. Marquee
• A marquee is most commonly a structure placed over the entrance to a hotel, theatre, casino, train station, or similar building. It often has signage stating either the name of the establishment or, in the case of theatres, the play or movie and the artist appearing at that venue.
Usage: Atlantic City is a land of lights, with its tall buildings and flashing marquees.
7. Predispose
• Make someone liable or inclined to a specified attitude, action, or condition.
Usage: Lack of exercise may predispose an individual to high blood pressure.
8. Outmanoeuvre
• Use skill and cunning to gain an advantage over.
Usage: Some defence specialists try to outmanoeuvre criminals by developing anti-virus software and other tools to prevent an attack.
9. Postulation
• A suggestion or assumption of the existence, fact, or truth of something as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief.
• An axiom or postulate is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments. The word comes from the Greek axíōma ‘that which is thought worthy or fit’ or ‘that which commends itself as evident.’
Usage: Among the many postulations about the nature of dark matter is that it may actually be a full family of particles — not just one.
10. Disgruntled
• Angry or dissatisfied.
Usage: Judges receive letters from disgruntled members of the public.
