Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 112
499. What is the meaning of "Billingsgate"?
Billingsgate was the name of a fish market in London. I believe it was very close to London Bridge. During its time, the place was well known for two things - the smell of fish and the abusive language used by the people doing business there. Believe it or not, the people using the filthy language were mostly women! The fishwives who conducted business in Billingsgate were famous not only for their salted fish, but also their salty language! It is for this reason that Billingsgate means "abusive or foul language". *The workers hurled more billingsgate at their boss after his speech.
500. What is the meaning of "dumbsize"?
This word was coined in the 1990s. We all know what "downsize" means. When a company downsizes, it reduces the number of workers. When too many people have been let go and the remaining staff finds it difficult to carry out the work, it is called "dumbsizing". In other words, the management was "dumb" to get rid of too many people!
501. What is the meaning of the expression "to see which way the cat jumps"?
Some people refuse to take risks. They wait to see what is going to happen before they pass an opinion or take a decision about something. This refusal to commit oneself to a course of action until one is sure of what is going to happen is called "to see which way the cat jumps". Another expression which has more or less the same meaning is "to see which way the wind blows". *The couple waited to see which way the cat jumped before they started investing in the company.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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