Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 26
126. “Went through the motions? What does it mean?”
“When you say that someone is going through the motions, you mean that the person is not really trying. He is only pretending to be doing what he is supposed to be doing.”
“I know what you are talking about. There are days when our maid doesn't really sweep. She just goes through the motions.”
“It's what you sometimes do when you are asked to study. You just go through the motions.”
“When they know that no result is possible, cricketers just go through the motions.”
“What else can they do? Now then,...”
127. “So what did your boss say after listening to your proposal?”
“He did what most bosses do. He took delight in throwing brickbats at it.”
“Does it mean he didn't like it?”
“When you throw or hurl brickbats at something, you criticise it in a rather blunt manner.”
“In other words, you don't really hold back. You tell it like it is.”
“Exactly! Most critics hurled brickbats at my favourite hero's first film.”
“They hurl brickbats at all his films. But tell me, what does ‘brickbat' mean?”
“It literally means a piece of brick. Bat in Middle English meant ‘clump' or lump. In the old days, protestors used to throw pieces of brick or brickbats at...”
“Why in the old days? We Indians do it even now. Protesters come armed with brickbats.”
“Just shows how ancient our civilisation is.”
“The media have been hurling brickbats at Mr. Sharad Pawar and his...”
128. “The common man thinks that Mr. Pawar doesn't know his onions when it comes to...”
“He doesn't know his onions? What are you talking about?”
“When you say that someone knows his onions, you mean that the individual knows a lot about a particular subject. When it comes to Hindi film songs, Sita really knows her onions.”
“When it comes to Tamil literature, my neighbour really knows his onions.”
“That's a good example. During the interview, it was fairly obvious to everyone the candidates didn't know their onions.”
“Well, if the price of onions continues to rise, then no one will know their onions.”
129. “What are you doing here so early?”
“I've been asked to interview someone who works for a multinational company. I would like you to be my informer.”
“Sorry. I don't mind being an informant, but certainly not an informer.”
“Informer, informant. What difference does it make? They both provide information.”
“That's true. But the kind of information they provide and the people they provide it to are very different.”
“Really? Well, I'm doing research and I need...”
“In that case, you are looking for informants. These are people who can tell you about the things you wish to know. Informant is a neutral word. ‘Informer', on the other hand, …”
“Is probably associated with all things negative.”
“I guess you could say that! An informer is someone who tells the police or those in authority about others. He gives them all this information in secret. He's a snitch.”
“And he probably does all this for the money.”
“There is usually money involved. An informant, on the other hand, doesn't always get paid.”
“You're definitely an informant. There's no way I'm going to pay you.”
130. “I know that! When it comes to money, you're just like Sujatha.”
“Talking about Sujatha, have you seen her lately?”
“Well, I saw her doing the cell phone samba at the supermarket yesterday.”
“Cell phone samba? Isn't the samba some kind of Brazilian dance?”
“Yes, it is.”
“What is the cell phone samba?”
“When the connection isn't particularly good, people do all kinds of things to get a better signal. They take a few steps in one direction, then in another. Sometimes...”
“I've seen people doing all kinds of crazy things.”
“When a person performs these erratic and unpredictable movements to get a better signal, he's said to be doing the cell phone samba.
“Sujatha knocked over several cereal boxes while doing the cell phone samba.”
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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