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rule out sth

to decide or say officially that something is impossible or will not happen, or that something or someone is not suitable: The police haven't yet ruled out murder.

be left stranded/stranded

unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money: He left me stranded in town with no car and no money for a bus.

power outage

an interruption in the supply of electricity

scuppered plans/scupper

to cause something such as a plan or an opportunity to fail: Arriving late for the interview scuppered my chances of getting the job.

gripe about sth

to complain continuously about something in a way that is annoying

grind to a halt

to gradually slow down and stop all movement or activity, or to make something do this: If traffic increases beyond a certain level, the city grinds to a halt.

renewable energy

energy derived from natural sources that are replenished at a higher rate than they are consumed

intermittency

the fact of stopping and starting repeatedly or with periods of time in between

perplexing

confusing

replenish

to fill sth up again

novel of manners

a novel dominated by social customs, manners, conventions, and habits of a definite social class

to recall sth

to have memories

precocious

Children who are precocious have the confidence or skill of an adult

change implementation

the process of translating planned changes or initiatives into action