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 Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 33

161. What is the meaning of ‘the apple doesn't fall far from the tree'?

This is a rather old saying which means that children grow up to be like their parents. Idioms which have more or less the same meaning are ‘chip off the old block' and ‘like father, like son'.

*Like his father, Vinod ended up being a politician. You know what they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

162. How should the ‘th' in ‘healthy' be pronounced?

Your question seems to suggest that you don't like the way that we Indians pronounce this word. We usually pronounce the ‘th' like the ‘th' in ‘this', ‘that', and ‘they', but native speakers of English pronounce it like the ‘th' in ‘thin' and ‘throw'.

163. What is the meaning and origin of ‘wrangle for an ass's shadow'?

‘Wrangle' rhymes with ‘angle', ‘bangle', and ‘strangle'. The ‘w' is silent, so the word is pronounced RANgl with the stress on the first syllable. When you wrangle with someone over something, you argue with the individual for a lengthy period of time. The expression ‘wrangle with someone for an ass's shadow' means to waste one's time arguing about something trivial. It can also mean nitpicking.

*If you want it, take it. I'm in no mood to wrangle with you for an ass's shadow.

The expression was made popular by a story told by the famous Greek orator, Demosthenes. In the story, a traveller hires an ass to get to his destination. The traveller, the ass, and the animal's owner set off on the long journey. Around noon, it becomes unbearably hot. Since there are no trees or bushes around to provide shade, the traveller gets off the donkey and sits in the shadow cast by the animal. The owner tells the traveller that the amount he has paid allows him to sit on the donkey, but not in its shadow. The angry traveller contends that he has paid for both the animal and its shadow. The two men have a big argument and soon come to blows. The scared ass runs away, leaving the two men without any shade whatsoever.

164. What is the difference between ‘rusticate' and ‘expel'?

A student can either be rusticated or be expelled from college. Of the two, ‘expel' is more common. ‘Rusticate' is considered rather old fashioned, and is mostly limited to British English. When you rusticate someone, you suspend the individual; the suspension is usually temporary. ‘Expulsion' suggests that the student is being forced to leave the educational institution permanently. Expel comes from the Latin ‘ex' meaning ‘out' and ‘pellere' meaning ‘to drive'. Therefore when you expel someone, you force or drive him out.

*Raja and Rani were expelled from college for plagiarism.

*The Vice Chancellor decided to rusticate all those who participated in the strike.

It is interesting to note that the word ‘rusticate' comes from the Latin ‘rusticatus' meaning ‘to live in the country'. In the old days, when someone was ‘rusticated', he was sent packing to the countryside and compelled to lead the life of a ‘rustic'.

165. How is the word ‘schadenfreude' pronounced?

The ‘scha' is like the ‘sha' in ‘shark' and ‘sharp', and the ‘e' in the second and final syllable like the ‘a' in ‘china'. The ‘eu' in ‘freud' sounds like the ‘oy' in ‘boy', ‘toy', and ‘coy'. The word is pronounced ‘SHAA-den-froy-de' with the stress on the first syllable. In German, ‘schaden' means ‘damage' or ‘injury' and ‘freude', ‘joy'. Schadenfreude literally means taking delight in the misfortunes of others.

A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper 

Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above