46. What is the meaning and origin of ‘shot your bolt'?
When
you say you have shot your bolt, you mean you have used up all your energy
trying to perform a task. Although you have done everything you can to complete
the task, you have been unable to as you have exhausted all your
energy/resources. You haven't finished what you started.
*I
have shot my bolt. I'm afraid I'm unable to come up with any more ideas.
The
‘bolt' in the expression refers to the short, heavy arrow used in a crossbow. I
understand that once an archer had shot his ‘bolt', he was virtually
defenceless because reloading his crossbow was a time-consuming process. The
bolt was shot only when the archer was certain of hitting his target.
Shakespeare was referring to the arrow when he used the expression in Henry V:
“A fool's bolt is soon shot.”
47.
How is the word ‘acquiesce' pronounced?
The
‘a' sounds like the ‘a' in ‘ant', ‘apple', and ‘sat', and the ‘qui' is
pronounced like the ‘qui' in ‘quit', ‘quiz', and ‘quick'. The ‘e' is like the
‘e' in ‘set', ‘pet' and ‘bet', while the final ‘sce' sounds like the ‘s' in
‘sip', ‘sin' and ‘sit'. The word is pronounced ‘a-kwi-ES' with the stress on
the final syllable. Acquiesce is mostly used in formal contexts to mean to
reluctantly accept or agree to something. The word comes from the Latin
‘acquiescere' meaning ‘to become quiet'. One usually acquiesces ‘in' or ‘to'
something.
*When
the plan failed, the officers acquiesced in the cover-up.
48.
What is the meaning of the word ‘gelotology'?
First,
let's deal with the pronunciation of this word. The first syllable rhymes with
the words ‘tell', ‘bell', and ‘sell', while the following ‘o' is like the ‘a'
in ‘china'. The word is pronounced ‘je-le-TO-le-ji' with the stress on the
third syllable. It comes from the Greek ‘gelos' meaning ‘laughter'. Gelotology
studies the effects of laughter on the human body. I wonder how ‘gelotologists'
react when someone tells them that their research is a laughing matter!
49,
What is the difference between ‘fable' and ‘parable'?
Both
are used to refer to short tales told to illustrate or teach a moral principle:
the stories are told not necessarily to entertain the audience, but to teach
them a lesson. The word ‘fable' comes from the Latin ‘fabula' meaning ‘to
speak, say'. The main characters in a fable usually consist of animals behaving
like human beings. Every story of Aesop's, for example, has a moral, and
sometimes it is stated explicitly at the end. ‘Slow and steady wins the race'
is the lesson that the story of the hare and tortoise teaches us. In the case
of a ‘parable', the characters who appear in the story are all human beings
facing some sort of moral dilemma.
The
word comes from the Greek ‘parabole' meaning ‘comparison'. The reader/listener
is meant to compare the characters in the story with those in real life, and is
often asked to figure out the moral for himself. Religious texts frequently
make use of parables.
50.
Where does the expression ‘peeping Tom' come from?
A
peeping Tom is someone who watches people secretly, and becomes aroused when
they begin to undress. The story goes that Leofric III, Lord of Coventry,
imposed heavy taxes on his poor tenants. When his wife, Lady Godiva, pleads
with him to be more sympathetic, Leofric tells her he will lower the taxes,
provided she rides through the town of Coventry, naked. In order to help the
people, Lady Godiva decides to do the unthinkable. She informs the people of
Coventry why she will be riding through the town naked, and requests them to
keep their doors and windows closed as she passes through each street. She asks
them not to peep.
On
the appointed day, most people of Coventry respect her wishes and stay indoors
with the doors and windows firmly shut. The only exception is the tailor, Tom.
He peeps through the window and sees the naked figure of Lady Godiva. According
to one version of the story, peeping Tom is struck blind as soon as he sees
her.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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