`extinct’ and ‘extinguished’

When something becomes extinct, it ceases to exist; you don’t find it anywhere on the planet. Any living organism can become extinct. Dinosaurs, for example, have become extinct.
Examples: There are reasons to believe that the tiger will soon become extinct. *Some of the animals in the rainforests are on the verge of extinction.

The word `extinguish’, on the other hand, is usually used along with the word `fire’. When you extinguish a fire or a flame, you put it out.
Example: The firemen battled for three hours before they extinguished the fire.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 06, 2006.

`eater’s coma’

This is a type of coma that we have all experienced some time or the other. How do we normally feel after a particularly heavy meal? Most of the time, we feel pretty sluggish; we don’t feel like doing anything. After some time, we begin to feel rather sleepy. This lazy and sleepy feeling that we have after a heavy meal is called `eater’s coma’.

Example:  If I eat everything that is on the table, I’ll lapse into an eater’s coma.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) –November 06, 2006.

`Bangalored’

The Americans invented this word, and they have been using it quite frequently. As you know, many multinationals, in order to save money, are outsourcing their work to cities in India. When an American says that he has been `Bangalored’, what he means is that he has lost his job because his company has decided to move its operations to a city in India — not necessarily Bangalore.

Example:  According to the article, another 10,000 people will be Bangalored by the end of the year.

It is not often that the name of a city is used as a verb. You may wonder why the Americans chose the city of Bangalore. You must remember that during the early stages of outsourcing, most of the companies were moving to this city — Bangalore was then perceived as the Silicon Valley of India. The Americans’ fear of losing jobs to the city of Bangalore gave rise to another word — `Bangalorephobia’.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 30, 2006.

Difference between `The theatre is closed’ and `The theatre has been closed’?

The first sentence suggests that the theatre is not open at the moment; it is locked for the time being. Chances are, it will open a little later. It has not been closed permanently.

The second sentence, on the other hand, seems to suggest that someone has forcibly closed down the theatre. Perhaps the municipal authorities were unhappy with the safety features, and decided to shut the place down. In this case, the closure is either permanent or for a lengthy period of time.

 Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 30, 2006.

`let your hair down’

Some people are very reserved when they are in the company of others. When you tell a person to let his hair down, what you mean is that you want him to relax and start enjoying himself. You want him to speak his mind.
Example: It was only after the completion of his last exam that Chetan let his hair down.

In the old days, women had to put their hair up in a bun during the daytime. The only time when they could literally let their hair down and be themselves was when they were ready to go to bed.

Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 30, 2006.

How is the expression `sotto voce’ pronounced?

The first `o’ in `sotto’ is like the `o’ in `hot’, `got’, and `pot’; the second is like the `o’ in `go’, `so’, and `no’. The `o’ in `voce’ is pronounced like the second `o’ in `sotto’. The `c’ that follows is like the `ch’ in `child’ and `chips’; the final `e’ is like the `i’ in `bit’, `pit’, and `hit’. The main stress is on the first syllable of `voce’. The word comes from Italian; `sotto’ means `under’ and `voce’ means `voice’.
When you say something `sotto voce’, you say it in a soft voice. Whatever you say is spoken in a low volume; you speak softly out of the corner of your mouth, so that you are not overheard by anyone. The word is considered literary, and is mostly used in formal contexts.
Example: During the principal’s speech, several students made snide remarks sotto voce.
Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 30, 2006.

`geek’

This is a word mostly used in informal contexts, and it has several different meanings. One of the meanings of `geek’ is a boring individual who walks around wearing rather unfashionable clothes. This person has little or no social skills.
*You must be nuts to ask a geek like Govind tips about fashion. *I don’t want you to invite that geek Harish to our party. .
An individual who is an expert, or is very knowledgeable in his limited area of interest (for example, computers) can also be called a geek. He is someone whose focus of interest is rather narrow, but he knows everything about the subject.
*If it is a computer geek you require, you’d better hire Dravid. He’s excellent. *I want to learn everything on my own. I don’t want some geek telling me everything.
I understand the word comes from the Dutch `geck’ which means `fool’. It is in this sense that Shakespeare used the word in some of his plays. In the 1920s, the Americans used the word `geek’ to refer to an individual in a carnival who performed bizarre acts. The original `geek’ was someone who entertained his audience by biting off a live chicken’s/snake’s head! With the passage of time, the word began to be used to refer to anyone who was socially inept; whose interests were very different from those of others.
Source: ‘Know Your English’ (The Hindu) – October 23, 2006