‘game face’

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’.
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.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 20, 2006.

`cakewalk’

When you say that the victory was a `cakewalk’, what you mean is that it was very easily achieved. You didn’t have to put in too much of an effort; you won without really having to work hard.
Examples: Given your experience, getting the job should be a cakewalk  *The first couple of rounds of the tournament should be a cakewalk.

The `cakewalk’ was a form of entertainment among African Americans. Well-dressed couples that took part in this competition were made to walk around a cake. The pair that performed this task most gracefully was awarded a prize. In most cases, the prize was the cake itself; the winner used to `take the cake’. Later, the word `cakewalk’ was used to refer to a popular form of dance.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 13, 2006.

How is the word `exorcism’ pronounced?

The `ex’ is pronounced like the letter `x’, and the following `o’ is like the `ou’ in `ought’, `sought’ and `fought’. The final `ism’ sounds like the `ism’ in `prism’. The main stress is on the first syllable.

When you `exorcise’ a ghost or an evil spirit, what you do is to drive it away by making use of magic or prayers. This act of driving away an evil spirit is called `exorcism’.

Example: The witch doctor tried to exorcise the evil spirit from the library.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 13, 2006.

`on cloud nine’

When you say that you are on cloud nine, what you mean is that you are extremely happy; you feel as if you are on top of the world.
Example: The entire team was on cloud nine after winning the championship.

No one is really sure where the expression comes from. Some believe that the original expression was `on cloud seven’, very similar to the expression `seventh heaven’. Others believe that nine was chosen because it is considered a mystical number. According to weathermen, `cloud nine’ refers to the `cumulonimbus’ or the thunderstorm cloud. This cloud often rises to forty thousand feet; and when you are `on’ such a cloud, you are literally on top of the world!

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 13, 2006.

`weary’ and `wary’

The two words are pronounced differently. The first syllable `w..a..r’ in `w..a..r..y is pronounced like the word `where’ and the final `y’ is like the `i’ in `it’, `bit’, and `sit’.
The `ea’ in the first syllable of the word  ‘weary’ sounds like the `ea’ in `dear’, `near’, and `fear’ and the final `y’ is like the `i’ in `it’, `bit’, and `sit’.
In both `weary’ and `wary’, the stress is on the first syllable.

When you say that someone looks `weary’, what you mean is that the person looks exhausted. For example, after swimming non-stop for seven hours, the young boy looked pale and weary.
When you say that you have become weary of something, what you mean is that you have become tired of it. In other words, you have lost your enthusiasm for it.
Example :  Many people have become weary of the war in Iraq.

When you are wary of something, you are unsure of it, and therefore you are cautious of it. It could be dangerous or it may cause problems for you.
The word can be used with people as well.
For example, most parents teach their children to be wary of strangers.
It’s also possible to `keep a wary eye’ on someone or something.
When you keep a wary eye on someone, you watch them very carefully to see what they are up to.
Examples: The shareholders kept a wary eye on the developing story.*  I don’t think I’ll be able to keep a wary eye on anyone right now. I’m feeling sleepy.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 16, 2006.

`braggadocio’

Braggadocio is a literary word and is mostly used in formal contexts. A `braggadocio’, as the word suggests, is someone who brags about himself quite a bit. He is vain and therefore talks about his achievements in a rather proud manner. Most of the time, it is only empty boasting. The word comes from the name of a boastful character (Braggadocchio) in Edmund Spenser’s poem `Faerie Queene’.

The first syllable is pronounced like the word `brag’; the `a’ in the second is like `a’ in `china’. The `o’ in the third and final syllable sounds like the `o’ in `no’, `so’, and `go’. The `ci’ is like the `shi’ in `ship’ and `shin’. The main stress is on the third syllable `do’.

Examples: *Tarun came across as a braggadocio that deliberately tried to make others uncomfortable.
*According to reporters, the Chairman’s braggadocio at the meeting was a sign of weakness, not strength.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 23, 2006.

‘Mickey Mouse course’

If you refer to a course as being a Mickey Mouse course, what you mean is that it’s a very simple course. It’s not at all challenging, and you end up learning absolutely nothing.

Example:  According to Sujatha most colleges offer only Mickey Mouse courses.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 16, 2006.

‘retread’

“What’s wrong? You don’t look happy at all about something.”
“It’s the two new people in the Accounts Department. My boss… .”
“Oh yeah! You told me that you were hiring some new people. Young ones.”
“We asked for young people. But my boss decided to hire some tired retreads.”
“When you refer to someone as a retread, what you mean is that he’s burnt out. He has nothing to offer”.
“In other words, he’s very old.”
“Not necessarily. He’s a burnout. Nowadays, a lot of people burn out when they are relatively young.”
“That’s true. It happens in the corporate world quite a bit. So a retread is like a retread tyre?”
“I guess you could say that. He’s been made over and is unlikely to last for a long time.”
Example: “When the government does decide to hire new teachers, I hope they get young people. Not a whole bunch of retreads”. * Most people working for any government agency are either retreads or clock-watchers.
It’s important to remember that the word is mostly used in informal contexts. And you never tell someone that he is a retread to his face.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 09, 2006.

‘Capish’

Capish means `understand’. It’s a word mostly used in informal contexts.

Pronunciation:  The `a’ is like the `a’ in `china’; the following `i’ is like the `ee’ in `fees’, `bees’, and `knees’. The final `sh’ is like the `sh’ in `ship’, `sheet’, and `sheep’. The main stress is on the second syllable.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 09, 2006.

‘cruciverbalist’

A cruciverbalist is someone who is skilled at doing crossword puzzles. A cruciverbalist can also be someone who just enjoys doing crossword puzzles. He/she doesn’t have to be good at it.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 09, 2006.

Difference between `emigrate’ and `immigrate’

In both cases the person is leaving the country, he was born in, and  he is moving to another country on a permanent basis. He plans to settle down there.

The word `emigrate’ is normally used to refer to the movement from a place. When the person leaves his country of origin, he is emigrating.
For example, when somebody is leaving India and moving to New Zealand, I can say  that he is emigrating from India to New Zealand.

The person who `immigrates’, moves to another country. In this case, you are talking about the movement in terms of the country the person is going to settle in.
Example: During the Second World War, lots of Germans immigrated to the United States.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – September 11, 2006.

hypochondriac’ and ‘Cyberchondriac’

A hypochondriac someone who constantly worries about his health. Although there may be nothing really wrong with him, he always imagines that there is something seriously wrong.  A hypochondriac is obsessed about his health. He has imaginary ailments.  Such people give doctors a tough time.
Examples: “Luckily, we don’t have a hypochondriac in our family.”

A cyberchondriac  is someone who gets all his medical information from the Internet or reads about the various diseases going around and imagines that he has them too.
Example: “I am told that my boss’ wife is a cyberchondriac.”
Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – September 11, 2006.

`git’

When you call another person a `git’, what you mean is that you dislike him because you find him annoying. The `g’ is like the `g’ in `get’ and `guess’, and the following `it’ is pronounced like the word `it’. `Git’ is used in British English in informal contexts to refer to a man.

Examples: *How could you have fallen in love with a git like him? *Tell the git standing over there to stop whistling.

The word is also used to mean `get’.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – September 04, 2006.

`apropos’

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation. The `a’ sounds like the `a’ in `act’, cat’, and `hat’; the following `o’ is like the `a’ in `china’. The final `o’ is pronounced like the `oa’ in `coat’, `boat’, and `goat’; the `s’ is silent. The stress is on the final syllable.

The expression `apropos of’ is usually used to introduce a new subject, but one which is connected to what you were talking about earlier.

Example: I received a call from Priyanka last night — apropos of which, did you send her the paintings?

When you say that something is `apropos’, you mean that it is suitable for the situation.
Example: The Vice Chancellor’s remarks were very apropos.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – September 04, 2006.

How is the word `faux pas’ pronounced?

The `au’ in the first word is pronounced like the `oa’ in `coat’, `boat’, and `goat’; the following `x’ is silent. The `a’ in `pa’ is like `a’ in `cart’, `part’, and `dart’; the `s’ is silent. The main stress is on `pas’.

Faux pas comes from French, and it literally means `false step’. When you commit a faux pas you commit a social blunder. You violate certain accepted, though unwritten, social rule and in the process you end up doing something that is socially embarrassing. These unwritten rules vary from culture to culture.

For example, in India, it would be considered a faux pas to walk into someone’s kitchen or puja room with one’s shoes on. *The speaker apologised to the audience for his faux pas.

The word `faux’, which means false, is used quite frequently in the world of fashion and interior design. For example, people talk about `faux fur’ and `faux leather’ to mean `false fur’ and `false leather’. When someone says that he’s bought a `fauxlex’, what he means is that he has bought a `fake Rolex’!

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – September 04, 2006.

‘top-drawer’

Top-drawer means top quality.

Examples: My cousin is on the lookout for a teacher who is top-drawer. * The college that my cousin’s children go to is top-drawer.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – August 29, 2006.

‘couple of’

A `couple’ doesn’t have to mean two days. It could be more. If you say that you’ll be gone a couple of days, what you mean is that you will be gone for a few days. So when you say that a couple of shops were open, it can mean that more than two shops were open.

The word `couple’ is often used to mean two or more. In other words, a few shops were open, but not many.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – August 29, 2006.

What is the killing of one’s brother called?

The killing of one’s brother is referred to as `fratricide’. The `a’ is pronounced like the `a’ in `pact’, `fact’, and `tact’; the following `i’ is like the `i’ in `sit’, `bit’, and `hit’. The final `cide’ is pronounced like the word `side’, and the stress is on the first syllable. This is one way of pronouncing the word. `Frater’ in Latin means `brother’ and `cida’ means `killer’. There are many words in English ending with the suffix `cide’. For example, the killing of one’s father is `patricide’. `Matricide’ is the killing of one’s mother, and when a parent kills his/her child, it’s called `filicide’. If you kill another human being it’s `homicide’, and when you kill yourself, it’s `suicide’.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – August 21, 2006.

’earful’

When you say that you got an earful from someone, you mean that the person spoke to you angrily for a long time.

Examples: The teacher gave the students an earful for not doing their homework.* When I came home late last week, my mother gave me an earful. * If you don’t return the Rs. 50 by tomorrow, you will get an earful from me.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – August 14, 2006.

`dumbfounded’

When you’re dumbfounded by something, you’re extremely surprised or shocked by it. You’re more or less rendered speechless. For example, the newly appointed teacher stared dumbfounded as the children screamed at one other.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – August 14, 2006.