Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 89
426. Is it okay to say, "The teacher was angry on the students"?
There is a tendency among Indians to use the word "on" with "angry", but it is wrong to do so. You cannot be "angry on" or "pleased on" a person. Both these words are usually followed by "with".
*The new principal was pleased with the children's performance. ***** ***** ***** "There are three kinds of men who don't understand women — young, old and middle aged." — Unknown
427. "Looks like our team snatched another draw from the jaws of victory." "Yes, Ganguly and his men seem to specialise in that. I am sure your cousin, Prasad, the dyed-inthe-wool cricket fan had a lot to say about the first test." "My cousin is very much alive. He did not die in any wool. What are... ." "I did not mean d..i..e..d, but d..y..e..d. When you refer to someone as being "dyed-in-the-wool" what you mean is that he or she has very strong opinions about something. Opinions that are not easily changed." "In other words, the person is very stubborn. His beliefs cannot be changed." "I guess you could say that." "My cousin Vindya is a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist. She believes that a woman's place is in the kitchen." "Good grief! Where did she get such an old fashioned idea? I understand that my grandfather was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative." "My neighbour claims to be a dyed-in-the-wool communist. But he lives in a huge house and drives a Benz." "Some communists in our country do that! Tell me, what is the origin of `dyed-in-the-wool'?" "I understand that wool that is dyed before it is spun into yarn retains its colour. The colour becomes permanently fixed. Anyway, tell me what did Prasad have to say about the match?" "He said that someone should have told Tendulkar to score quickly." "No one could get in touch with Sachin. Since he was performing at the crease, he had his cell switched off!" "Very funny! What was your reaction to the draw?" "Well, after the first drinks interval, I kind of sensed that our overpaid underachievers weren't going to win. So I started channel hopping." "Channel hopping? Does it mean the same thing as channel surfing?"
428. "Yes, that's right! When you channel surf or hop, you keep switching from one channel to another using the remote control." "Mohan constantly channel surfs. You can't watch any programme with him." "My constant channel hopping drives my mother up the wall." "I can imagine. Your mother wants everything just right. She... ." "... .she is a bit of a control freak, isn't she?" "You are calling your mother a freak? How can you do that?" "All I am saying is that she is a control freak. In other words, she likes to be in total command of a situation. She feels this... .." "... she has an obsessive need to have control over herself and others around her?" "Exactly! Control freaks need to feel they have control over everything around them. Including the people. They must be in total command of the situation. I am told that Anand's wife Sonia is a control freak." "Oh that she is. How about this example? My father's new boss is a control freak and he has made life miserable for everyone." "Sounds good. I don't think I would like to work for a control freak." "I don't think I would either. To tell you the truth, I just don't want to work!" "That sounds like you." ***** ***** ***** "I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life." — Rita Rudner
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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