Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 100
463. "Nice to see someone smiling in this weather. What are you so happy about?"
"Oh, I'm just returning from Madhavan's factory. He was telling me that if we were to invest in his company, we'd become millionaires real soon. Apparently, he has a new product which ..." "... .yes, he told me about the product too. He's very gung-ho about it." "Gung-ho! I have come across that word before. It means enthusiastic, doesn't it?" "That's right, it's an expression mostly used in informal contexts. Some of the people I know are gung-ho about everything." "I find such people very irritating. Indians are gung-ho about cricket." "That's the only thing we are gung-ho about, unfortunately." "Hey, I almost forgot. Your first play was staged yesterday, wasn't it? How did the audience react? Were they gung-ho about it?" "The response was underwhelming." "Underwhelming? I don't think there is such a word." "Yes, there is. When you say that the response to something was underwhelming, what you mean is that the people were not impressed by it." "In other words, `underwhelming' is the opposite of `overwhelming'." "I wouldn't really... ." "... how about this example? The actor's new movie met with an underwhelming response." "Sounds good. The response to the minister's speech was distinctly underwhelming." "It usually is. Anyway, what did the press have to say about your play?" "That my talent as a writer simply underwhelmed them." "I am sorry to hear that. Why do you think the people didn't appreciate the play?" "That's simple. Those who came were mostly fuddy-duddies. You see, ... ." "... .they were what?" "F... u... d... d... y and d... u... d... d... y. The `u' in both syllables is like the `u' in `hut', `but', and `cut'. When you call someone a "fuddy-duddy", what you mean is that he is old fashioned — not only in his attitude, but also in his appearance."
464. "I've stopped going to my father's office parties because I don't like being surrounded by fuddyduddies." "That's a good example. My next door neighbour is a fuddy-duddy." "Tell me, what was your hero's reaction to the underwhelming response of the press? Did ... ." "... .the hero had a conniption fit. He almost... ." "... .a conniption? Does it mean... ." "... .conniption is a word that is mostly used in informal contexts. It means... ." "... .I can guess what it means. When you have a conniption, you probably throw a fit. In other words, you burst into anger." "Very good. That's exactly what it means. The word is sometimes followed by `fit'. Here is an example. When Shalini told her father that she was marrying Teja, he had a conniption fit." "So the next time someone gets angry about something, can I say, `Take it easy. Don't have a conniption?" "I guess you could say that. Every time I try to sport a beard my mother has conniptions... ." "... most mothers aren't very gung-ho about their son growing a beard. I wonder why." "Haven't a clue myself. Do you think I am a gung-ho sort of guy?" "Only your mother would think so!" "My play was a complete success. The audience was a failure." — Ashleigh Brilliant
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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