‘Wetware’

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

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.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 30, 2007 

What is the difference between ‘look’ and ‘see’?

Both words are used to talk about the different ways we use our eyes. ‘Seeing’ is a physiological process, it is something that our eyes do automatically. When you ‘see’ something, it is not intentional, but accidental. On your morning walk, you may see a cute little puppy, a man wearing a pink shirt, and an old motorcycle parked next to your new car. When you went for the walk, it was not your intention to see all these objects. You saw them because they came in front of you. You couldn’t avoid noticing them.

‘Looking’, on the other hand, is an intentional act. When you look at something, you pay attention. For example, if you look at a puppy, you observe it carefully. You begin to pay attention to its colour, size, etc.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 23, 2007

Can we say, ‘He is a faculty at Osmania University’?

The word ‘faculty’ is normally used to refer to all the teachers in a particular department or university. In this sense, it is like the word ‘staff’. Just as you cannot say ‘He is a staff’, you cannot say, ‘He is a faculty’. If you wish to refer to a particular individual, then you have to say, ‘He is a member of the faculty’ or ‘He is a faculty member.’

*Eminent faculty members from Harvard will be present at the conference. *I’d like all of you to meet the new member of our faculty.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 23, 2007

Is it OK to say, ‘Myself is Rajesh’?

No, it isn’t; you cannot begin a sentence with the word ‘myself’. The correct way of saying this is ‘I am Rajesh’ or ‘My name is Rajesh.’

You use ‘myself’ only when you have used the word ‘I’ earlier in the same sentence.
For example, ‘I did all the cooking myself’ and ‘I am not particularly fond of dosas myself.’ You cannot say, ‘Myself did all the cooking’ or ‘Myself am not particularly fond of dosas.’

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 23, 2007

What is the meaning of ‘akimbo’?

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation. The ‘a’ sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘china’; the following syllable is pronounced like the name ‘Kim’. The final ‘bo’ rhymes with ‘so’ and ‘no’, and the stress is on the second syllable ‘kim’.

The word is mainly used to refer to one’s arm position. When you stand with your arms akimbo, you have your hands on your hips and the arms are spread out with the elbows pointing outwards. It is a posture that generally indicates impatience, hostility, or contempt.

*The principal stood, arms akimbo, glaring at the students.*Standing behind the sofa with arms akimbo, Sheel told the painter what to do.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 23, 2007

What is the meaning of ‘wake up and smell the coffee’?

This is an expression that is mostly used in informal contexts. When you tell someone to ‘wake up and smell the coffee’, what you mean is that you want the individual to be more aware of what is happening around him. It has the same meaning as ‘get with it’.

*You don’t know what an iPhone is! Wake up and smell the coffee.*The company is in serious trouble. Wake up and smell the coffee.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 23, 2007

Difference between ‘cronyism’ and ‘nepotism’?

Both words are used to show disapproval. If you are accused of nepotism, then you use your position to promote or help the members of your family; it is favouritism based on kinship. The word comes from the Latin ‘nepos’ meaning ‘nephew’.
*Prema got the job because of nepotism — her father is the CEO of the company!

The word ‘crony’ (rhymes with ‘pony’ and ‘Tony’) is used to refer to a friend with whom you spend a lot of time. When you accuse someone of cronyism, what you mean is that the person is using his official position to help his friends.
*Bush and Cheney have often been accused of cronyism.
 Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 16, 2007