Relax, Refresh your English knowledge 158
What is the difference between `squirrel something away' and `squirrel out of something'?
Squirrels spend most of their summer getting ready for the winter. They gather nuts and hide them away so that they can eat them when food becomes scarce. So, when you say that someone has `squirreled something away', what you mean is that he has hidden or stored something away in order to use it later on. *I'm told that Rajesh has been squirreling away money for several years now. When you succeed in `squirreling out of something', you manage to escape doing what you were supposed to do. You get out of a situation you do not wish to be in. *Babu will do anything he can to squirrel out of going to the dentist. *Listen to me! You have to do it. Don't you dare try to squirrel out of it. "Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes." — Lewis Grizzard
What is the meaning and origin of the idiom `dark horse'?
With the World Cup matches under way, this idiom has become very popular among sports columnists. When Bangladesh defeated New Zealand in a warm-up match, it became the dark horse of the tournament. In the context of sports, when you say someone is a dark horse, what you mean is that very little is known about the person's ability. Since people don't know how well the individual plays, chances are, he may end up surprising his opponents — he may even end up winning the tournament! *According to my favourite columnist, there are two or three dark horses in the tournament. *Sanjay is a dark horse for a medal in the 200 metres event. The expression comes from the world of horse racing. I understand that when placing a bet on a horse, punters (people who bet on horses) take into account the animal's lineage and its win-loss record. If this information is not available, then the bettors have no way of knowing what the strengths and weaknesses of the animal are. They are kept in the `dark' about the capability of the animal.
Such a horse is known as a `dark horse'. The expression was first used by Disraeli in his novel, `The Young Duke'.
A collection from the Open Page Supplement of The Hindu Newspaper
Courtesy: Sri Upendra, the writer of the above
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