1. What is the difference between ‘impasse’ and ‘deadlock’?
(R. Thirunarayan, Chidambaram)
First, let us deal with the pronunciation of the French word ‘impasse’. The British tend to pronounce the ‘i’ in the first syllable like the ‘a’ in ‘ant’, ‘pants’, and ‘apple’, and the ‘a’ in the second like the ‘a’ in ‘ask’, ‘answer’, and ‘car’. They pronounce the word
‘ampaas’. This is just one of the ways that the English pronounce the word. Americans, on the other hand, pronounce the ‘im’ like the ‘im’ in ‘him’, ‘Tim’ and ‘Kim’, and the following ‘a’ like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’ and ‘bat’. They pronounce the word
‘impass’.
In both cases, the final ‘e’ is silent, and the stress is on the first syllable.
As far as the meaning is concerned, the two can be used interchangeably in most contexts.
When two parties reach an impasse or deadlock, they reach a dead-end. They are in a difficult position and are unable to reach an agreement about something; they are unable to move forward in their discussions.
*Peace talks between the two countries ended in deadlock.
------------------------
2. How is the word ‘sleuth’ pronounced? Why are detectives called ‘sleuths’?
(P. Mallika, Hyderabad)
Sleuth rhymes with ‘truth’, ‘booth’ and ‘Ruth’. The word comes from the compound ‘sleuthhound’; it was a dog like a bloodhound which was mainly used for tracking people and animals. With the passage of time, the word was reduced to ‘sleuth’, and like many other words, it acquired a figurative meaning. It meant to track or pursue someone or something. Since this is what detectives do, pursue or track people, it is not surprising that the word began to be used to refer to them. Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes are some of the well-known sleuths in fiction. The word is considered to be rather old fashioned.
------------------------
3. What is the meaning of ‘tryst’?
(Impung Chang, New Delhi)
The ‘y’ in the word is pronounced like the ‘i’ in ‘fist’, ‘mist’, and ‘list’. ‘Tryst’ is considered to be a literary word which is mostly used in British English.
The meeting of two lovers in a quiet and secluded place is called a tryst. The word nowadays is being used to mean ‘appointment’. Tryst comes from ‘tristre’ meaning ‘appointed station in hunting’.
*According to some people, India has a tryst with destiny.
------------------------
4. Is it OK to say, ‘The school has received a great deal of complaints’?
(T. Vidya, Chennai)
No, it isn’t.
The expression ‘a great deal of’ is usually followed by uncountable nouns, not countable ones. It is okay to say, ‘His father left him a great deal of money’, or, ‘Her children spent a great deal of time with the little puppy.’
With countable nouns, people generally use ‘large number of’ or ‘great many’.
*The Vice Chancellor received a large number of complaints.
------------------------
5. What is the meaning and origin of ‘let your hair down’?
(C. Banumathi, Chennai)
When you tell someone to let his hair down, you are telling him to relax and have a good time. You are asking him to be himself and not worry about what others will think of him.
*Somebody needs to tell the new boss to let his hair down once in a while.
The expression comes from the world of fashion. Centuries ago, women, when they were in public, had to wear their hair up. The only time when they could literally let their hair down, and be themselves, was when they were in the privacy of their ‘bed chamber’.
******
“Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does, the better.” —
Andre Gide
S. UPENDRAN