Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 131
556. "Hi! Come on in. You look a mess. What happened?" "It's my scooter. I was... ." "The poor thing finally gave out, eh?" "Gave out? It didn't give anything out! What are you ... ." "When you say that something `gave out', what you mean is that it has become old and has stopped working." "I see. In other words, you are saying it has worn out." "Correct. That's one of the meanings, anyway. For example, my neighbour's car finally gave out when he was taking his wife to the hospital." "I am sure the wife wasn't very happy about it. Can I say, your sandals look as though they are ready to give out?" "That's a good one! My motorcycle will probably give out in another six months." "You've had that bike for nearly twenty years. It's about time you got yourself a new one." "I am planning on getting a preloved one." "A preloved motorcycle? What does it mean?" "Nowadays the word `preloved' is being used instead of `second hand'." "Really? Revathi said that she would never buy a preloved car."
557. "Good example! I bought some preloved books last week." " I think you should get yourself a new bike. Not a preloved one." "We'll talk about it later. You wash up first. You look a mess." "I am a mess? Just look at your house. What have you been up to?" "I combed for a document all morning. But unfortunately, I couldn't... ." "What are you talking about? How can anyone comb a document?" "I didn't comb a document. I combed for one. When you say that you combed for something, it means that you searched everywhere hoping to find it." "I see. How about this example? The film star combed the entire house for the missing diamond necklace that her husband had given her." "That's an excellent example. It is also possible to comb for an individual. The police combed the neighbourhood for the escaped convicts." "Everyone combed the temple for the missing children." "Why would anyone do that?" "That was just an example. What is this document that you were looking for?" "It's something that the queer fish Ravindran gave me." "Queer fish? Does it mean someone strange?" "Very good! That's exactly what it means. When you refer to someone as being a queer fish, what you mean is that he/she is strange. The person tends to be aloof." "In other words, a queer fish is a bit of a loner?" "That's right. If I were you, I would stay away from Prema. She is a queer fish." "A lot of people say that your friend Jai is a queer fish. What do you think?" "No way! Jai is not a queer fish. He is shy, that's all." "Remember the speech he made on Independence Day? It was ... ." "Who can forget that? The poor guy was laughed down by everyone in the audience." "Laughed down? What does it mean?" "When you laugh someone down, you cause someone to quit something he is doing. You force him to give up ... ."
558. "You do it by laughing at the individual. In other words, you ridicule the poor guy." "Yes, that's right. Hari gave up the idea of becoming a singer after his audience laughed him down." "How about this example? The little children laughed down the magician's act." "The performance was that bad, eh? Teja gave up the idea of becoming an actor when her performance was laughed down by her own family members." "Ouch! That must have hurt." "My husband was so ugly, he used to stand outside the doctor's office and make people sick." — Jackie Mabley
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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