Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 70
341. What is the meaning and origin of ‘sweat like a pig’?
This rather strange expression is mostly used in informal contexts to mean to perspire profusely or excessively. When I met Usha for the first time, I was so nervous that I sweated like a pig. By the end of the first set, Naresh was sweating like a pig. This is an odd expression because pigs do not have sweat glands, and therefore do not perspire like humans do. According to some scholars, the idiom refers to the ‘sweating’ that a pig does when it is roasted over fire. I understand when a pig is roasted, fat oozes out, and it is this fat that is referred to in the idiom.
342. What is the difference between ‘a loving child’ and ‘a lovely child’?
A ‘loving child’ is an affectionate child; someone who shows a lot of love and affection towards other people. Yogesh’s six year old daughter is a loving child. The word ‘lovely’, on the other hand, has several different meanings. In British English, one of the meanings of ‘lovely’ is ‘kind, friendly, and pleasant to be with’. Unlike a ‘loving person’, a ‘lovely person’ need not openly demonstrate his/her affection for someone. The word ‘lovely’ also means ‘beautiful’; a ‘lovely child’ therefore is someone who is good to look at. A ‘loving child’ need not necessarily be good looking; similarly, a ‘lovely child’ need not always be affectionate towards one and all.
343. Which is correct: Monday through Friday or Monday to Friday?
Both are correct. The expression ‘Monday through Friday’ is mostly used in American English, while the British prefer ‘Monday to Friday’. “Here’s to our wives and girlfriends: may they never meet.” — Irish Toast
344. What is the meaning of ‘dragon lady’?
A dragon is a very powerful animal; therefore, a ‘dragon lady’ should be a woman who is very powerful. Men, of course, don’t like it when a woman becomes powerful. It is not surprising, therefore, that the expression ‘dragon lady’ has a negative connotation. The term is used to refer to a powerful woman who goes about her business in a ruthless manner; she is a tyrant who bosses over everyone around. *I have been working for a dragon lady for twenty years. The term can also be used to refer to a glamorous woman who has a seductive quality about her: a femme fatale. ‘Dragon lady’ comes from the world of comics. Milton Caniff, the creator of the comic strip ‘Terry and the Pirates’, named his villain, a woman of Asian descent, ‘Dragon Lady’. This resulted in people calling any powerful woman who was Asian, a ‘dragon lady’. With the passage of time, the term began to be used to refer to any woman who was as ruthless as the character in the comic strip: she didn’t necessarily have to be Asian.
345. What is the meaning and origin of ‘the ghost walks’?
For those who grew up reading Phantom comic books, let me assure you, the idiom has nothing to do with the masked hero: Lee Falk’s character was ‘the ghost who walks’. The expression ‘the ghost walks’ is mostly used in the world of theatre to mean ‘payday’. It is the day on which all those who are involved in a production get paid. *According to the Manager, the ghost walks today. The idiom is believed to have been coined in the 19th century. The story goes that the actors working for a small company hadn’t been paid for several weeks. They were extremely angry about this, and decided to teach the producer a lesson. The play they were staging was Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. During one particular performance, Hamlet, waiting for his father’s ghost to appear, said, “Perchance ‘twill walk again.” When he heard this, the actor playing the ghost shouted from the wings: “No, I’ll be damned if the ghost walks any more until our salaries are paid.” According to the story, everyone received their salary that night!
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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