Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 58
281. How is the word ‘shibboleth’ pronounced?
The ‘sh’ is like the ‘sh’ in ‘sheep’, ‘ship’, and ‘sheet’. The first syllable ‘shibb’ rhymes with the words ‘nib’, ‘bib’, and ‘lib’; the following ‘o’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The final ‘e’ sounds like the ‘e’ in ‘set’ and ‘bet’. The word is pronounced ‘SHI-be-leth’. Some people drop the ‘o’ in the second syllable and pronounce the word ‘SHIB-leth’. ‘Shibboleth’ comes from the Hebrew ‘sibbolet’ meaning ‘water’ or ‘ear of corn’. The Gileadites and the Ephraimites were two tribes that were at war with each other. When the Ephraimites invaded their neighbour, they were soundly thrashed. To prevent the enemy from escaping, the Gileadites set up blockades at various points. Whenever a soldier was caught, the Gileadites made him say the word ‘shibboleth’. The Ephraimites had a problem pronouncing this word because the sound ‘sh’ did not exist in their language. They said ‘sibboleth’ instead of ‘shibboleth’. When a person pronounced the word ‘sibboleth’, the Gileadites knew that he wasn’t one of them. They quickly proceeded to kill him. A shibboleth is a word, phrase, or custom which one can use to prove that he/she is a true member of a group. The word has several other meanings as well.
282. Is it okay to begin a letter with ‘hi’ when you are writing to someone you don’t know?
‘Hi’ is a greeting which is normally used in informal contexts with people you know. It is a greeting which indicates familiarity with the individual you are talking/writing to. If you are introduced to someone who looks about your age, you may be able to get away with a ‘hi’. If he is older than you, then a ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’ is preferable. If you are writing to someone you don’t know, it’s better to play safe. Have a formal beginning: ‘Dear Sir’.
283. Does the word ‘missent’ exist?
Yes, it does. Just ask the South African MP who wanted to send a message to his girlfriend. The poor man did something wrong, and he ended up sending the passionate message to his wife of 30 years! Result? The man became front page news: ‘Missent text ends MP’s marriage.’ When something is ‘missent’, it is usually sent to the wrong destination; it is sent to the wrong person/address. The word is normally used with mail (both email and snail) and text messages. It can be used with other things as well
284. How do you answer the question, ‘What time of day do you like to go swimming?’
When a person asks you this question, he is not interested in knowing whether you like to go swimming during weekends or weekdays. He is more interested in the time that you like to go swimming. He wants to know whether you like to go swimming in the mornings, afternoons or evenings. So when someone asks you
‘What time of day do you like to go swimming?’ your reply could be, ‘In the mornings/evenings.’
285. What is the meaning of ‘designated texter’?
People nowadays may be able to live without food, water, friends, etc. They may however have problems living without their cell phone! An individual’s life revolves around this wretched instrument. We are so conditioned, that no matter what we are doing — talking to someone, driving, watching a play in a theatre — the moment the cell phone rings, we feel compelled to answer it. These days people don’t just use the cell phone to talk to others, they use it to send and receive messages. In our country, it is not uncommon to see people texting while driving a car or a motorcycle. A ‘designated texter’ is someone who sits next to the driver and reads aloud all the messages that the driver gets on his cell phone during the journey. He also sends messages that the driver wants him to. He makes sure that the driver doesn’t take his eyes off his road. For some strange reason Abhay is always made the designated texter.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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