Know Your English

HOW IS the word `Wednesday' pronounced?

(Dr. N. Ananthkumar Babu, Visakhapatnam).

Native speakers of English do not pronounce the 'd' in this word. 'Wedn' is pronounced like the word ``when''. The second 'e' is silent and the 's' that follows is like the 'z' in words like 'zip', 'zoo', and 'zing'. Many native speakers of English pronounce the 'ay' in 'day' like the 'i' in words like 'fit', 'hit', and 'sit'. In fact, this is how they pronounce the 'ay' in Monday, Tuesday. I guess this explains how they get the lines of Solomon Grundy to rhyme. Some native speakers, however, pronounce the final syllable like the word ``day'' - like we Indians do.

For native speakers of English, ``Wednesday'' consists of only two syllables. The first syllable is ``wenz'' and the second ``day''. The stress is on the first syllable.

What is the meaning of the word ``honcho''?

(C. V. Srinivasamurthy, Chennai)

Honcho is slang for ``boss''. When you refer to someone as being the ``head honcho'', you mean that he/she is in charge. The word is mainly used in American English. The first 'o' is pronounced like the 'o' in 'stop', 'pop' and 'top', and the second 'o' is like the 'o' in 'go', 'so', and 'no'. The stress is on the first syllable. The word should not be used in formal contexts.

* Sachi was made the marketing honcho last week.

* The head honcho of the company didn't know a thing.

* Desai, the production honcho, wanted the Management to downsize the production department.

When used as a verb, ``honcho'' means to ``manage or boss something''.

* Tarun honchoed the house till the owners returned.

* Nobody told me that I had to honcho all this.

* When Dilip fell ill, Vijay began to honcho his affairs.

Is it O. K to use ``How come''?

(L. Surendran, Hospet, Karnataka)

Americans use the expression ``How come'' in informal contexts to mean ``why''. It is very common to hear Americans say:


* How come you didn't come to the party? (Why didn't you come to the party?)

* How come John isn't here? (Why isn't John here?)

* How come you didn't get the job? (Why didn't you get the job?)

Although ``How come'' is frequently used in informal speech, it is not acceptable in formal writing.

What is the difference between ``presume'' and ``assume''?

(Sivaraman, Hyderabad)

When you ``presume'' or ``assume'' something, you are supposing something. In other words, you are making a guess. ``Presumption'' is based on evidence or facts. For example, when you walk into someone's house and you see a few tennis racquets lying around, you may conclude that someone in the house plays tennis. You ``presume'' that someone plays tennis. Similarly, when you go to your friend's house and you find his scooter missing, you may presume that he is not at home. In both cases, you are making guesses based on some evidence. Of course, in both cases, your presumptions may be wrong. Your friend may be at home; he may have lent his scooter to someone else. But the conclusion that you have arrived at - that he is not at home is based on facts presented to you. Whenever there is a plane crash and there are no signs of survivors, the newsreader invariably says, ``All survivors are presumably dead.''

Assumption, unlike presumption, is not based on facts or evidence. You arrive at a conclusion without any proof. You accept something as being true without the backing of any evidence. Most people who like chocolate believe that everyone else in this world loves chocolate too. Here they are making an assumption, they are asserting a theory or hypothesis which is not backed by any evidence. Generally, when you assume something, you pretend for the sake of argument that it is true. For example, I can say, ``Assuming you were the President of the United States, what would you do?'' I know that you are not the President, and you know it too. But for the sake of argument, we pretend that you are.

What is the meaning and origin of ``to eat humble pie''?

(P. Balachander, Kanyakumari)

* When someone eats humble pie, they behave in a manner which makes it clear to everyone that they are willing to admit they were wrong about something. Here are a few examples:

* After losing the elections, he was made to eat humble pie.

* The head honcho had to eat humble pie after his plan failed.


* I am not saying anything now. I don't want to end up eating humble pie.

The pie in the original expression was ``umble pie'' and not ``humble pie''. The ``umbles'' consisted of meat from the heart, liver and gizzard of deer.

The servants ate these portions of the meat because they were not considered to be the choicest meat. The best portions were reserved for the nobles. Therefore a person who ate 'umble pie' was one in an inferior position; one who had to humble himself before someone who was superior.

* * *

``A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to spell.'' - William J. Johnston.

S. UPENDRAN

"SO, DID you finally manage to talk to your boss"?

"Yes, I talked to him about my raise. Believe it or not he said yes to everything. He is such a pushover. I couldn't believe it when he..."

"...you mean you knocked him down"?

"Knocked him down? What are you talking about"?

"You said that you pushed him over, didn't you"

"I didn't say I pushed him over. I said `pushover'."

"What's the difference"?

"When you say that someone is a `pushover' what you mean is that the individual can be easily influenced or won over. He can be easily got around. For example, getting money from Bala is very easy. He is such a pushover."

"My school principal, Amritavalli, is no pushover."

"Many people thought the West Indies would be a pushover. But they managed to defeat us in the series."

"If you ask me, as far as test cricket is concerned we are the pushovers."

"You are probably right."

"What does `push over' mean? Does it mean to push something or someone over"

"That's right. When you push someone over, you knock him down. For example, the students were in such a hurry to get out that they nearly pushed the teacher over."

"Wonder if they did it on purpose. How about this example? The thief pushed the tables over and escaped."

"Sounds fine. Now that I have got the raise, I had better knuckle down on the project."

"Knuckle down? You mean `knuckle under', don't you"

"No, I don't! I mean `knuckle down'. When you knuckle down to do something, you get busy doing it."

"In other words, you get busy doing what you are supposed to...."

"....that's right. You don't waste your time fooling around. Here's an example. If you want to get through this exam, you'll have to knuckle down and work hard."

"My cousin Padma knuckled down and finished her Ph.D."

"I know. A truly fantastic achievement. Hats off to her."

"How about this example? I always knuckle down a few days before the exams begin."

"You need to knuckle down much earlier than ...."

"....OK, OK, don't give me a lecture. Now tell me, what does `knuckle under' mean"?

"Well, when you knuckle under to someone, you do what he wants or tells you to do."

"His wish is your command"

"Something like that. If I were you, I would knuckle under to your boss. If you don't, chances are you might lose your job."

"I have a cousin who knuckles under to his wife."

"Nothing wrong in that. If one is prepared to knuckle under to the boss, why not the wife? Sujatha is too stubborn to knuckle under."

"The Prime Minister refused to knuckle under to the Opposition."

"I don't think it...."

"....so, tell me. How did you manage to get the raise"

"I said nice things about him. I told him he had great managerial skills. I also ...."

"....don't tell me your boss believed all that"

"He lapped it all up."

"Lapped it all up"

"When you praise someone and the individual `laps it all up', it means that the person accepts or believes it completely."

"Even though you may have been lying through the skin of your teeth"

"Yes. The person is very eager to hear you say some nice things about him. He wants you to sing his praises. It's music to his ears. The committee lapped up the lies without raising a single question."

"Even though `Devdas' has got very bad reviews, the public is lapping it up."

"The ageing film star lapped up all the compliments that came in her direction."

"Just like your boss."

"Just like my boss."

"Some of these old people are such pushovers."

*** *** ***

Coughlin's Law: "Don't talk unless you can improve the silence." — Laurence C. Coughlin

S. UPENDRAN

__________________
Devil-may-care

Some expressions describe people who are important, or at least who think they are. One such expression is, “bigwig”.
In the seventeenth century, important men in Europe began to wear false hair, called wigs. As years passed, wigs began to get bigger. The size of a man's wig depended on how important he was. The more important he was -- or thought he was -- the bigger the wig he wore. Some wigs were so large they covered a man's shoulders or back.
Today, the expression “bigwig” is used to make fun of a person who feels important. People never tell someone he is a bigwig. They only use the expression behind his back.
“Big wheel” is another way to describe an important person. A big wheel may be head of a company, a political leader, a famous doctor. They are big wheels because they are powerful. What they do affects many persons. Big wheels give the orders. Other people carry them out. As in many machines, a big wheel makes the little wheels turn.
Big wheel became a popular expression after World War Two. It probably comes from an expression used for many years by people who fix the mechanical parts of cars and trucks. They said a person "rolled a big wheel" if he was important and had influence.
The top of something is the highest part. So it is not surprising that top is part of another expression that describes an important person. The expression is, “top banana”. A top banana is the leading person in a comedy show. The best comedian is called the top banana. The next is second banana. And so on.
Why a banana? A comedy act in earlier days often included a part where one of the comedians would hit the others over the head with a soft object shaped like a banana fruit.
Top banana still is used mainly in show business. But the expression also can be used to describe the top person in any area.
A “kingpin” is another word for an important person. The expression comes from the game of bowling. The kingpin is the number one pin. If hit correctly with the bowling ball, the kingpin will make all the other nine pins fall. And that is the object of the game.
So, the most important person in a project or business is the kingpin. If the kingpin is removed, the business or project will likely fail.
Kingpin is often used to describe an important criminal, or the leader of a criminal gang. A newspaper may report, for example, that police have arrested the suspected kingpin of a car-stealing operation.

__________________
Whatever mind can conceive,it can achieve - W.Clement Stone

Know Your English






“What are you doing here so early?”

“Just came to check on you. How are you feeling today?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“Enjoying your forced break?”

“Enjoying my break? Are you kidding me? I’m going stir crazy.”

“I’ve heard of people going crazy. But what does ‘going stir crazy’ mean?”

“Well, my fever has forced me to stay at home. I haven’t stepped out even once in the past five days.”

“And you feel angry because the fever has forced you to stay inside.”

“Exactly! I feel angry and upset because I have been confined to the house. This forced confinement is making me very restless.”

“You probably feel very anxious. I think I understand what ‘stir crazy’ means now. How about this example? I promised my sister that I would take care of her kids while she was on tour. But after a week, I was going stir crazy.”

“I can well imagine. I would go stir crazy too. I’m told that people who live in really cold places get stir crazy during the winter season.”

“Very good example. Now then, how about…”

“Tell me, where did this expression ‘stir crazy’ come from?”

“It was a slang term used in prison.”

“Prison? But what’s the connection? I don’t…”

“I understand the slang word for prison is ‘stir’. Stir crazy was the expression used by inmates to refer to prisoners who had become mentally unbalanced because of their confinement.”

“Being cooped up in prison for a long time had driven them crazy.”

“Exactly! Later, the expression was used to refer to any kind of confinement. Not just prison.”

“That makes sense. Last week you said that you would tell me what ‘displace’ means. Can you tell me now?”

“Why not? I have nothing better to do. When you displace something, you usually take its place. Most of the time this replacement is done forcibly. For example, a growing number of employees in the old factory have been displaced by computers.”

“According to this report, moderates are likely to be displaced by extremists.”

“We need some change, I guess. There’s no way that technology will displace teachers in schools and colleges.”

“Teachers are always worried about things like that.”

“I know. Displace has another meaning as well. When a group of people are displaced, they are forced to move from the place where they are living. The proposed dam will displace thousands of villagers.”

“I am joining an organisation that helps people who have been displaced.”

“That’s a good idea. In that case, why don’t you help Nitya with her work?”

“Nitya? No way! I don’t think she has all her marbles.”

“Marbles? What are you talking about? Why should she…”

“When you say that someone has all her marbles, you mean that she is mentally sound.”

“I see. My neighbour is nearly 90 years old, but she hasn’t lost her marbles.”

“If you are forced to stay in your apartment for another week, I’m sure you will lose yours!”

“When a thing has been said and well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it.” — Anatole France




S. UPENDRAN

__________________
Devil-may-care

Know your English

"Hey, come on in! How are things?"

"Not very good, I'm afraid. My neighbour has been complaining to my dad about the noise we make when we play cricket."

"I don't think your dad should take him very seriously. Your neighbour gripes about the kids in your building all the time."

"Gripes about kids? Don't think I've heard that expression before. What does it mean?"

"When you `gripe about something to someone' you complain constantly in an annoying sort of way. For example, Geetha is always griping to me about the lack of civic sense in our country."

"So if my friend complains constantly, can I say, `Don't gripe to me about it. Tell the principal how you feel about the matter."

"That's a good example. If Saurav hadn't griped about the coach to the media, he would have remained the captain of the Indian team."

"You have a point there. Talking about captains, has your boss told you where the annual conference will be this year?"

"No, our usual Friday meeting went on longer than expected. Most people were too tired to decide on a place. The matter was left up in the air for..."

"Left up in the air? What does it mean?"

"When you leave some matter up in the air, you leave it undecided."

"I see. How about this example? My father can't take decisions very quickly. He leaves matters up in the air for months. It drives my mother crazy."

"That's a good example. My boss, on the other hand, likes people to take quick decisions. Employees are discouraged from leaving something hanging in the air."

"Hanging in the air? I thought you said... "

"It has the same meaning as `leave something up in the air'."

"I see. Take a decision now. I don't want you to leave it hanging in the air."

"Good example."

"O.K. Tell me, is it also possible to leave someone up in the air?"

"Yes, it is. When you leave someone up in the air, you leave the person waiting for a decision. You don't tell him whether it's a `yes' or a `no'. For example, what do you mean you haven't taken a decision about my promotion? How long do you plan to leave me up in the air like this?"

"The Vice Chancellor said that he hadn't taken a decision about the demands. He left the students up in the air."

"That's a good example. Don't do this to me, please. Don't leave me up in the air like this."

"That's the kind of treatment we get in most government offices. Whenever we go to the municipal office, for example, we are usually left hanging. Most of the time you won't find anyone at the table."

"That's true. If we had those kind of people in our office, my boss would ask them to either shape up or ship out."

"Shape up or ship out? Does it mean behave yourself or just leave?"

"That's right. When you tell someone to shape up or ship out, you are warning them that if they don't behave themselves, you will ask them to leave. In other words, you want them to meet your expectations. Here's an example. Nandini, you're constantly handing in your assignments late. Shape up or ship out."

"This is the third time this month that our new driver has been involved in an accident. Tell him that he either shapes up or ships out."

"I am sorry to say that your performance hasn't been up to the mark. Either you shape up or ship out."

"You sound like my principal. He is such a... "

"Stop griping to me about your principal."

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but no one else does." — Stewart Henderson Britt

S. UPENDRAN

__________________
Devil-may-care

Know your English

“You look absolutely exhausted. Busy preparing for your exams?”

“Not really. My friends and I have been celebrating India’s series win against England.”

“ Ever since we won the series, I find that many sports writers are using the term ‘Old Blighty’ quite frequently. Any idea what it means?”

“Old Blighty is a slang term for England.”

“England! But what’s the connection? Blighty doesn’t sound anything like England or Britain.”

“That’s true. According to many scholars, the word ‘blighty’ is actually from Hindi.”

“From Hindi! Are you sure? I don’t think a word like ‘blighty’ exists in Hindi.”

“You have a point there. The Hindi word that ‘blighty’ comes from is ‘vilayati’, meaning ‘foreigner’. In some dialects of Hindi, the word is pronounced ‘bilayati’.”

“So ‘bilayati’ became ‘blighty’?”

“Exactly! The British soldiers in India began to use the word to refer to their own country. ‘Old Blighty’ was used as a term of endearment. The term became popular only during the First World War.”

“How?”

“Homesick British soldiers sitting in the trenches in some foreign country began to refer to Britain as ‘dear Old Blighty’. Many poets and song writers writing during this period used this expression as well.”

“Poets and song writers, eh? They must have made the term even more popular.”

“They certainly did. Soldiers coined the term ‘blighty wound’ as well.”

“What kind of wound was that?”

“It was a serious wound, one that forced a soldier to leave the front line in order to recuperate. But it did not leave him a cripple.”

“In other words, the wound was serious enough to get the soldier sent back home to England!”

“Exactly! It was the sort of wound that could send the soldier back to Old Blighty. Sometimes, the soldiers inflicted the wound on themselves!”

“Interesting! So tell me, what have you been up to?

“Nothing much actually. Have been keeping my eyes peeled for a two bedroom apartment.”

“Keeping your eyes peeled? What does it mean?”

“When you keep your eyes peeled for someone or something, you remain alert or watchful. You are on the look out for the person or thing.”

“In other words, it has the same meaning as ‘keep your eyes open’?”

“Yes, more or less. Here’s an example. If you are planning to cut across the field, please keep your eyes peeled for stray dogs. They can be pretty vicious.”

“Tell me, are you getting the raise you’d asked for?”

“Not sure as yet. I met my boss yesterday, and he just hummed and hawed.”

“Hummed and hawed? Never heard that expression before.”

“When you hum and haw, you talk about something for some time, but you fail to arrive at a decision.”

“In other words, you don’t speak your mind and fail to arrive at a decision.”

“When you ask Rajesh for something, he hums and haws for several hours before taking a decision.”

“That’s true. I’d better go. Don’t want to be late for the one-day match.”

“Love is an ideal thing; marriage is a real thing. A confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished.” — Goethe



S. UPENDRAN


upendrankye@gmail.com

__________________
Devil-may-care

“Hello! Come in! Come in! What are you doing here so early?”

“Nandini called and said that her computer was acting up. Thought it was a hardware problem.”

“Hardware problem, eh? Knowing Nandini, it’s probably a wetware problem.”

“Wetware problem? What does it mean?”

“The human brain is sometimes referred to as ‘wetware’. The next time you meet Nandini, tell her that she needs to update her wetware.”

“You have a point there. She doesn’t know anything about computers. In fact, there was nothing wrong with her computer. As you rightly said, it was a wetware problem. So, how are things with you?”

“Things are just great. How about you?”

“I’m glad that somebody is feeling great. I bumped into Chandu at the market. He looked like…”

“You ran into poor Chandu? Did he look like death warmed over?”

“Look like death warmed over? Doesn’t it mean that you want him dead or something like that?”

“Of course not! When you say that someone looks like death warmed over, what you mean is that the person looks terrible ill.”

“I see. How about this example? I saw Girish at the hospital. He looked like death warmed over.”

“Sounds fine! I haven’t slept in three days. I feel like death warmed over.”

“Feel like death warmed over? Does it mean you feel extremely tired?”

“Exactly! It’s also possible to say ‘like death warmed up’. They both have the same meaning.”

“O.K. Tell me, why does Chandu look like death warmed up?”

“I’m told he lost his shirt. Poor chap, he...”

“He looks like death warmed up because he lost some silly shirt. Is he crazy?”

“I don’t think you understand. When you say that someone lost his shirt, what you mean is he lost everything, including his shirt.”

“In other words, he is penniless. He has no money.”

“That’s right! He is broke. Chandu lost a lot of money in the stock market.”

“I see. How about this example? My friend Sandeep lost his shirt on some silly dog race.”

“Sounds good. Do you think I should lend Chandu some money and ask him to…”

“Go right ahead. It’s your funeral.”

“First, you talk about death, and now funeral. What does this expression mean?”

“When you tell someone that it’s his funeral, what you mean is that if he does something, he has to suffer the consequences.”

“I see. Go ahead, make the presentation without really preparing for it. It’s your funeral.”

“I’m told there are many crocodiles in this part of the river. But if you insist on swimming, I won’t stop you. It’s your funeral.”

“I think I understand the meaning now. I’d better go. I promised to meet Dilip at the new restaurant.”

“I went there yesterday. It’s no great shakes.”

“Meaning it’s not very good?”

“That’s right! According to Ananya the latest Harry Potter book is no great shakes.”

“That may be true. When it comes to judging restaurants, you’re no great shakes.”

“I installed a skylight in my apartment. The people who live above me are furious.” — Steven Wright

S. UPENDRAN

__________________
Devil-may-care

Know your English

"Did you take part in the 10 km run on Friday?"

"I certainly did. You should have seen me. I had my game face on, and the... ."

"You had your game face on? What are you talking about?"

"When Dravid and Tendulkar bat, they look very serious most of the time. They don't joke around. This serious look that a sportsman has while he is on the field is referred to as his `game face'."

"You mean the look of determination and concentration is called `game face'?"

"I guess you could say that! Here's an example. Don't be fooled by his jokes. Once he's got his game face on and steps onto the field, Chethan is a completely different person."

"You should see me when I have my game face on. I'm... ."

"Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Sure! Let's talk about the marathon. Did you manage to run the distance easily?"

"Not really! Had a tough time, but I managed."

"It's quite an achievement, actually. I'm impressed. So, how did you celebrate your achievement?"

"Celebrate! There was no celebration. I hotfooted it home. I felt so... ."

"You hotfooted it home? Does it mean you went home immediately?"

"When you hotfoot it to some place, you get there quickly. You do not delay."

"I see. In other words, when you `hotfoot it', you run."

"You run or walk quickly. Here's an example. When the car broke down, the CEO and his wife were forced to hotfoot it to the airport."

"I got up late yesterday. So I had to hotfoot it to school."

"Good example. The expression `hotfoot it' is mostly used in informal contexts."

" Tell me, what did you do once you got back home?"

"All I know is that I was dead to the world for the next fifteen hours or so."

"Dead to the world? What do you mean? Do you mean you were unconscious or something?"

"When you say that someone is dead to the world, what you mean is that the person is sound asleep, and you're finding it rather difficult to wake him up."

"I see. How about this example? After doing all the karate exercises, Tapas was dead to the world."

"Sounds good. Sujatha was dead to the world. We were just unable to wake her up."

"How did Sujatha's mother react when she was unable to wake her up? She must have ... ."

"Don't think she told Sujatha anything. In the evening, she came to our place and bellyached about how lazy her daughter had become."

"She bellyached about how lazy her daughter had become! Does it mean she complained about how lazy her daughter had become?"

"Very good. When you `bellyache', you complain in a whining manner."

"In other words, you sound as if you are moaning."

"Exactly! For example,,... ."

"Wait! Let me try. Whenever I run into Pankaj, he bellyaches about all the work he has to do."

"Good example. Do you know what you call a person who is constantly complaining?"

"A bellyacher?

"Excellent! That's exactly what he is called. "

"Some of your friends tell me that you bellyache about a lot of things."

"Me, a bellyacher? Not a chance! How dare you... ."

"Hey, easy does it. Let's not get into a fight. I'd better hotfoot it down to the supermarket before it closes."

"Lawyers are like rhinoceroses: thick skinned, short sighted, and always ready to charge." — David Mellor



S. UPENDRAN

__________________
Devil-may-care

Is it ok to say, ‘I have a head-bath every Saturday’?

(N. Chethan, Chennai)

This is an expression that is commonly heard in India; not many dictionaries include ‘head-bath’ – the few that do, state that the word is mainly used in South Asia. Native speakers of English don’t use this word, and probably won’t understand what you mean by it. When a native speaker of English talks about taking a ‘bubble bath’, what he means is that he is going to get into a bathtub which is full of water and soap bubbles.

So when you tell him that you are going to have a head-bath, he might get the impression that you are going to get into a tub which is full of heads! Just kidding! Native speakers wouldn’t say ‘I have a head-bath every Saturday’; instead, they would say, ‘I wash my hair every Saturday.’


What is the meaning of ‘hasta la vista’?

(K. Rahul, Bangalore)

The expression is from Spanish and it means ‘see you later’ or ‘good bye’. ‘Hasta la vista’ became quite popular among native speakers of English thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s blockbuster, ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’. In this sequel, Schwarzenegger, who plays a cyborg from the future, keeps saying ‘Hasta la vista baby’.


What is the meaning of ‘excuse my French’?

(B. Gunasekharan, Trichy)

Very often, when people get angry, they swear. They use many vulgar words which they wouldn’t normally use. When you say ‘excuse my French’, what you mean is that you are sorry that you have sprinkled your conversation with words which are considered impolite. You are apologising for swearing in the presence of those who might be offended by it. The expression ‘pardon my French’ has the same meaning. Why the French, and not the Germans or Russians? The answer is fairly simple. The English hated the French; they thought that the French were vulgar people who swore all the time. Therefore, when an Englishman says, ‘pardon my French’, what he means is that he is going to behave crudely like a Frenchman!

What is the difference between ‘pain’ and ‘ache’?

(D. Vincent, Vellore)

Both words can be used to refer to any bodily discomfort that an individual may feel. Of the two, ‘pain’ is the more general term. The pain that you feel in some part of the body may be intense, or it may be mild; similarly, its duration could be either long or short. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, the pain could last for a few seconds, or for several days.

Usually, ‘pain’ implies something that comes on suddenly. When you bump into the wall, you feel ‘pain’ and not ‘ache’. The pain that you feel could be local — over a small area — or it could be widespread.

Ache, on the other hand, is usually associated with a particular part of the body; we often talk of a toothache, headache and stomachache. When we get any of these aches, they usually last for some time. They don’t disappear in a matter of minutes.

An ache, therefore, is usually long lasting. Another difference is that the discomfort that one experiences is not as intense as ‘pain’; some dictionaries define ‘ache’ as ‘dull pain’.

“The only exercise I get is walking behind the coffins of friends who took exercise.”

__________________
Devil-may-care

What is the difference between "choose" and "pick"?

(M. Yogesh, Bangalore)

Although many people tend to use the words synonymously these days, careful users of the language maintain a distinction between the two. Do you "choose" your life partner, or do you "pick" one? Normally people "choose" their significant other. Choose suggests that you have opted for the individual after giving the matter some serious thought. You have weighed the pros and cons of an issue — in this case, marrying a person — and have arrived at a considered decision. It is voluntary.

Pick also means "selection", but in this case, there may not be any serious thinking involved. The word suggests that you have opted for something in a very casual manner — there may not be any decision making or discrimination involved. For example, when you go to the supermarket and see several cans of the same product, you normally don't take too much time thinking about which can to buy. Since the same company has made them, you "pick" the can that is nearest you. Most of us do not select our life partner in this casual manner. Similarly, we "choose" a present for someone we really like and care about — we buy the present keeping in mind the person's likes and dislikes. If we "pick" a present, what we are doing is buying something in a casual manner. We don't keep in mind the individual's likes and dislikes; it suggests that we buy the first thing we see in the shop.


What is the meaning of "too close to call"?

(P. Senthil Saravan, Vazhavallan)

This is an expression we hear very often from reporters during elections and from commentators during one-day matches. When you say that a game is too close to call, what you mean is that it is evenly poised, it is almost impossible to predict which team will emerge the winner. When used during elections, what it implies is that the two candidates are running neck and neck and therefore predicting the ultimate winner is not possible right now.

*The counting is going on. The result is too close to call.


What is the difference between "disposed of" and "disposed off"?

(P. B. Vijayaraghavan, Chennai)

When you get rid of someone or something, you normally say "disposed of", not "disposed off". "Disposed off" is unacceptable.

* I want to know how the murderer disposed of the bodies.

In informal contexts, when you say that you disposed of someone, what you mean is that you killed him. Perhaps you hired someone to do the killing.

* The don asked his hit man to dispose of his former accountant.


What is the difference between "blue collar worker" and "pink collar worker"?

(Padmavathi, Nellore)

A "blue collar worker" works in an industry and is always involved in manual labour. You will find this individual in factories sweating it out on the shop floor. You won't find him sitting behind a huge desk in an office. Nowadays, the term can be applied to both men and women.

"Pink collar workers", on the other hand, are always women. Low paid jobs available in offices and restaurants are usually referred to "pink collar jobs".

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Devil-may-care