Know Your English (Dec 2001)-8

Know your English

What is the meaning of ``shell-shocked''?

This is probably how the people of Afghanistan felt a couple of weeks ago. The word ``shell'' refers to bombs. How would you feel if you lived in a city, which was being constantly bombed? I guess you would go through a lot of emotions — confusion, anger, etc. When you say that someone is shell-shocked what you are implying is that the difficult experience, which the individual has undergone recently has left him confused and anxious. Here are a few examples.

*I think Aparna is a little shell-shocked after the final exam.

*Vinita felt shell-shocked after coping with the boisterous twins all day.

*The shell-shocked investors trooped in silently.

* * * * *

"The average Ph.D. thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another." — J. Frank Dobie

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, Dec 18, 2001

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The Four Heavenly Kings

The Four Heavenly Kings are Buddhist deities tasked with watching over the world's four cardinal directions. As guardians of the world and fighters of evil, they have vowed to shield the Buddha's followers from danger and possess the power to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma, the Buddha's teachings. Thrice monthly, the kings send messengers or go themselves to see how virtue and morality are faring in the world of men. To whom do they report their findings? More... Discuss

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This Day in History

Stonewall Riots Begin (1969)

In 1969, gay rights in the US were virtually nonexistent, and discrimination was routine. On June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular Mob-run gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, and began arresting patrons for cross-dressing. A crowd gathered outside, taunting police and throwing debris. The police responded with violence. Protest rallies and more riots followed, marking the awakening of the US gay rights movement. How long after the riots were the first Gay Pride marches held? More... Discuss

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Today's Birthday

Melvin Kaminsky, AKA Mel Brooks (1926)

Brooks is an American film director, writer, actor, and producer best known for his wild parodies that mix satire with slapstick. He started out as a television comedy writer but soon turned to film. He won an Oscar for his first feature film, The Producers (1968), a comic masterpiece of bad taste, and followed it with such films as the Western-inspired Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, a parody of the horror genre. Who speaks the only word in his Silent Movie? More... Discuss

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Quote of the Day

To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is . . . the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence.
John Quincy Adams
(1767-1848) Discuss

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Play uncultivated discuss
Definition:	(adjective) (Of persons) lacking art or knowledge.
Synonyms:	uncultured, artless
Usage:	Never had they witnessed such power of mastication, and such marvelous capacity of stomach, as in this native and uncultivated gastronome.

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