KNOW YOUR ENGLISH
"Why did you have to go? Your boss wasn't ordering you to."
"What you don't understand is that sometimes my boss' request is tantamount to a command."
"Tantamount? Don't think I have heard that word before. What does it mean?"
"When you say that one thing is `tantamount' to another, you mean that the two are equivalent. They are ... "
"So what you are saying is that your boss' request is equivalent to a command!"
"Yes, that's right! There is no difference between the two."
"How about this example? The superstar's statement was tantamount to saying that actors and politicians are above the law."
"In India they are, aren't they?"
"Yes, they are. Met Sujatha on my way here, and as usual we had a fight."
"What was it about?"
"It was about the word `timings'. She said that it doesn't exist. I told her she was crazy."
"She may be crazy, but she is right. You see... ."
"What are you talking about? We talk about `Office timings' all the time."
"True. But it's an Indianism. Native speakers would say, `working hours' or `office hours'. Anyway, what else did you and Sujatha talk about?"
"About how dangerous train travel has become these days."
"I guess the Railway Minister wants to make train travel as exciting as living in Bihar. You never know what is going to happen next."
"That's exactly what Sujatha and I were discussing about. You see, when ... ."
"You cannot say `discuss about'. You can `talk about something', but you `discuss something'. You do not `discuss about something'."
"I see. Can we discuss this matter tomorrow? How does it sound?"
"Sounds great! Here's another example. I am afraid you are all too tired to discuss the matter now. Let's wait till tomorrow. Tell me, why were the two of you talking about travelling by train?"
"Because Sujatha is going to Patna next week. Official work, she said."
"Take a train to Patna! She should sleep on it. You see, it ... ."
"Sleep on it? Sleep on what? What are you talking about?"
"When you tell someone to sleep on something, what you want him to do is to give the matter some thought before taking a decision."
"I see. How about this example? I don't want you to give an answer right now. Sleep on it, and let me know tomorrow."
"Good example. Chandu proposed to Malathi. She didn't give an answer immediately. She said that she would like to sleep on it."
"I think I understand how the expression `sleep on' is used. Tell me, we have `sleep on'. Do we have the expression `sleep in' as well?"
"Yes, we do! The expression has several different meanings. When you `sleep in' you oversleep. For example, we have all slept in one time or the other."
"My father missed the early morning flight because he slept in."
"We were late for the appointment because the CEO slept in."
"Well, if the CEO slept in, then I guess he can't blame anybody else. Anyway, what is the other meaning of `sleep in'?"
"The expression can also be used to mean to get up late on purpose. For example, we completed our project at 3: 00 a.m on Friday. The members of the team decided to sleep in on Saturday."
"Meaning that they will be getting up very late on Saturday?"
"That's right! They may decide to spend most of the day sleeping."
"That's what I would like to do. I would like to sleep in all weekend. Unfortunately, my parents think I should study."
"A hair in the head is worth two in the brush." — Don Herold
S. Upendran