Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 94
445. "Hey, did your uncle ask for seed money?" "No, I think he was too embarrassed to. But I hinted at the fact that I would be willing to help him out. Give this letter the once-over, will you?" "The once-over? What does it mean?" "When you give someone or something the once-over what you are doing is taking a quick look at the person or the object. You want to see what they are like." "I see. How about this example? The student gave the paper the once-over before handing it to the teacher." "Sounds good. After checking the handbag, the security guard gave me the once-over before he allowed me to enter the building." "The principal gave the students the once-over and then began his speech." "Now that you know the meaning, please give the letter the once-over!" "O.K. I am done. It looks fine. Tell me, why do ...." "....why were you smiling when you read the letter? Was it funny?" "It had nothing to do with your letter. I remembered something strange that Sujatha said this morning. She said that I had a really cute smile." "She's been saying such things to everyone I know. She's moving to a new flat, and I think she is looking for people to help her move. That's why she is laying it on thick." "Laying what on thick? Talk English, will you?" "When you say that someone is laying it on thick what you mean is that they are trying to flatter you. There's too much of praise, in fact. Yesterday, Sujatha called me handsome."
"Handsome! That's laying it on thick." "I know. Of late, Sujatha has learnt how to lay it on really thick."
446. "But why would she need anyone to help her move? She has her cousin, Arvind. Haven't seen him in a while, though. Any idea where he is?" "Hey, this is April. He must be busy cramming for his exams." "Cramming? Does it mean the same thing as mugging?" "Well, when you cram for a test, you study very hard for it. Usually at the very last minute. For example, Narender spent the entire weekend cramming for the chemistry test." "How about this example? My father says that if I put in an hour's work every day, then I wouldn't have to cram." "He has a point there. But I am sure when he was a student, your father spent many sleepless nights pounding the books." "Pounding the books? Why would he do that? There's no need to...." "....pounding the books is an informal expression meaning to study hard. Another expression which has more or less the same meaning is `hit the books'." "As soon as I return home from school, I hit the books. How does it sound?" "You hitting the books soon after your return home! Please stop, it's cracking me up." "Cracking you up? What does it mean? Are you going mad?" "When something cracks you up, it makes you laugh. When I saw the kitten slip on a banana peel, it just cracked me up." "The principal's new wig cracked me up." "Did you tell him he looked ridiculous?" "No, we told him he looked great in it. We really laid it on thick." "Americans always do the right thing — after they have tried everything else." — Winston Churchill
446. "But why would she need anyone to help her move? She has her cousin, Arvind. Haven't seen him in a while, though. Any idea where he is?" "Hey, this is April. He must be busy cramming for his exams." "Cramming? Does it mean the same thing as mugging?" "Well, when you cram for a test, you study very hard for it. Usually at the very last minute. For example, Narender spent the entire weekend cramming for the chemistry test." "How about this example? My father says that if I put in an hour's work every day, then I wouldn't have to cram." "He has a point there. But I am sure when he was a student, your father spent many sleepless nights pounding the books." "Pounding the books? Why would he do that? There's no need to...." "....pounding the books is an informal expression meaning to study hard. Another expression which has more or less the same meaning is `hit the books'." "As soon as I return home from school, I hit the books. How does it sound?" "You hitting the books soon after your return home! Please stop, it's cracking me up." "Cracking you up? What does it mean? Are you going mad?" "When something cracks you up, it makes you laugh. When I saw the kitten slip on a banana peel, it just cracked me up." "The principal's new wig cracked me up." "Did you tell him he looked ridiculous?" "No, we told him he looked great in it. We really laid it on thick." "Americans always do the right thing — after they have tried everything else." — Winston Churchill
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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