Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 45
221. What is the meaning and origin of ‘hot on the heels of'?
When you are pursuing someone and you are hot on his heels, it means that you are very close to the individual. Chances are you will catch him or overtake him soon. Other expressions which have the same meaning are ‘hard on the heels' and ‘in hot pursuit'.
*The young detective was hot on the heels of the thief.
According to scholars, the word ‘hot' has been used in the expression to suggest that the pursuer is on track; in other words, he is not lost, and the trail has not gone cold. He is so close to his prey that he is able to feel the ‘heat' generated by the animal/individual.
222. What is the meaning of the term ‘Kafkaesque'?
First, let's deal with the pronunciation. The first ‘a' is like the ‘a' in ‘cat' and ‘bat', and the second like the ‘a' in ‘china'. The final ‘esque' is pronounced like the ‘esk' in 'desk'. The word is pronounced ‘kaf-ke-ESK' with the stress on the third syllable. It comes from the name of the well-known Czech-German writer Franz Kafka. In his writings, he created a world in which there was little or no sunshine. It was very impersonal, mysterious, and menacingly complex, and the characters in them were always full of despair. In the books he wrote, there was always a sense of doom. When you say that something is ‘Kafkaesque', you mean that it is like the work of Kafka — in other words, a world in which sinister and impersonal forces control human affairs.
*How did Anand get into this Kafkaesque situation?
223. What is the meaning of ‘redress’?
The ‘e’ in the first syllable sounds like the ‘i’ in ‘it’, ‘bit’, and ‘hit’, and the second syllable is pronounced like the word ‘dress’. This formal word can be used as a noun and a verb, and in both cases, the stress can be put on the second syllable. This is just one of the ways of pronouncing the word. Sometimes, when we injure someone or treat someone badly, we are forced to pay them some form of compensation. This money that we pay the individual is called ‘redress’. When used as a verb, the word means to ‘to make up for or compensate’. The word comes from ‘re’ meaning ‘again’ and ‘drecier’ meaning ‘straighten’. *The Chief Minister, as expected, refused to redress the grievances of teachers. ‘Redressal’, a word which is frequently employed in Indian English, does exist. It is not, however, listed in all dictionaries.
224. What is the meaning of ‘webinar’?
The word is a combination of ‘web’ and ‘seminar’. A ‘webinar’ is a seminar that is transmitted over the web; it involves a lot of interaction between the participants. The term can be used to refer to a presentation, lecture or workshop that is broadcast over the web. I’m afraid I won’t be able to come. I’m taking part in a webinar.
225. How is the word ‘oust’ pronounced?
The ‘ou’ is like the ‘ou’ in ‘out’, ‘shout’, and ‘bout’; the final ‘st’ is like the ‘st’ in ‘sting’, ‘step’, and ‘stump’. When you oust someone, you force the individual to leave a position of power; you remove the person from the position he/she has occupied. There’s no way we can oust him now. We must bid our time.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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