Know Your English - January 2003

• Know your English
• Surrounded, potboiler, bang-up job
• WHAT IS the meaning and origin of the idiom "show someone a clean pair of heels"?
• When do we say, "Nice to meet you" and "Nice meeting you"?
• What is the meaning of "economically inactive"?
• What is the difference between "They closed up the shop" and "They closed down the shop"?
• What is the meaning and origin of "blockbuster"?
• WHY IS an Englishman often referred to as a "pommy"?
• What is the difference between "councillor" and "counsellor"?
• Can you say that something is "vanilla"?
• What is the difference between "mentally retarded" and "mentally challenged"?
• When do you say "good morning"?