Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 30
146. What is the difference between ‘worthwhile' and ‘worth while'?
In terms of meaning, there is no difference between the two words. When you say that something was ‘worthwhile', you mean that the time, money or energy you spent on it was worth it. In other words, you are quite happy with the result. In the past, careful users of the language wrote it as one word when it was used as an adjective – when it was used before a noun. For example, Abhai wants to get involved in some worthwhile cause. In all other contexts, it was written as two words. For example, it might be worth while to talk to your uncle. Nowadays, this distinction is seldom maintained; there is a tendency to use the single word in all contexts.
146. What is the difference between ‘worthwhile' and ‘worth while'?
In terms of meaning, there is no difference between the two words. When you say that something was ‘worthwhile', you mean that the time, money or energy you spent on it was worth it. In other words, you are quite happy with the result. In the past, careful users of the language wrote it as one word when it was used as an adjective – when it was used before a noun. For example, Abhai wants to get involved in some worthwhile cause. In all other contexts, it was written as two words. For example, it might be worth while to talk to your uncle. Nowadays, this distinction is seldom maintained; there is a tendency to use the single word in all contexts.
147. How is the word ‘Wuthering' pronounced?
You must be thinking of Emily Bronte's novel, ‘Wuthering Heights'. The first two syllables rhyme with the words ‘mother' and ‘brother', and the final syllable is pronounced like the word ‘ring'. The word is pronounced ‘WU-the-ring' with the stress on the first syllable. It comes from the Scottish ‘whithering' meaning ‘rushing, blustering', and it is mainly used to refer to the strong wind which makes a loud noise when it blows.
148. Which is correct: an FIR or a FIR?
When we use the abbreviated form, it is ‘an FIR'. Although the first letter, ‘f', is a consonant, when it is pronounced, it begins with a vowel sound – the same is the case with the letters ‘m' and ‘n'. This explains why abbreviations like MP and NGO are preceded by the article ‘an' and not ‘a'. We say ‘an MP', ‘an FIR', and ‘an NGO', but ‘a Member of Parliament', ‘a non-government organisation', and ‘a First Information Report'.
149. What is the meaning and origin of ‘pull up stakes'?
The expression is mostly used in informal contexts in American English. When you say you are pulling up stakes, it means you are leaving the place where you have lived for a long time. It can also be used with reference to one's job as well — you are quitting the job you have had for some time.
*My parents lived in Chennai before pulling up stakes for Hyderabad.
*I've been teaching in this university for 30 years. It's time I pulled up stakes.
In the old days, it was standard practice to drive stakes into the ground to mark the boundary of one's property. By driving the stakes in, the person was laying claim to the land. By removing them, he was informing everyone that he was giving up his claim, and was moving on.
150. What is the meaning of ‘fishwife'?
This is a word which is always used with women, and it has several different meanings. The Old English word ‘wif', from which we get the word ‘wife', originally meant ‘woman'. Therefore a ‘fishwife' was a woman who sold fish. In the old days in England, these individuals used to frequent the famous Billingsgate market, and they were well known for their foul language and loud voice. The word ‘fishwife' is seldom heard nowadays, but when it is used, it applies to a woman who is very unladylike — someone who speaks and swears loudly.
*When I told Deepa that I wouldn't help her, she swore like a fishwife.
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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