Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 67
326. Is there a word to describe a driver who slows down in order to have a good look at the accident that has happened?
This happens all the time in our country, doesn’t it? Whenever an accident takes place, people are curious to see what has happened. Even those who generally drive fast, slow down, look out of the window to see what’s happened. Instead of looking straight ahead at the road, they strain their neck to take in the details. Such drivers are called ‘rubbernecks’.
*I was delayed because there were several rubbernecks ahead of me intent on staring at the crash.
327. How is the word ‘burlesque’ pronounced?
The ‘ur’ sounds like the ‘ur’ in ‘fur’ and ‘purr’, and the ‘lesque’ rhymes with ‘desk’. The word is pronounced ‘bur-LESK’ with the stress on the second syllable. A burlesque is usually a parody; it is something written or enacted, and its aim is to make people laugh, usually by making fun of something. The word comes from the Italian ‘burla’ meaning ‘joke, fun, mockery’. When used as a verb, the word can mean, ‘to make ridiculous’.
328. What is the meaning and origin of the expression ‘tally ho’?
The expression comes from the cruel world of fox hunting. When a hunter sighted the fleeing fox, he shouted ‘tally ho’; this was supposedly to alert the dogs (hounds) which had been brought along to chase and kill the fox. I understand that ‘tally-ho’ is actually a corruption of the French expression ‘ty-hillaut a qui forheur’: this was shouted by hunters in France when they spotted a deer. ****** “What’s the point in going out? We’re going to wind up back here anyway?” — Homer Simpson
329. What is the meaning and origin of ‘rain check’?
If someone invites you to dinner, and you are unable to go, you can always ask for a ‘rain check’. What you mean by this is that circumstances do not permit you to accept the invitation; you are, however, willing to go out with the person some other time. *I can’t go to the beach with you this weekend. How about a rain check? *He promised to give me a treat this weekend. I’ve asked for a rain check. The expression comes from the world of baseball. Whenever a ballgame had to be cancelled because of rain, spectators who had paid to get in were given a ticket stub as they left the stadium. This stub was called ‘rain check’, and it allowed a person to see another game at the same stadium on some other day.
330. Trees and hedges are sometimes cut in the shape of animals. Is there a word for this?
The clipping of shrubs and trees in the shapes of animals is called ‘topiary’. The ‘top’ rhymes with the words ‘hope’, ‘soap’, and ‘dope’. The ‘i’ is like the ‘y’ in ‘yes’, ‘yet’, and ‘you’, and the following ‘a’ sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The final ‘y’ is like the ‘i’ in ‘it’, bit’ and ‘fit’. The word is pronounced ‘TOPE-ye-ri with the stress on the first syllable. This is one way of pronouncing the word. ‘Topiary’ comes from the Latin ‘topiarius’, meaning ‘ornamental gardener’.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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