`brusque’

Pronunciation: There are different ways of pronouncing this word. The Americans pronounce the `u’ like the `u’ in `cut’, `hut’, and `but’, while the British pronounce it like the `oo’ in `cool’, `fool’, and `pool’. The final `que’, in both cases, is pronounced like the `sk’ in `mask’, `task’, and `flask’.

When you say that someone’s behaviour is `brusque’, what you mean is that the person is rather curt — in other words, rude or rough. The person doesn’t say much, but when he speaks, he sounds rude.

Example: Don’t worry! I’m not going to be put off by his brusque replies.

The word `brusque’ comes from the Italian `brusco’ meaning `sour’ or `sharp’. The same word was also used to refer to a prickly plant (`butcher’s broom’). Perhaps it was in this sense that `brusque’ was used when it was borrowed into English — someone as disagreeable as the butcher’s broom.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – Mar 12, 2007 

`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.

`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.

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.

`raise the bar’

The expression comes from the world of athletics. In high jump and pole-vault, when you clear a particular height, the horizontal bar is raised to a new level to see if you can jump even higher. Every time you clear the hurdle, the bar is raised, and you are set a new challenge. When you raise the bar for something, you raise the level; in other words, you set a higher standard.

Examples: The students went on strike because the Principal raised the bar for admission. *The CEO had to lower the bar in order to give his son the job

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

`top brass’

Many reporters just love this expression; they use it all the time. Any time the top people of an organisation are present during a press conference, the reporter says/writes that it was attended by the `top brass’. The expression is considered to be informal, and is mostly used in British English.
Example: The minister has said that there will be a reshuffle of the army’s top brass.

The expression `top brass’ was first used in the Army. `Brass’ referred to the gold braid found on the hats of military officers — it indicated the individual’s rank. The word `brass’ is actually a shortened form of `brass hat’, and this was the term used by enlisted men in the late 19th century to refer to their commanding officers. It was during World War II that `brass hat’ became `top brass’. As time went by, the expression began to be used in non-military contexts; important individuals of an organisation began to be called `top brass’. The term `the brass’ can also be used to refer to such people.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 10, 2006

‘to throw in the towel’ / `throw in the sponge’

When you thrown in the towel, you decide to stop doing what you have been attempting to. You decide not to pursue the matter. You just give up. In other words, you quit doing what you were doing.
Examples:  Although Nadal lost the first two sets, he didn’t throw in the towel.* Amru has been working on the problem for two days now. He refuses to throw in the towel.

It is also possible to say, `throw in the sponge’. Example: When things didn’t go according to plan, she threw in the sponge.

The idiom `throw in the towel’ comes from the world of boxing. During a fight, the boxer’s trainer/manager stays with him. In between rounds, he gives the fighter water, tells him what his opponent is doing, wipes the sweat and blood off the boxer’s face, and he uses a sponge or a towel to do this. If he feels that his fighter is taking too much punishment, he may decide to call the fight off. This is to prevent any serious injury. In order to stop the fight, what the trainer/manager does is to throw the towel or sponge into the ring. This is a signal to the referee that he wants the fight to be stopped.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – July 03, 2006

“How are you?” and “How do you do?” ( and ‘hi’)

In British English, `How do you do?’ is normally used when you are introduced to someone for the first time. It is a way of greeting someone, and the standard response to this expression is, `How do you do?’ You normally use this expression only once with a person. The next time you meet him, you can say, `How are you?’ This expression is used with people you already know. Unlike `How do you do’, `How are you’ is intended to find out how the individual is doing — both emotionally and physically. `How do you do?’ does not carry this meaning.

Did you know that the word `hi’ is actually from `how are you’? When `how are you’ is said very fast, it sounds like `hiya’. So instead of saying, `how are you’, people started saying, `hiya’. Later on, `hiya’ was reduced to `hi’. Therefore when you meet someone and say, `Hi, how are you?’, what you are actually saying is, `How are you? How are you?’.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 26, 2006

Is it OK to use `ranker’ to mean `top rank in an examination’?

This is a word one frequently encounters in the months of May and June in India. A student who does well in an entrance exam and gets a decent rank is immediately labelled a `ranker’. Proud parents distribute sweets claiming that their child is a `ranker’, and tutorial institutions take out ads claiming that they had X number of `rankers’ in this year’s exam. This use of the word `ranker’ to mean `top in the examination’ is Indian. Native speakers of English do not use the word in this manner. Dictionaries define the word “ranker” as a commissioned officer who has been promoted from the enlisted status. It has nothing to do with performing well in an exam.
Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 12, 2006

`out of the box’

When you think out of the box, you think creatively, you think in an unconventional manner. The expression derives from the famous puzzle created by a British mathematician, Henry Ernest Dudeney. In this puzzle there are nine dots arranged in three rows; each row containing three dots. The challenge is to connect all nine dots making use of four straight lines, without taking the pencil off paper.

*Sanjay has always been an out of the box sort of guy.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 12, 2006

What is the meaning and origin of `hit the sack’?

When you say that you are going to `hit the sack’, you are saying in a rather informal way that you are going to bed. What does a sack have to do with a bed? During World War II, American soldiers started referring to their sleeping bags as `sacks’. `Hit the sack’ replaced the earlier expression `hit the hay’. Why hay? In the old days, people who couldn’t afford a bed used to sleep on a sack stuffed with hay. Before they lay down to sleep, they used to keep hitting the sack till the straw/hay was evenly spread. Hence the expression `hit the hay’.

*I’ve had a tiring day. I think I am going to hit the sack early today. *You don’t seriously expect me to hit the hay so early, do you?

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 12, 2006

‘Get wind of something’

‘Get wind of something’ means to come to know about something which others are trying to keep a secret.

Example:   Jai got wind of the fact that I was taking Sarita to a movie. * My father wanted to throw a surprise party for my sister. He made sure no one got wind of it.  My friends got wind of the fact that the market was going to crash.

The idiom came from animal world. Animals smell the wind to figure out which other animals are nearby.  The wind carries the scent of the other animals.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – June 5, 2006

‘ dribs and drabs’

‘Dribs and drabs’ means in small amounts.
Example: Not all the students were allowed to enter the museum at the same time. The children were let into the main hall in dribs and drabs. * The striking miners returned to work in dribs and drabs.

The word `dribs’  is the short form of `driblet’, which in the 17th Century meant `a drop’ or `tiny quantity’. Some believe it comes from `dribble’ meaning `trickle’. ‘Trickle’ means to flow out very slowly and in small quantity.
The word `drab’ was used in the early 1800s to refer to a small sum of money. A small amount of money trickling down at irregular intervals. Hence, dribs and drabs. It can be a small amount of something or a small number of something.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ ( The Hindu) – May 22, 2006

`step up to the plate’

This is an expression that comes from the world of baseball. The `plate’ refers to `home plate’; the base a batter stands next to, as he gets ready to receive his first pitch. When a batter steps up to the plate, he is ready to deal with whatever the pitcher may decide to throw at him. In other words, he is ready for the challenges in store.

*I don’t think there is anyone among you who would willingly step up to the plate. *When it came to crunch time, Sujatha really stepped up to the plate.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series,

What is the meaning and origin of `rule of thumb’?

The idiom has been around for over three centuries. When we wish to measure the length or width of an object and we don’t have a tape or ruler at hand, we sometimes make use of our thumb to do it. This way of calculating the length/breadth of something, will not give us the exact measurement, only an approximate one. So when you say that you are doing something by rule of thumb, you mean that what you are doing is based on experience or instinct, and not on exact calculation.

*A good rule of thumb is to make three chapathis per guest.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, March 20, 2006

Why is South America called `Latin America’?

The majority of people who live in this region speak either Spanish or Portuguese. Both these languages, unlike English, have descended from Latin. Hence South America is called `Latin America’, and the people who live there are called `Latinos’ or Latin Americans.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, March 20, 2006

‘Stymie’ : Pronunciation and Meaning

When you are stymied, you are put in an awkward position and you find it difficult to continue to do what you are doing. It’s a word that is mostly used in informal contexts.

Pronunciation: The first syllable rhymes with `my’ and `by’. The `ie’ in the second syllable is like the `i’ in `bin’, `fin’, and `tin’. The main stress is on the first syllable.

It’s a term that is used in golf. When you are stymied, you really don’t know what to do because your opponent’s ball is between yours and the hole. In other words, it is blocking your shot.

Examples: The students’ plans to have a rock concert were stymied when the principal refused allow outsiders into the campus. * Raju was stymied when Satish refused to help him when he had money problems.

Source: S. Upendran, The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, February 13, 2006

What is the meaning and origin of `touch wood’?

When after making a remark, you say `touch wood’, you are hoping that the good fortune that you have had so far continues. The expression has the same meaning as `knock on wood’.

*Our wicket keeper hasn’t dropped a single catch all summer. Touch wood. *The second hand scooter I bought recently hasn’t given me any trouble. Knock on wood.

There are several explanations as to the origin of this expression. According to some scholars, it comes from an old superstitious belief that knocking on a tree (wood) helped to drive away evil spirits. Another explanation is that `touch wood’ was the name of a tag game that children played. The aim of the game was to run after your opponents and catch them. But if an individual was touching a tree (wood), then he was safe; he couldn’t be `captured’.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 23, 2006

‘Get off someone’s high horse’

When you tell someone to get off his high horse, you are asking him to stop behaving or talking as if he were better than other people.

In the old days a person’s status was determined by the size of the horse he rode. Tall horses were ridden by royalty and noblemen. So when you tell a person to get off his high horse, you are asking him to stop behaving like royals or noblemen.

Examples: ”Ever since Sujata won the first prize for her short story, she’s been acting a bit strange. Someone must tell her to get off her high horse.” * ”Listen, we’ve been friends for a long time. Get off your high horse and talk to me”.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 16, 2006.

What is the meaning and origin of `get someone’s goat’?

When you get someone’s goat, you succeed in annoying the individual or in making him rather angry.

*Sometimes, Raja comes to work in jeans and a T-shirt. That really gets my goat. *Mohan’s constant whining gets my goat.

This idiom comes from the world of horse racing. I understand that horses are highly temperamental creatures. In order to keep their prized possession calm and relaxed, trainers often kept a goat as a stable companion for the horse. Goats do not get flustered very easily, and their presence in the stable had a calming influence on the horse. Since the goat was a constant companion, the horse became rather attached to the animal. In order to ensure that a particular horse didn’t perform well in a big race, stable boys working for rival owners sometimes stole the goat the night before the big event. The absence of the goat made the horse moody, and as a result it didn’t perform well in the race. So when you say that someone has got your goat, you are comparing yourself to the horse, and not the goat.

Source: The Hindu ‘Know Your English’ Series, January 2, 2006.