Know Your English (Mar 2001)

Know your English

``I HAVE been coming here every day, but you are never around. Don't tell me that you are already busy with next month's conference''

``I HAVE been coming here every day, but you are never around. Don't tell me that you are already busy with next month's conference''
``A conference requires a lot of planning. There are so many rules and regulations to be followed. Even my boss is stymied by some of...''
``....your boss is what? What was the word you used?''
``S..t..y...m..i..e The `y' in the first syllable is like the `y' in `my', `by', and `cry'. The `ie' in the second syllable is pronounced like the `i' in `kit', `bit', and `hit'. The main stress is on the first syllable `sty'.''
``But what does `stymie' mean?''
``Believe it or not, it's a word that comes from the world of golf. How would you feel if you were to find your opponent's golf ball obstructing your path to the hole.''
``Well, if the opponent's golf ball is between mine and the hole, I would probably feel pretty annoyed and frustrated I guess. I would probably feel that he placed the ball there to ensure that I didn't make any progress.''
``Excellent! When something `stymies' you, it prevents you from doing whatever it is that you had planned to. There is an obstruction which leaves you confused.''
``In other words you end up making no progress in whatever it is you are doing.''
``Exactly! Here's an example. The change that the new teachers tried to bring in was stymied by the administration.''
``How about this example? We had a test in physics yesterday. Most of the students were stymied by the first question.''
``That's a good example. My attempts to get a promotion were stymied when my boss' son applied for the same position.''
``Competing with the boss' son is not going to get you anywhere, is it? So, how is the preparation for the conference coming along?''
``Our Coordinator has been sweating blood ever since....''
``....sweating blood? Good grief! That sounds serious. Have you taken him to the doctor?''
``Doctor? What for? I don't ...Oh I see. When you say that someone is sweating blood, it doesn't mean he/she is really bleeding. It means that the person is working really hard to complete something.''
``I see. For a minute you had me worried there. Is `sweating blood' an expression used in informal contexts?''
``That's right. Here is an example. The old man sweated blood to put his grandson through college.''
``I usually sweat blood a month before the final exams. How does it sound?''
``Good. But six months before the final exams, you don't even sweat. Let alone sweat blood.''
``That's true. My nephew Vyomekesh is sweating blood to complete his science project on time.''
``Talking about nephews, did you....''
``....I wish that the Indian cricket team would sweat blood for the sake of the country.''
``They probably would if the Board made it clear that a player's pay would be determined by his performance, rather than his non performance.''
``Some of the newspaper articles dealing in cricket were very interesting.''
``Dealing with and not dealing in.''
``What is the difference between the two?''
``When a shop or a company deals in something, it does business buying and selling those things.''
``I see. So when you `deal in' something, you specialise in it. Is that it?''
``Well, yes. Here is an example. If you want to buy a good pair of jeans, go to my cousin's shop. He deals in jeans.''
``How about this example? When they started their business, they dealt only in stationery. But now they also deal in cassettes and CDs.''
``That is a good example.''
``Now tell me, what does `deal with' mean?''
``When a book or an article deals with a particular topic, it discusses or covers that particular topic. Here is an example. Corruption is a topic that is dealt with in detail in this book.''
``The article doesn't deal with how badly women were treated.''
``When a person `deals with' something, he/she usually handles that something. For example, the Rector dealt with the problem quickly.''
``Our batsmen must learn to deal with the Australian bowling.''
``I am sure they will be able to do that after the third test.''
``But we are playing only three test matches.''
``I know that. You see....''
``....I have an idea. Just as kids have a trial ball when they play cricket, our players should ask for a couple of trial tests.''
* * * * *
``Some women get excited about nothing and then marry him.'' - Anon

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, March 13, 2001