Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 142
590. What is the meaning of `kowtow'? How is it pronounced?
The first syllable is pronounced like the word `cow' and the second rhymes with `cow', `how', and `now'. When you `kowtow' to someone, you are very eager to please the individual in power. You do whatever he asks you to do. The word is used to show disapproval. *Poor Indu. All that kowtowing didn't help her get the promotion. *One thing that I don't want you to do is to kowtow to those in power.
591. What it the difference between `curriculum vitae' and `resume'?
Curriculum Vitae comes from Latin, and it means `course of life'; a CV therefore provides a concise autobiography of an individual. Since it is meant to provide a detailed account of an individual's achievements, a C.V. tends to be lengthier (2-8 pages) than the normally crisp resume (usually, not more than two pages). According to some people, the term CV should be used only in the context of academics; in all other cases, resume should be used. This distinction is seldom maintained, and there is a tendency to use the two words interchangeably nowadays. The main aim of writing a CV or a resume is to get the person reading it to call you for an interview.
592. Outside marriage halls, we see signs that say, `Bride marries Bridegroom'. Some read, `Bridegroom marries Bride'. Which is correct?
How does it matter? Either way it leads to unhappiness! Here's my question. Why do you need this sign? Who else is the bride going to marry? She has to marry the groom; she can't possibly marry the `best man'! `Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight?' — George Carlin
593. What is the meaning and origin of `above board'?
When you say that a particular deal was above board, what you are implying is that there was no hanky panky involved. In other words, it was honest and legal. The kind of deal that you don't generally associate with our politicians. If a politician is involved in a deal, you can be pretty sure that it is not above board. Raju is straight as they come. All his dealings are above board. There are several explanations for the origin of this idiom. According to one, the `board' refers to a table. Therefore when you say that a deal was `above board', what you mean is that it was done in an open manner — the hands of the participants involved in the deal were out in the open. There was no underhand dealing involved. Another explanation has to do with the smuggling of goods on ships. In the old days, people who smuggled things always kept them hidden below deck. The legal cargo would be placed in plain sight on the deck. In other words, anything that was placed on the deck was considered `above board'!
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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