Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 47
231. Is it okay to say, ‘happen upon someone’?
Yes, it is. When you ‘happen upon/on someone’, you run into the person. You meet the person accidentally; there is no planning involved in this case. It is also possible to say ‘happen on something’. *The millionaire happened on a house he liked. So he bought it.
232. What’s the difference between ‘gawk at’ and ‘gaze at’?
Both expressions mean to look at someone or something; the difference lies in the way you look at the object. When you gaze at someone, you look at the person for a long time with an intense expression on your face: the expression can be one of admiration or surprise. One can also gaze at someone or something in an absent minded sort of way. *The students gazed at the ageing actor with admiration. A ‘gawk’ is a lout. He is someone who is rather stupid and clumsy; he often behaves rather rudely. When you gawk at someone, you look at the person with a stupid or rude expression on your face. *Don’t just stand there gawking. Lend me a hand, will you?
233. What is the meaning of the expression ‘catch a few rays’?
The expression is mostly used in informal contexts. The word ‘rays’ refers to sun rays; so when you say that you would like to catch a few rays, you are saying that you wish lie down or sit outside in the sun. It is also possible to say ‘catch some rays’. People who live in cold places like to catch some rays every now and then. *He spent the early morning on the beach catching some rays.
234. What is the meaning and origin of ‘whale of a time’?
When you say that you had a ‘whale of a time’ somewhere, what you mean is that you had a wonderful or a great time. It is an informal way of saying that you had a blast. *The children had a whale of a time at the party on Friday. The whale, as everyone knows, is the largest mammal on this planet. The blue whale can sometimes grow to over a hundred feet long. Therefore when you say ‘a whale of something’, what you mean is ‘a large or big amount of something’. *If we put in another Rs. 20000, it will make a whale of a difference. In this context, what you are trying to say is that the money will make a big difference.
235. How is ‘nouveau riche’ pronounced?
The ‘ou’ sounds like the ‘oo’ in ‘pool’, ‘fool’, and ‘cool’, and the following ‘eau’ is like the ‘o’ in ‘so’, ‘no’, and ‘go’. The ‘i’ in ‘riche’ is like the ‘ee’ in ‘need’, ‘seed’, and ‘feed’; the final ‘che’ is pronounced like the ‘sh’ in ‘ship’, ‘sheet’, and ‘sheep’. The word is pronounced ‘nuu-voe RIISH’ with the stress on the second word. ‘Nouveau riche’ is of French origin, and it literally means ‘new rich’. The expression is mostly used to refer to people who have come into money recently, and who like to display their new-found wealth in a crass manner. They lack the sophistication of those who were born wealthy and have been wealthy over generations. The expression is mostly used to show disapproval. *According to my wife, the new club is extremely popular with the city’s nouveau richer.
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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