Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 144
598. What is the meaning and origin of `to eat out of one's hand'?
When you have someone `eating out of your hand', you succeed in getting him to do whatever you want. The individual becomes very submissive. *Within no time, the former film star had all the office employees eating out of her hand. *As a young man, he dreamed that he would have his wife eating out of his hand. The expression comes from the world of animal training. You know that a wild animal has been tamed when you succeed in getting it to eat something off your hands, without getting bitten.
599. What is the difference between `eat like a horse' and `eat like a pig'?
Horses and pigs are known to have good appetites. Therefore when you say that someone eats like a horse or a pig, what you are implying is that the individual consumes a lot of food. Careful users of the language maintain a subtle distinction between the two expressions. When you say that someone eats like a pig, it has a negative connotation. Pigs are supposed to be rather noisy eaters. They slurp, grunt, and drool when they eat. I am sure other animals do the same thing, but unfortunately for the pig, it is always associated with these things. Therefore when you say, `He eats like a pig', what you mean is that he eats a lot, and has very bad table manners.
600. What is the meaning of `tryst'?
First, let's deal with the pronunciation. There are two ways of pronouncing this word. Some people pronounce the `y' is like the `i' in `sit', `bit', and `fit', while others pronounce it like the `y' in `my' and `by'. The meeting of two lovers at an appointed time is called a `tryst'; the word is considered literary. There is a tendency nowadays to use the word to mean `appointment'. *Rahul, if you don't hurry you'll be late for the tryst. Never keep a girl waiting. *"Ladies and gentleman, we have a tryst with destiny", said the speaker.
601. How is the word `idiosyncrasy' pronounced?
The first `i' and the final `y' are pronounced like the `i' in `knit', `kit', and `kiss'; the `dio' is like the `dio' in `radio'. The `sync' is pronounced like the word `sink', and the following `a' sounds like the `a' in `china'. The main stress is on the fourth syllable `sync'. The word can be spelt `idiosyncracy' or `idiosyncrasy' and it is normally used to refer to an individual's peculiarities or habits. The word can be used with objects as well. *One of his idiosyncrasies was to smell his socks before putting them on.
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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