Know your English
WHAT IS the meaning of `heist'?
First, let's deal with the pronunciation. The ``ei'' is like the ``y'' in `my', and `by'. `Heist is a word generally used in informal contexts in American English. It can be used as a noun and a verb.
When used as a noun, it means robbery or theft. Here are a few examples.
* The heist didn't go according to plan. Several people were killed. 
* Jambunathan wanted to pull off one more heist before retiring.
* Did you know that there was a jewellery heist this afternoon?
When you `heist' someone, you rob him of something. The word can also mean ``to steal''. Here are a few examples.
* Ranjit heisted a car and drove it all the way to Shillong.
* The thugs heisted some of the passengers in the first class compartment.
* After they had heisted the passengers they began to kill them.
What is the plural of ``computer mouse''? (S. Krishnaswamy, Chennai)
Well, the plural of mouse is mice, therefore logically it should be ``computer mice''. But `mouses' is the word that is used by people in the IT industry - both within India and abroad. So, if you walk into a store that sells computers and ask for some ``mice'', don't be too surprised if the salesman bursts out laughing. It's also very common to hear people talking about ``e- mails'' rather than ``e-mail''.
Is it OK to say ``parapet wall''? (P. V. Srinivasan, Chennai)
The dictionary defines ``parapet'' as a ``low wall at the edge of a high roof, bridge, etc''. Since the word ``parapet'' means a wall of some kind, you needn't say ``parapet wall''. But you do hear a lot of people saying exactly that. What do you do? As the Beatles would say, ``Let it be, let it be''!
When someone says ``Would you mind repeating what you just said?'', should the reply be ``Not at all''? (S. S. Saravanan, Madurai)
Well, it depends on what you mean. If you don't mind repeating what you have just said, then the reply ``Not at all'' is correct. If, on the other hand, you say ``Yes'', it implies, ``Yes, I do mind repeating what I just said''. Many non-native speakers of English have problems with such questions. When someone asks them ``Would you mind moving over?'', they respond by saying ``Yes'' and then move over. But by saying, ``Yes'', what they are actually saying is, ``Yes, I do mind moving over''. 
What is the meaning and origin of the expression `sword of Damocles'? (A. Lakshmi Kumar, Nellore)
King Dionysius the Elder ruled over the ancient kingdom of Syracuse in 4th Century BC. Damocles was one of the courtiers in this kingdom, and he spent most of his time flattering the King. Damocles was one those who believed that being a king was the easiest thing in the world. He thought the job involved eating good food, drinking good wine, and in general having a wonderful time. In order to teach this courtier a lesson, King Dionysius invited him to a banquet. The food served was delicious and music played was lovely.
Unfortunately, Damocles was unable to enjoy any of these things because unlike the other guests he found himself seated under a sword - a sword which was hanging by a single horsehair!
Damocles was afraid that the hair would snap at any time resulting in the sword falling on his head. This was the Dionysius' way of showing Damocles that although a king may be surrounded by luxury, he has little or no time to really enjoy them; the king's life is very precarious - as precarious as a man who has a sword hanging over his head.
So, when you say that a sword of Damocles hangs over someone, it means that something bad is going to happen to that person; although it may not happen immediately, just the thought of it causes a lot of worry for the person concerned.
When Govind was told that he had tested HIV positive, he began to feel that he was living with a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.
Salman lives with a sword of Damocles hanging over his head, knowing that the Mumbai Don was after him.
The possibility of his not getting a job hung over him like a sword of Damocles all spring.
What is the difference between `expire' and `die'? (M. Domodaran, Trivandrum)
The word ``die'' is the informal of the two. ``Expire'' is considered by many to be literary. When you ``die'' you cease to live; all signs of life cease to exist. The word can be used not only with people, but also with things; things, which have the appearance of life - echo, topic, music, etc. Here are a few examples.
* The smile that was splitting Hema's face died when she saw Arun.
* The car died on our way to the theatre.
* The firemen were waiting for the flames to die out.
The word ``expire'', on the other hand, means, ``to breathe out air through the lungs''. When you say that someone has ``expired'' what it means is, the person has expelled air for the last time! In other words, he has stopped breathing and is therefore dead. Like the word `dead', `expire' can be used with things as well. When you say that something has expired, it implies that it has reached its limit and cannot be further extended. When something `expires', its ending is usually gradual and is expected; when something dies, its ending may be sudden and totally unexpected. For example, people usually die in an accident, they do not expire in one. When you cannot extend your lease, you say it has expired; you cannot say that it has died.
* Farheen's contract with the company expired last week.
* The battery died the second week.
* The grace period given by the teacher will expire in a week's time.
* The words died on her lips.
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``A friend in need is a pest indeed.'' - Anon
S. UPENDRAN