Know your English

``WHAT IS the meaning of ``geek''? (T. R. Anantharaman, Chennai)

This is a word which is mostly used in informal contexts. A `geek' is a person who is disliked by most people because of his disgusting behaviour or appearance. The `ee' is pronounced like the `ee' in `bee', `see', and `fee'. Here are a few examples.

* Our new chemistry professor looks like a geek. Wonder how he got the job.

* Who is the geek you were talking to?

* If you ask me, Maya's husband is a geek.

You may be interested to know that the word `geek' has another meaning as well; one that is more complimentary. A hardworking person can also be referred to as a geek. For example.

* Mohan is the geek you find in the library all the time.

* Sunitha always goes to that geek Prakash just before the exams.

* I will not have anything to do with that geek.

`Geek' was first used to refer to people who performed in circuses; not the acrobats, but those who performed unusual acts like biting off the head of a chicken, swallowing a live goldfish, etc. - acts which made the audience squirm. Or should I say acts which made the audience scream ``EEK''!

Which of the following sentences is correct? ``I pity who buy things from you'' or ``I pity those who buy things from you''. (V. Harini, Neyveli)

The second sentence is correct. The verb `pity' needs an object after it. Who are the people that you pity? The first sentence doesn't give us this piece of information, the second one does. You pity those people who buy things from the person you are talking to. Here are a few examples.

* I pity the people who have to work in this weather.

* Rama pitied Bharath because he hadn't completed his assignment.

* She took pity on the boy next door.

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ``wet behind the ears''? (L. Manish, Kerala)

When you say that someone is wet behind his/her ears, it means that he/she is young and immature. The person is `green'. Here are a few examples.

* You can easily fool Anand. He is still wet behind the ears.

* I don't know how Janaki got promoted. If you ask me, she is still wet behind the ears.

* I can't give the assignment to you. You're still wet behind the ears.

Before we entered this beautiful world of ours, all of us were floating around in our mother's tummy. When we came out of the womb, we came out with the amniotic fluid that was surrounding us. In other words, we entered this world soaking wet. Doctors/nurses used towels to dry us off before handing us over to our mothers. In the case of newborn animals however, the mother has to lick the baby dry. It takes quite some time for the mother to do this. And one of the last places to become dry, I understand, is the area behind the ears. So if an animal is still wet behind its ears, it implies it has come into this world recently; it is still `green'.

What is the meaning of Kangaroo court? (T. Ilanchelian, Kumbakonam)

This is no court at all. A kangaroo court is an unofficial court of law set up by a group of people, especially in prisons and trade union organisations, in order to try someone of a crime. In most of these cases, the verdict is predetermined. The person on trial is usually found guilty and punished.

What is the difference between ``present''and a ``gift''? (M. Subbulakshmi, Tirunelveli)

Many of us tend to use the two words interchangeably in most contexts. Of the two, ``present'' is the more informal. The two words are used with things given to other people without expectation of return or compensation. It is not uncommon to hear people say, ``I gave him a gift/present on his birthday''. Both the sentences are grammatically acceptable. Careful users of the language make a distinction between the two words. A ``gift'' tends to be much more `valuable' than a present. It usually passes from the rich to the poor, from the high to the low. A ``present'', on the other hand, passes between equals or from the inferior to the superior.

* The children brought a present for the Minister.

* I gave him a pen as a present.

* The foundation is planning to gift the land to the society.

* He made a gift of two million dollars to his old university.

The word `gift' is also used with the inborn talent or skill that one has. It is because God is believed to have given us these things - we are getting something from a superior being! Picasso had the gift of painting, M.S has the gift of singing, etc. We do not, in these cases, use the word `present'.

How do you address a female Mayor? (S. K. Sharma, Vishakapatnam)

A simple ``Madam Mayor'' will do. After all, we do hear people say, ``Madam Governor'', ``Madam Chairperson'', ``Madam President'', etc.

***

``I recently read that love is entirely a matter of chemistry. That must be why my wife treats me like toxic waste.'' - David Bissonette

S. UPENDRAN

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