Knowledge Spectrum English - 6 What is the meaning and origin of ‘the bum's rush'? What is the difference between ‘stagger' and ‘totter'? How is the word ‘suave' pronounced?

26. What is the meaning and origin of ‘the bum's rush'?

When you ‘give someone the bum's rush', you get rid of the person as quickly as possible; often using force. You make it clear to the individual that he is not wanted. In most cases, you grab hold of the person and throw him out. It is also possible to say, ‘get the bum's rush'; the expression is American in origin.

*I think Sangeeta and Sajida are up to something. I got the bum's rush when I walked into their apartment.

*When the well-known artist walked into the club wearing slippers, he was given the bum's rush by the two security guards.

The ‘bum' in the expression has nothing to do with one's backside. In American English, this word is also used to refer to a homeless person who makes his living by begging. When such a person enters a shop or a hotel, what is it that the owners do? They promptly catch hold of the individual, and rush him out the door. Hence the expression, ‘the bum's rush'.

27. What is the difference between ‘stagger' and ‘totter'?

Both words mean ‘to walk unsteadily'. Most people use the two words interchangeably, but careful users of the language maintain a distinction between the two. When you stagger, you walk with difficulty, and in the process may end up losing your balance. You manage to recover and do not actually end up falling. Someone who is extremely sleepy or who has had too much to drink may stagger. The use of the word ‘totter' suggests that the individual is likely to fall down soon: the fall is imminent. In this case, the person is walking in an unsteady manner because he is either very old or very weak. Both ‘totter' and ‘stagger' can be used with things as well.

*The old man managed to totter back to the sofa.

*The young couple staggered into the hospital looking dazed.

28. How is the word ‘suave' pronounced?

The ‘su' is like the ‘sw' in ‘swim', ‘swish' and ‘swan', while the following ‘a' sounds like the ‘a' in ‘path', ‘bath', and ‘ask'. The final ‘e' is silent. This monosyllabic word is pronounced ‘SWAAV' and it comes from the Latin ‘suavis', meaning ‘agreeable'. In English, the word is mostly used to refer to men who are charming and sophisticated.

*The seasoned actor, as expected, gave his usual suave performance.

The word is frequently used to show disapproval: it carries with it the suggestion that the charm and the politeness of the individual are merely an act; the individual is not at all being sincere.

29. What is the difference between ‘up to' and ‘until'?

‘Until' and ‘till' are usually used with time. In terms of meaning, there is no difference: ‘until' is considered to be the more formal than ‘till'.

*There are no tickets available until/till September.

‘Up to', on the other hand, is used to refer to distance, and not time.

*The students walked up to the gate and started throwing stones.

The word can also be used to talk about quantity.

*You can earn up to Rs.10, 000 sitting at home.

30. What is the meaning and origin of ‘the boot is on the other foot'?

This is an expression which is used in everyday contexts to mean the situation is the opposite of what it was earlier; the tables have turned. It is also possible to replace ‘boot' with ‘shoe'.

*When I joined the company five years ago, Jai was my boss. Since my recent promotion, the boot is on the other foot.

Nowadays, even a little child can easily identify which shoe he should wear on his left foot, and which on his right. The shoe for each foot has been designed differently. Before the 18 {+t} {+h} century, however, the idea of having a shoe specially designed for a specific foot did not exist. A shoe was designed to fit either foot. You could wear a shoe either on your left or right foot. The shoe you wore on your left yesterday could be on your right foot today. As you can imagine, it wasn't very comfortable walking in such shoes.

A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper

Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above