1. What is the meaning and origin of ‘one swallow does not make a summer’?
(T. Janaki, Madurai)
This is an expression that is normally used to caution someone. When you say that one swallow does not make a summer, what you mean is that just because something good has happened, it doesn’t mean good things will continue to happen. Chances are things may go bad, instead of improving. You are requesting the individual to err on the side of caution, and not to get carried away.
Just because you’ve won the first round doesn’t mean you’re going to win the championship. Remember, one swallow does not make a summer.
The expression comes from the world of Aesop’s Fairy Tales. In the story, a young man sees a swallow on a warm winter day. As you know, a swallow is a bird which usually appears during spring. Thinking that the winter season is over, the young man sells off his woollen coat, and with the money he has made, he goes to the bar and drinks. Unfortunately, in the days that follow, the temperature drops. The young man, shivering in the cold, realises that one swallow does not make a summer.
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2. What is the meaning of ‘thumb lashing’?
(B. Pandurangam, Chennai)
We all know what ‘tongue lashing’ means. It is when someone scolds or criticises us for something we have done or not done. We have all been subjected to a tongue lashing from our parents and friends. Tongue lashing has been going on for ages. ‘Thumb lashing’, on the other hand, is something new. Nowadays, thanks to the mobile phone, we are available to people 24/7. If a person is angry with you, he doesn’t have to actually see you or talk to you to give you a piece of his mind. He can send an angry SMS; this angry message that you get on the cell phone is called ‘thumb lashing’. All that the person makes use of to send you the message is his thumb!
*I got a thumb lashing from my friend for forgetting his birthday.
The introduction of the cell phone has resulted in the coining of new words and expressions. One of them happens to be ‘thumb me’. When you ask someone to thumb you, you are requesting him/her to send you an SMS. You don’t want the person to ‘call’ you, but ‘thumb’ you!
*If you manage to get the tickets, thumb me.
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3. What is the difference between ‘peruse’ and ‘browse’?
(L. Kailash, Trichy)
‘Browsing’ is something that we normally do when we are in a bookshop. Before we decide what to buy, we invariably take a look at the books and magazines available. Sometimes we read the blurbs, at other times, we sample a paragraph or two in order to decide whether the book is worth buying. When you browse through a book or magazine, you look at it in a very casual way; you do not read it carefully.
*He was browsing through the sports section when the phone rang.
*Could you browse through the first draft and give us some feedback?
‘Perusing’, unlike ‘browsing’, suggests very careful reading. When you peruse a document, you go through it very carefully. You examine the document in detail; you read each and every word.
*The CEO perused the ten page document before signing it.
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“Calamities are of two kinds: misfortunes to ourselves, and good fortune to others.” —
Ambrose Bierce
S. UPENDRAN