Know Your English
“Looks like your favourite cricketer has scored another double century.”
“Yes. Sachin has been in fantastic form of late.”
“He certainly has. That was a mean little innings he played in...”
“Mean? How can you accuse Sachin of being mean? He's ...”
“I didn't say Sachin was mean. I said his innings was mean. By that, I mean, ‘excellent' or ‘skilful'.”
“Really? So, can I say, Sachin plays a mean game of cricket?”
“You certainly can. By the way, such use of the word ‘mean' is considered slang. My friend Badal is a mean bridge player.”
“I think I understand now. So tell me, how is your new boss? Is he mean?”
“It's a she. Most people think she's pretty laid-back.”
“Laid-back? Are you saying she's lazy?”
“No, no. That's not what laid-back means. When you say that someone is laid-back, you mean that the person is calm and relaxed.”
“In other words, he never gets flustered.”
“Right! He may have problems, but he doesn't show it. Whenever you see this person, you get the impression he doesn't have a care in the world.”
“I see. How about this example? I like to spend time with my cousin Indu. She's pretty laid-back.”
“My cousin Gopal is anything but laid-back.”
“I know. He worries about everything, and he gets others around him worried too.”
“Most people in my office are like Gopal. So it's nice to have a boss who is laid-back.”
“But do you think she will be able to handle the pressure of...?”
“I don't see why not. Just because someone is laid-back doesn't mean she can't handle pressure. She could be one tough cookie.”
“That' true.”
“And you know what they say. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going? What does it mean?”
“The first 'going' refers to the situation or circumstances. When the circumstances become tough or difficult..”
“The people who are tough or brave get going.”
“Exactly!”
“But where do these tough people go?”
“They don't go anywhere. It means they work harder to solve the problem. They swing into action.”
“In other words, people who are tough will never give up. No matter how difficult the situation, they will face it bravely.”
“That's right. Whenever our team is in trouble, everyone turns to Tendulkar and Dravid. And these two usually come through. You know what they say...”
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Any idea who came up with the saying?”
“Many people believe it was Joseph Kennedy, the father of President John F Kennedy, who came up with it.”
“That's interesting. Did you manage to meet your friend Ram?”
“I tried to. I went to his house, actually. I saw that terrible bore Chandu talking to him. So I decided to leg it.”
“Leg it? Does it mean to run away from something?”
“It could be someone or something. When the robbers saw the policemen, they decided to leg it.”
“Most students leg it when they see the Principal coming.”
* * *
“Forget love….I'd rather fall in chocolate.”
— Unknown
S. UPENDRAN
upendrankye@gmail.com