Know your English

What is the meaning of ``ground zero"?

This is a term that has been heard quite frequently on CNN the past couple of weeks. ``Ground zero'' was originally used to refer to an atomic explosion; it is the site at which an atomic explosion took place. This is how dictionaries define the term: ``the point on the surface of the earth or water directly below, directly above, or at which an atomic or hydrogen bomb explodes". Today the term is being used informally to mean a place of rapid development or change; a place of violent activity.
About ten years ago no one had heard about Vasudeva Nagar. But today it has become the ground zero from which restaurants and designer shops radiate.
The term ``ground zero'' is also used to mean elementary level; a ``starting point". For example,
Many of my students will be starting at ground zero.
My boss didn't like the ad campaign. Looks like I have to return to ground zero.

* * * * *
"I've had bad luck with both my wives. The first one left me and the second one didn't."

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

What is the difference between ``should'' and ``must"?

When you tell someone that he should do something, you are advising him to do it. You are not ordering him to do something; you are merely asking him to consider the possibility. It is a request; you are merely suggesting to the individual that it would be a good idea if he were to do it. Here are a few examples.
You should brush your teeth every day before going to bed.
Mohan should work harder.
I think the old rules should be revised.
The word ``must'' is normally used when you wish to order someone. You are no longer requesting, or suggesting, you are telling the person what to do. When a person is told that he ``should'' brush his teeth, he has a choice; he can either follow your advice, or he can ignore it completely. In the case of ``must", the person has no option. He has to brush his teeth. Here are a few examples.
If you want to get through your exams, you must work harder.
I am telling you that you must not marry that girl.
The Chairman said that we must work on Sunday.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

What is the meaning and origin of the term "son of a gun?"

This is an expression that is frequently heard in American English. It is used to express different emotions. It is often used to indicate surprise and shock.
Son of a gun! I can't believe that they actually bombed New York.
The expression is also used to refer to a man who is unpleasant.
I wouldn't go anywhere near Anand. He's a mean son of a gun.
Don't get too friendly with that man. The son of a gun will take advantage of you.
The son of a gun tried to steal from his own parents.
It is also used as a term of endearment. When you refer to someone as ``son of a gun", you are indicating your affection for that person. Here are a few examples.
The little son of a gun got an A in the test.
The son of a gun went out of his way to help me.
As to the origin, well to begin with, the expression ``son of a gun'' was a polite way of referring to an illegitimate child, usually a boy! In the old days, it was standard practice to take women on long voyages. Sometimes these women became pregnant and had the baby on the ship. Usually the maternity ward, if you can call it that, was the midsection of the ship, next to the cannons. Since all deaths and births on a ship had to be recorded, the newborn baby's record was written up as well. If it was not clear who the father of the child was, then next to the father's name, the word ``Gun'' was written &151; referring to the cannon next to which the child was born. Against the child's name, the word ``son'' was written. Hence the expression, ``son of a gun".

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

Which of the following sentences is correct? The Government has many problems'' or ``The Government have many problems?"

Both are acceptable. It depends on how you view the Government. Do you consider the Government to be single impersonal unit, or do you look upon it as consisting of separate small units? If you view it as a single unit, then you can use a singular verb ``The Government has many problems". If, on the other hand, you view the Government as comprising several different units, then you can use the plural verb ``have''&151; ``The Government have many problems". There are many words in English, which can take either the singular or the plural verb - family, jury, committee, staff, team are just some of the nouns. Here are a few examples.
The jury was/were beginning to look bored.
The family was/were planning to move to Australia.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

IS IT correct to say "He has good command over English?"

Careful users of the language would frown on this. They would argue that one can have command over people, but not over language. You can for example say:
He has total command over his men. They will do whatever he wants them to.
But when it comes to language, they would prefer ``of '' to ``over".
We are looking for someone who has good command of English.
Many children in the south have little or no command of Hindi.
I am told that Prakasham has good command of French.
There is a tendency these days however, even among some native speakers, to say ``have good command over English". The purists may not like this, but as the Americans would put it, that's the way the cookie crumbles. To be on the safe side, avoid saying ``command over English".

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 25, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

"WHAT'S THE matter with you? You look terrible."

"I have been thinking about our Indian cricket team. I feel absolutely miserable whenever they lose."
"Don't eat your heart out about a bunch of overpaid underachievers!""Eat my heart out? I haven't come across that expression before."
"When you tell someone not to `eat his heart out' about something or someone, you are telling him not to grieve or feel sad about something or someone. For example, I can say, Pandey spent a lot of time eating his heart out after the company he was working for folded."
"Sumithran has been eating his heart out ever since his neighbour sold her house and moved to another town."
"My cousin Anuradha ate her heart out when she was forced to sell her grandmother's diamonds."
"Our team didn't win. But don't eat your heart out."
"That should be the attitude. By the way, the expression, `eat your heart out' has another meaning as well. It can mean, `to be jealous'."
"I see. How about this example? When my friend heard that I had won twenty lakhs in a lottery, he ate his heart out."
"That's a good example. Do you think you will ever win twenty lakhs in a lottery?"
"Who knows? Some day fate may decide to smile on me."
"It already has. That's why you have a friend like me! Anyway, here's another example. Look you guys; these five new cars belong to me. So eat your heart out."
"That's a nasty thing to say."
"I know! And you know what the sad part is? I'll never get a chance to say something like that in real life."
"Thank god for that. By the way, I've started taking tennis lessons. Hewitt, eat your heart out. How does that sound?"
"You expect Hewitt to be jealous because you have started playing tennis?"
"Yes, because pretty soon I will be beating him!"
"Keep dreaming. I don't think the fact that you are learning tennis is going to eat away at Hewitt."
"Eat away at Hewitt? What does that mean?"
"When something `eats away at someone' or `eats at someone', it troubles or worries the person. This is one of the meanings of the expression. For example, the fact that he would soon be out of a job was eating away at Jaichand."
"The terrible state of the company was eating away at Raju."
"Vinita's financial problems ate away at her day and night."
"Vinita has financial problems? But I thought she was very rich."
"Her father is very rich, that's true. But..."
".... so why doesn't she ask her father for some money?"
"Ask him for money! Are you crazy? He'll eat her out."
"He'll eat her out? What does that mean? Does it ...."
".... when someone eats you out, what ...."
".... the expression probably means to scold someone severely. Am I right?"
"I am impressed. Can you give me an example?"
"The Principal ate the teacher out and put the fear of God into her."
"Didn't the other teachers protest?"
"That was just an example. The Principal that we have now is too timid to eat anyone out."
"The coach ate the player out for playing an irresponsible shot."
"When the students walked in half an hour late, the Professor really ate them out."
"That was a good example. By the way, how did you guess the meaning of `eat someone out'?"
"Well, `eat someone out' sounds like `chew someone out'. And I know that `chew someone out' means to scold someone."
"Very good. And like the expression `chew someone out', `eat someone out' is mainly used in informal contexts. In fact, `chew someone out' is considered to be slang."
"The teacher chewed me out for coming late to class.''
"The coach gave the entire team a good chewing out."
"John Wright has to probably give our players a good chewing out every other day. Unfortunately, it seems to have no effect on them."
"It's getting late. I'd better go. Are you eating out today?"
"No, I am eating in for a change."
"Eating in? Is it the opposite of `eating out'?"
"That's right! When you say that you are eating in, what you are actually saying is you are eating at home. I am feeling very tired today. Why don't we just eat in?"
"My grandmother is a great cook. Whenever we go to her place, we always eat in."
"That's a good example. People who travel a lot generally hate eating out. When they get back home, they prefer to eat in."
"Well, I'd better be going. Today being a weekday we'll all be eating in. I don't want my father to chew me out for being late."
"What will you be having for dinner? Any idea?"
"The usual rice and sambar."
"I am planning to make pizza."
"I love pizza."
"Eat your heart out, kid!"

* * * * *

"The spinal column is a long bunch of bones. The head sits on the top and you sit on the bottom." &151; A student in the U.S.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 18, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

Is it OK to say, "Rectify my doubts"?

The word "rectify" means to correct something that is wrong. This is a word, which is normally used in formal contexts. One can talk about rectifying a situation, mistake, or defect. Here are a few examples.
* Santosh did his best to rectify the situation.
* We would like you to rectify the mistakes made by the previous Manager.
* The defects could not be rectified.
One does not `rectify' doubts. One can get them `cleared'. We can for example say, "I would like to have my doubts cleared".

* * * * *

"The word trousers is an uncommon noun because it is singular at the top and plural at the bottom."
- A student

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

What is the word for a wife who is excessively fond of her husband?

Some time ago I had written in this column that the English language has a word for a man who is excessively fond of his wife -"uxorious"- but that it doesn't have a word for a woman who is excessively fond of her husband. I am happy to report that such a word does exist. The word is "maritorious". It is derived from the Latin "maritus" meaning "husband". But unlike the word "uxorious", "maritorious" is a word that is seldom heard or used. One does not find it listed in most dictionaries. Wonder why!

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

Does the word "timepass" exist?

It certainly does; at least it is alive and kicking in Indian English. We often use this word in our country to mean a good way of spending one's time. For example, we hear people say.
* The movie was a good timepass.
* It was just timepass.
* I always take a book with me when I travel. It's good timepass.
The word however does not exist in the native varieties of English. The native speaker would normally say, "pass time".
* The movie was an enjoyable way of passing one's time.
* I always take a book with me when I travel. It's a nice way of passing one's time.
* I passed time watching the kids at play.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

Which of the following sentences is correct? "The fees has to be paid", or "The fees have to be paid"?

The word "fees" is considered to be plural; the singular is "fee". Rules of grammar dictate that "fees" should be followed by a plural verb. The correct sentence is, "The fees have to be paid". Here are a few more examples.
* The entrance fee has gone up.
* The school fees are exorbitant.
* The fee is likely to be increased.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

What is the plural of "mother-in-law"?

At the beginning of this century there was only one plural for this word - mothers in law. The word "mother in laws" was considered unacceptable. As a result, we had "fathers in law", "brothers in law", "sisters in law", etc.
Of late, native speakers of English have started saying, "mother in laws", father in laws", "brother in laws", etc. So to get back to your question, the plural of "mother in law" could be either "mothers in law" or "mother in laws". Take your pick.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001

Know Your English (Sep 2001)

Know your English

What is the meaning and origin of the expression "to throw one's hat into the ring?"

When you ``throw'' or ``toss'' your hat into the ring what you are doing is informing everyone that you are willing to enter a contest. The expression these days is normally used in politics. When someone throws his hat "in" or "into" the ring, he is announcing to the world that he is a candidate in the coming election. In other words, he is contesting. Here are a few examples.
* Renuka is seriously considering throwing her hat into the ring this time.
* Arjun has tossed his hat in the ring. This should make things interesting.
* I would sound people out before throwing my hat into the ring if I were you.
The expression comes from the sport of boxing. In the old days whenever someone threw his hat into the boxing ring, it implied that he was challenging the boxer; he was willing to fight the person in the ring.
A well-known boxer, John L. Sullivan, used to go through this ritual every time he fought. After defeating his opponent, Sullivan would toss his hat into the ring. This was a challenge to the people in the audience.
If the man who challenged him was able to remain on his feet till the end of the bout, then Sullivan used to give him a prize. They were not too many occasions when he actually had to pay the challenger!
So the original meaning of "tossing the hat into the ring" was to challenge. It was only in the 19th Century that the expression took on the meaning it has today - announcing one's political candidacy.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, September 04, 2001