1. Banking lobby
• The Banking Lobby refers to the representatives from various firms and organizations seeking favourable terms from governments for big banks and other financial service companies through lobbying and advocacy groups.
Usage: The banking lobby generally opposes stricter government regulation of financial markets while tending to stress the importance of banks in the economy.
2. Beset
• Trouble someone or something persistently.
Usage: The social problems that beset the UK.
3. Stratum/strata
• A stratum is a layer of something, whether abstract, like a social stratum composed of only billionaires, or physical, like the different strata (that’s the plural version) of clouds that an airplane passes through.
Usage: While it’s impossible to profile shoplifters – the crime transcends gender, age and all socio-demographic strata, and about one in 11 people commit it – evidence suggests the rich actually do steal more than the poor.
4. Yeoman Service
• Efficient or useful help in need.
Usage: The minister has performed yeoman service for Mulroney.
5. WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency)
• The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sports.
Usage: The UK Anti-Doping agency has pushed for the World Anti-Doping Agency to add thyroxine to the banned substances list.
6. Perennial
• Lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring.
Usage: Along with the Mini, the Corsa is one of the first of the UK’s perennial bestsellers to get an electric makeover.
7. Hung parliament
• A hung parliament is a term used in legislatures under the Westminster system to describe a situation in which no particular political party or pre-existing coalition has an absolute majority of legislators in a parliament or other legislature.
Usage: Italy is facing political paralysis as near-complete election results raise the possibility of no clear winner and a hung parliament.
8. Knotty
• Extremely difficult or complex.
Usage: A knotty legal problem.
9. Numinous
• Having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating or suggesting the presence of a divinity.
Usage: As is usually the case, people with special abilities emerged to assist travelers through the portal to the numinous.
10. Extirpate
• Eradicate or destroy completely.
Usage: Timber wolves were extirpated from New England more than a century ago.
