UNIT 6 - POVERTY AND SOCIAL ISSUES

pilfer/ filch

to steal things of small value

cast out

to get rid of someone or something, especially forcefully

run roughshod

to act without caring how you will affect someone or something

weather the storm

If someone or something weathers the storm, they successfully deal with a very difficult problem

indigenous

used to refer to the people who originally lived in a place, rather than people who moved there from somewhere else, or to things that relate to these people

indigent / penurious/ destitute

very poor

scrounge off (a cigarette)

to get things, especially money or food, by asking for them instead of buying them or working for them

on the margins of society

If someone is on the margins of a group of people, they are part of that group, but different in important ways, and if someone is on the margins of an activity, they are only slightly involved

to run amok

to behave without control in a wild or dangerous manner

to be down-and-out

having no luck, no money, and no opportunities

to be on the game

working as a prostitute / working as a prostitute

to be loitering with intent

Stand or wait around with the intention of committing an offence.

chequered history

a past history of having had problems (good and bad)

kerb crawling

the activity of driving slowly along a road close to the path at the side in order to ask prostitutes for segs

illicit drugs

illegal drugs

soup kitchens

a place where free soup or other food is given to people with no money or no home

sleeping rough

the problem of people sleepi

substance abuse

the regular use of illegal or harmful drugs

innumeracy

a lack of ability to understand and use numbers in calculations

emancipation

the process of giving people social or political freedom and right

trappings

all the things that are part of or typical of a particular job, situation, or event

unscrupulous

behaving in a way that is dishonest or unfair in order to get what you want

extremism

the fact of someone having beliefs that most people think are unreasonable and unacceptable

asylum (political asylum)

protection or safety, especially that given by a government to people who have been forced to leave their own countries for their safety or because of war

(+ claim, application)

surrogate

replacing someone else or used instead of something else

fugitive

a person who is running away or hiding from the police or a dangerous situation

integration / assimilation

the action or process of successfully joining or mixing with a different group of people

sanitation

the systems for taking dirty water and other waste products away from buildings in order to protect people's health

sustenance

the ability of food to provide people and animals with what they need to make them strong and healthy

destitution

the state of being without money, food, a home, or possessions

limbo

an uncertain situation that you cannot control and in which there is no progress or improvement

squalor / squalid

the condition of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, often because of lack of money

mortality >< natality

the number of deaths within a particular society and within a particular period of time

subservient/ servile/ slavish

willing to do what other people want, or considering your wishes as less important than those of other people

witch doctor

is a traditional practitioner, primarily in African indigenous societies, who employs divination, rituals, and herbal concoctions to identify supernatural causes of illness (such as witchcraft or malevolent spirits) and to effect cures through magical or spiritual interventions

religious zealot

a person with extreme and uncompromising devotion to their faith

refugee camp

a place where people who have escaped their own country can live, usually in bad conditions and only expecting to stay for a limited time

regime change

a complete change of government, especially one brought about by force by another government

debt relief

the situation in which a bank or a government tells a person, a company, or a government that they do not have to pay back the money they owe

Racial tension/ ethnic hatred

hatred based on someone's perceived race, especially in a way that is unfair or harmful; or based on policies, behaviours, rules, etc.

war crime

a serious violation of the laws and customs of war—collectively known as international humanitarian law—that triggers individual criminal responsibility. These acts can only occur during an armed conflict (international or non-international) and apply to both combatants and non-combatants

culture clash

a conflict that happens when two or more groups with different beliefs, values, or habits meet and struggle to get along

ostensibly

to all outward appearances or seemingly

unrest

a state of dissatisfaction, agitation, or turbulent disorder within a society, community, or even an individual's personal life

anarchy

a sociopolitical state defined by the absence of rulers, formal government, or enforced authority.

snarf / purloin

steal