Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 28
136. Is it okay to say, ‘The film has its moments'?
Yes, it is. When you say that a film has its moments, you mean that it isn't a really good film. It isn't a terrible movie either; some parts of it are quite enjoyable. Though the film has scenes which are quite entertaining, they are few and far between. *My favourite rock band's latest album isn't great, but it has its moments.
137. What is the difference between ‘comptroller' and ‘controller'?
Thanks to the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report, the word ‘comptroller' is being used by the media every day. Of course, some of our politicians have been going ballistic whenever they hear this word. In terms of meaning, there is no difference between ‘comptroller' and ‘controller'. One of the meanings of ‘controller' is someone who is in charge of the financial accounts of an organisation. This is what a ‘comptroller' does as well. The word comes from the French ‘contreroule' meaning ‘counter roll'. In French, ‘contre' means ‘account'; in the past, a comptroller was someone who checked the financial ledgers of an organisation. Nowadays the word is used to refer to someone who is ‘responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organisation.' By the way, ‘comptroller' is pronounced like the word ‘controller'.
138. What is the meaning and origin of ‘neck and crop'?
This is an expression which is frequently used by our cricket commentators. When you say that a batsman was beaten neck and crop, you mean that he was completely beaten. This rather old fashioned expression is seldom used by native speakers of English.
*Teja was on 99 when he was bowled neck and crop.
Though there are many theories, nobody is really sure about the origin of this expression. Some believe it comes from the world of horse riding. When a horse suddenly stops without any warning, the rider is sent flying headlong over the animal's head. The word ‘crop' in the expression refers to the horse's ‘throat'. The poor rider goes over the horse's head and throat. Others believe that it is not the rider, but the horse that falls. They argue that the original expression was ‘neck and croup'; the word ‘croup' referring to the backside of the horse. When a horse falls ‘neck and crop', both its neck and backside hit the ground.
139. How is the word ‘raucous' pronounced?
The ‘rauc' rhymes with the words ‘walk' and ‘talk', and the following ‘ou' sounds like the ‘a' in ‘china'. The word is pronounced ‘ROCK-es' with the stress on the first syllable. It can be used to refer to any sound that is harsh and unpleasantly loud; a sound which is annoying to the ear.
*The infant started crying when he heard Vidya's raucous laughter.
Raucous is also frequently used to mean ‘boisterous and disorderly'.
*Although the neighbours complained several times, the raucous party went on all night.
140. Which is correct: ‘Let's go to the movie' or ‘Let's go to the movies'?
Both are correct; the two sentences, however, have a different meaning. When you say, ‘Let's go to the movie', you have a particular film in mind, and you want to go and see it. You are suggesting to your friend that the two of you should go and see the film. When you say ‘Let's go to the movies', you are suggesting to your friend that perhaps the two of you should go to the cinema. You don't have a particular film in mind: you are suggesting that you should perhaps go to see a movie — any movie
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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