Quiz: "setback" or "clawback"?

The correct answer is: clawback

"The UK government is looking at ways to clawback some bonuses."

The UK government isn't alone in trying to clawback (also "claw back") the huge bonuses that were paid to company executives, in particular to bank executives. If you clawback money, you recover money that has already been paid out, usually in bonuses or benefits.

clawback = zurückfordern

A claw is a pointed, sharp nail on an animal's paw. If you claw at something, you scratch and tear at it. Maybe Gordon Brown will have to fight like an animal to get the money back.

You can find more specialist meanings of "clawback", both as a verb and as a noun at investopedia.com.

A setback is a problem that prevents progress from being made:

• "The fall in share price is a setback, but we'll make a comeback!"

setback = Rückschlag

The verb is a phrasal verb:

• "The changes have set us back." 

set sb. back = jmdn. zurückwerfen

Try another:

"You can’t leave the banks to their own ___. We need stricter regulation."

• devices
• gadgets