Table of Contents
nocuous
Adjective
Meaning:
Poisonous; lethal; harmful and noxious;
Usage:
Washing your hands regularly is one of the easiest ways to help prevent the
spread of nocuous germs
It is our choice to expose ourselves to nocuous activities but we should ideally
refrain from engaging in lethal pursuits
besmirch
Verb
Meaning:
To sully or spoil; to damage;
Usage:
Jane was besmirching Sudha’s reputation
High ideals were besmirched by cruelty and greed
paralysis
Meaning:
A state of powerlessness or incapacity to act; loss of ability to move
Usage:
The whole country is in a state of paralysis
They are trying to end the political paralysis that has been gripping the country
It has become a paralysed economy
Fall on deaf ears
Meaning:
To fail to be heard; to be ignored
Usage:
Her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears
I pleaded with them to close the park but my pleas fell on deaf ears
Alas, her request fell on deaf ears- Ritu and Shveta were squabbling over a chair
Turn a blind eye
Meaning:
Disregard; pretend not to notice; overlook; to deliberately ignore something that
you know should not be happening
Usage:
The teachers were turning a blind eye to the rising cases of smoking in the school
fearing the strict principal
The police turned a blind eye to the heinous crimes of the minister’s son
“Time to avoid phrases that mock disabilities”-
Martand Jha
“We must stop the casual use of terms like turning a blind eye and paralysed
economy.”
“In our day-to-day interactions we come across words and phrases like turning a
blind eye, falling on deaf ears, a paralysed economy, institutions running on
crutches and mute leadership. What is common among these is that they all
signify negative connotation, while referring to physically disabled people.