儒琴英语词汇选自欧美报刊文章以及英语原文小说。坚持学习英语今日词汇，有助于阅读和理解当今欧美主流媒体的新闻时事报道和英语文学作品。
儒琴英语词汇（English Words and Phrases of the Day）
plebiscite
noun UK /ˈpleb.ə.saɪt/ formal
a referendum
（同referendum）全民公投
Both countries agreed to a plebiscite in principle, to allow Kashmiris to decide their own future, but it has never been held because it was predicated on the withdrawal of all military forces from the region, which has not happened even decades on.
egg sb on
— phrasal verb with egg verb
to strongly encourage someone to do something that might not be a very good idea
怂恿，鼓动，煽动
Pakistani rangers and Indian security forces perform the daily Beating Retreat ceremony at the border village – Wagah. Video footage of the ceremony shows spectators arranged on stadium-style bleachers along the road, who shout and clap, egged on by animated cheerleaders, to a soundtrack of patriotic music.
top-line
of the highest quality or ranking
顶级的，最昂贵的
Indian M777 howitzers are displayed during a rehearsal for the Republic Day Parade on January 23, 2019, in New Delhi, India. The guns are top-line US technology, analysts say.
hamstring
verb [ T often passive ] UK /ˈhæm.strɪŋ/ US /ˈhæm.strɪŋ/ hamstrung
to limit the amount of something that can be done or the ability or power of someone to do something
使受限制；使难有作为
India wants even more new military technology, but it is often hamstrung by tight export controls from key suppliers like the US and Britain.
loose nukes
The term originally referred to poorly guarded nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union that might tempt terrorists or criminals. Today, experts use the term to refer to nuclear weapons, materials, or know-how that could fall into the wrong hands.
“Pakistan has a strategic policy of delegating nuclear release approval down to lower level tactical units,” he said. “There is a real danger of ‘loose nukes,’ that is lower-level bellicose commanders using tactical nuclear weapons if they see fit.”
insinuation
noun [ C or U ] /ɪnˌsɪn.juˈeɪ.ʃən/
the action of suggesting, without being direct, that something unpleasant is true
影射，暗示
Pakistan says it rejects “any insinuation” that it had a role in Thursday’s attack, for which India has blamed Jaish-e-Mohammed, a Pakistan-based group listed by the U.S. State Department as a foreign terrorist organization.
payload
noun [ C ] UK /ˈpeɪ.ləʊd/ US /ˈpeɪ.loʊd/
the amount of goods or people that a vehicle, such as a truck or aircraft, can carry
（运输工具的）净载重量，有用载重量；（导弹等武器的）有效载荷，有效负荷
Not surprisingly, tensions escalated even further. In the early morning hours of Tuesday, the Indian air force entered into Pakistani airspace and dropped a payload of bombs. India claimed it had attacked a terrorist training camp and killed “a large number” of militants. For its part, Pakistan insisted the attack had hit an uninhabited forest, damaging only trees.
dogfight
noun [ C ]
a fight between two military aircraft in which they fly very fast and very close to each other
（两架战斗机之间的）空中格斗，激战
Pakistan has released the Indian pilot it captured during a dogfight earlier this week, in an attempt to defuse spiraling tensions between the two countries.
face down sb/sth
— phrasal verb with face
to defeat someone or something that is opposing you by being brave and strong
勇敢挫败，压倒，降服
To avoid escalating their current confrontation, the two prime ministers will have to face down the powerful pull of historic rivalries and mistrust, coupled with the more immediate needs of their own political careers.
hold sway
to have power or a very strong influence
掌握权力；有很大影响
Han Hua, professor and South Asia studies expert at Peking University, said given Chin(a) has greater influence in Pakistan, while the US holds more sway in India, it made sense for the two to cooperate.
overplay
verb [ T ] /ˌoʊ.vɚˈpleɪ/
to make something seem more important than it really is
夸大…的重要性；把…做得过分；过分强调；过分重视
But Beijin(g) doesn’t want to overplay its support of Pakista(n) and push India into the arms of US President Donald Trump.
neophyte
noun [ C ] /ˈniː.oʊ.faɪt/ formal
someone who has recently become involved in an activity and is still learning about it
新手；初学者
He (Imran Khan, Pakistani cricket star-turned prime minister) certainly is a neophyte, he has no experience as a national leader, he’s been a politician for a number of years but hasn’t been in a position of national power.
