The Hindu Vocab Explained: September 2016

Friday, 30 September 2016

Wednesday, 28 September 2016

know your english

What is the meaning of ‘moxie’? (K Rajesh, Delhi)

First, let us deal with the pronunciation of this word. The first syllable rhymes with ‘box’, ‘fox’ and ‘pox’, and the ‘ie’ in the second sounds like the ‘i’ in ‘bit’, ‘sit’ and ‘hit’. It is pronounced ‘MOK-si’ with the stress on the first syllable. The word is mostly used in informal contexts to mean determined. A person with moxie is a fighter; he does not give up easily - no matter how often he is knocked down, he gets up. He is courageous in adversity.

Suraj showed a lot of moxie when he questioned some of the CEO’s decisions.

The girl has a lot of moxie in her. There’s no way she’s going to give up now.

The word comes from the name of a soft drink that was quite popular in the States in the early twentieth century. The advertisements claimed that the drink would ‘build up your nerve’. It is possible to buy a can of Moxie even today.

What is the difference between ‘terrified’ and ‘petrified’? (V Radhika, Madurai)

Both words suggest that you are extremely scared or frightened of something or someone; you are in a state of panic. When you are ‘terrified of’ something, you may choose to run or you may stand still because you are too scared to move. When you are petrified, you become paralysed; you stand there like a stone. You are too scared to move. The word ‘petrified’ comes from the Latin ‘petra’ meaning ‘stone’.

When they saw the tiger, the terrified villagers ran into their houses.

When the villager saw the tiger, he was petrified.

What is the meaning of ‘in the groove’? (Ajit Kumar, Vizag)

The ‘oove’ in ‘groove’ rhymes with the ‘ove’ in ‘prove’ and ‘move’. A ‘groove’ is a long, thin cut on a hard surface. For example, sliding doors and windows have grooves cut into them. They make it possible for a person to slide the door/window easily. When you say that you are ‘in the groove’, what you are suggesting is that you are doing something quite easily, without any real effort.

When Federer returns in 2017, it’ll probably take him time to get in the groove.

Anand didn’t like being a Manager at first; but now, he’s getting in the groove.

When you are bored of doing something over and over again, you say you are ‘stuck in a groove’. You have been doing the same thing for a long time and have become very set in your ways.

Anita’s job no longer excites her. She’s stuck in a groove.

Is it okay to say, ‘It’s high time you clean the motorcycle’? (M Priya, Chennai)

No, it is not. It should be ‘cleaned’ and not ‘clean’. The expression ‘high time’ is mostly used in informal contexts to mean that it is time to do something that should have been done a long time ago. In other words, you have unnecessarily delayed doing something. It’s high time Laxman bought a new car.

It’s high time that the children went to bed.

courtesy:the hindu

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Lend aggressively but responsibly

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

One-dollar labs for the ‘citizen scientist’

Monday, 26 September 2016

Railway Budget, a vanishing trick

Sunday, 25 September 2016

know your english

“Tell me, how is the word m..e..t..e pronounced?”

“It’s pronounced like the word ‘meet’. Nowadays, this rather formal word is mostly used in the expression ‘mete out’. It means to punish someone. You...”

“So, are you the one ordering or giving the harsh punishment? Are you...”

“It could be anyone. It could be you or someone else. For example, the students were highly critical of the treatment meted out to the workers.”

“How about this example? Judges are reluctant(unwilling,अनिच्छुक) to mete out harsh sentences against crooked politicians. I think they should.”

“Sounds good. Even today, there are many teachers in our country who believe it’s okay to mete out punishment to little children.”

“I certainly don’t! In fact, I feel that we should .......”

“Please, you need to lighten up. You have a tendency to.....”

“Lighten up? Are you telling me that I have put on weight and that I need to....”

“No, I don’t want you to go on a diet. When you tell someone that he should lighten up, what you’re suggesting is that the individual should learn to relax.”

“You want him to stop taking everything that is being said very seriously.”

“That’s right. The new teacher is very serious in class. She needs to lighten up.”

“Shreya had been tense all morning. But once she heard she’d got the promotion, she lightened up.”

“Revathi lightened up during our trip to Hyderabad. I’ve never...”

“Oh yes, you went to Hyderabad, didn’t you? How was the seminar?”

“It was okay. Nobody had anything new to say. But I did manage to see quite a few places in Hyderabad.”

“Did you go to the Salar Jung Museum? They say it’s great.”

“It is, actually. I wanted to spend at least half a day there. But unfortunately, my boss’ brother-in-law had tagged along with us and he...”

“Tagged along? Does it mean he went along with you?”

“You could say that. When someone tags along with you, he accompanies you even though you haven’t asked him to.”

“In other words, he’s like an uninvited guest. He forces himself on you.”

“Exactly! Whenever Raman took Laxmi to a movie, her brother tagged along with them.”

“That couldn’t have been fun. When I went out with my friends, I made it very clear http://ift.tt/2cJfUdTto my parents that I didn’t want my younger brother tagging along with us.”

“The puppy tagged along wherever we went. Despite being...”

“Tell me, is there a difference between ‘despite’ and ‘in spite’? I mean is....”

“In terms of meaning, there is not much of a difference. You can use the two words interchangeably in most contexts. Just remember that ‘in spite’ is always followed by ‘of’ and ‘despite’ is not. The children continued to play in spite of/despite the rain.”

“In spite of/Despite his brilliant performance in the league matches, Rahul wasn’t selected for the State team.”

“That’s politics for you. I’ve got to go to the supermarket. I need...”

“Mind if I tag along?”

courtesy:the hindu

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