Know your English
``HI! WHY are you walking like that? Is there something wrong?''
``Yes, it's my back, I'm afraid. It's
playing up again.''
``What did you play? I thought you were too busy....''
``....I didn't play anything.
When you say that some part of your body is `playing up', it means that it is causing problems. This is .....''
``....Oh, so what you're saying is that you have a back problem.''
``I guess you could say that.''
``I see. Can I say my grandmother's leg is playing up again?''
``You can. What's wrong with the leg?''
``I think it has something to do with the weather. It's been raining non stop for the past three days and whenever it rains....''
``....the weather, of course! Why didn't I think of it before? The weather could be the reason why my back is playing up too.''
``Could be. But tell me, is this expression used with parts of the body alone? Or can it be used with....''
``....
`play up' can be used with machines and instruments as well. For example, I can say, our telephone is playing up again.''
``Meaning the telephone is not working properly. It's creating problems.''
``Exactly!''
``The telephones in our city play up whenever there is a slight drizzle.''
``You have a point there. I'd better take the car to the mechanic. It's playing up.''
``Didn't you have it repaired last week?''
``I did. But....''
``.... nothing ever gets fixed, does it?''
``You're right! Nothing ever gets fixed. Venkat recommended the mechanic that I...''
``....Venkat! Is it true that he called your Chairman `a dirty old man'?''
``Yes, he called him that in a meeting. Poor Venkat, the incident is being
played up by everyone.''
``Played up, again? What does it mean this time?''
``When you play something up, you make it out to be much more important than what it actually is. In other words, you exaggerate.''
``Isn't this what all newspapers do? Last week, for example, all the local newspapers played up the divorce story.''
``So true. People seem to be very interested in the private life of a movie star. When I went to visit my cousin last week, my mother told me not to let her play up her illness.''
``I don't know why so many people exaggerate their illness. Tell me, we have the expression, `play up'. Is there an expression
`play down'?''
``There definitely is.
It means the exact opposite of `play up'.
``I see. So, when you play down something, it means that you reduce the importance of someone or something?''
``Exactly! Here's an example. The Minister tried to play down his role in the scandal.''
``The Government is trying to play down its recent loss in the local elections. How does that sound?''
``Sounds great. Namrata tried to play down her role in the scandal.''
``What's her brother Janardhan up to?''
``The last time I saw him he was
playing at being a chef.''
``Playing at? Isn't it wrong to say that?''
``When someone `plays at being' someone or something, they pretend to be that someone or something.''
``Little kids do this all the time.''
``Exactly! They pretend all the time. Here's an example. Sharmila and Rajesh were playing at being astronauts.''
``I played at being a pilot when I was young. How does that sound?''
``Good! The politicians were playing at being pirates.''
``I don't think they have to play at being pirates. Most of them already are! Anyway, does Janardhan still play tennis?''
``Let's just say he
plays at tennis.''
``Plays at tennis! That is definitely wrong.''
``No, it isn't. When you
`play at' something, you don't do it seriously. You are merely pretending to do it. For example, in yesterday's match, most of the players were playing at batting.''
``
In other words, they were just pretending to bat. Another case of match fixing?''
``Don't say that. The press will play it up again.''
Journalism: A profession whose business it is to explain to others what it personally does not understand.''
- Lord Northcliffe.
S. UPENDRAN