Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 43
211. What is the meaning and origin of ‘dead ringer'?
This expression of American origin is considered slang, and is mostly used in informal contexts. A ‘dead ringer' is an individual who looks exactly like someone else — he is a duplicate. The expression can be used with things as well.
*Your bike is a dead ringer for the one I had 20 years ago.
*The hero in the film is a dead ringer for my next door neighbour.
Several explanations have been put forward as to the origin of this expression. Most people agree that it comes from the world of horse racing. In the old days, a few unscrupulous horse owners often had two horses which looked exactly alike — one was invariably slow, and the other was fast. During the trials for a race, the slower horse was used, and as a result, the bookies were fooled into believing that the animal had little or no chance of winning. When the day of the actual race came, the owner switched horses, and made big money by winning the race. This second horse which looked like the first was called a ‘ringer'.
211. What is the meaning and origin of ‘dead ringer'?
This expression of American origin is considered slang, and is mostly used in informal contexts. A ‘dead ringer' is an individual who looks exactly like someone else — he is a duplicate. The expression can be used with things as well.
*Your bike is a dead ringer for the one I had 20 years ago.
*The hero in the film is a dead ringer for my next door neighbour.
Several explanations have been put forward as to the origin of this expression. Most people agree that it comes from the world of horse racing. In the old days, a few unscrupulous horse owners often had two horses which looked exactly alike — one was invariably slow, and the other was fast. During the trials for a race, the slower horse was used, and as a result, the bookies were fooled into believing that the animal had little or no chance of winning. When the day of the actual race came, the owner switched horses, and made big money by winning the race. This second horse which looked like the first was called a ‘ringer'.
212. What is the meaning of ‘panjandrum'?
First, let's deal with the pronunciation of this word. The ‘a' in the first and second syllable sounds like the ‘a' in ‘ant', ‘pants' and ‘apple', and the ‘u' is like the ‘a' in ‘china'. The word is pronounced ‘pan-JAN-drem' with the stress on the second syllable. A ‘panjandrum' is a pompous individual who believes that he is a powerful and important person. The word is mostly used to show disapproval. It was coined by the English dramatist Samuel Foote, and it appears in the few nonsense sentences that he wrote to test the memory of an actor who claimed that he had the ability to reproduce anything after hearing it once.
*A panjandrum of the oil industry was present at the party.
213. What is the difference between ‘await' and ‘wait'?
In terms of meaning, there is no difference between the two. ‘Await' means ‘wait for'. Of the two, ‘await' is considered to be formal. People wait for someone or something; they await someone or something. The word ‘await' is not followed by ‘for'.
*The students are waiting for/awaiting the Registrar's reply.
*The long awaited sequel will be released next week.
214. How is the word ‘cynosure' pronounced?
The British pronounce the ‘cyn' like the word ‘sin', and the following ‘o' like the ‘a' in ‘china'. The ‘s' is like the ‘z' in ‘zip' and ‘zoo', and the final ‘ure' sounds like the ‘ure' in ‘pure', and ‘cure'. The word is pronounced ‘SIN-e-zyue' with the stress on the first syllable. This rather literary word which is mostly used in formal contexts comes from the Greek ‘kunosoura' meaning ‘dog's tail'; a term used to refer to ‘Ursa Minor', the constellation which contains the pole star. In the old days, sailors used this star as a guide to determine which direction they were sailing at night. A cynosure is an individual or an object which attracts the attention of others.
*At the banquet, Aparna was the cynosure of all eyes.
215. What is the difference between ‘relinquish' and ‘surrender'?
When you ‘surrender' to someone or something, you admit defeat; you are saying that there is no way you can win. When people ‘surrender', they do so involuntarily; people are usually compelled or forced to give up something that belongs to them. ‘Relinquish', on the other hand, is a neutral term. It is pronounced ‘ri-LING-kwish' with the stress on the second syllable. It means to ‘give up'. Unlike the word ‘surrender', the giving up in this case can be voluntary or involuntary. For example, an old king may decide to hand over his kingdom to his eldest son; he may choose to relinquish his throne.
*Under no circumstances am I going to surrender to you.
*I do not intend to relinquish my hard earned title any time soon
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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