Know your English

``IS IT O.K. to say ``level best''?

(V. D. S. Prasad, Chennai)

Although this expression is used frequently in India, there are quite a few people who squirm when they hear it being used. They do their level best (!) to convince others that they shouldn't say ``level best''; that it's enough to say ``best''. They have a point. I mean, why say ``level best'', when ``best'' will do? Why waste your breath on an unnecessary word? A person who passionately argues that ``level best'' is wrong will be making the same mistake. He will be wasting his breath. There is nothing wrong in saying ``level best''. It is included in most dictionaries. The Oxford English Reference Dictionary (1995) has the following definition - ``do one's utmost; make all possible efforts''.

* Our players did their level best to beat Australia.

* Prakash is doing his level best to solve the problem.

* Saritha did her level best to avoid him.

Whether you want to say ``level best'' or ``best'' is up to you. Use the one that comes to you naturally. Limit the use of ``level best'' to informal contexts.

What is the difference between ``ache'' and ``pain''?

(Riazuddin, Guntur,A.P.)

Headache, stomachache, bodyache, earache or toothache, are some of the aches we have all experienced some time or the other. As the names suggest, the term ``ache'' is normally associated with some part of one's body. It is usually used to refer to any discomfort that is localised, which is not temporary, but long lasting. Most dictionaries define an ``ache'' as continuous, dull pain. In other words, an ache is not as acute as ``pain''; the latter tends to be much more severe than ``ache''. ``Pain'' is a general term; it can refer to discomforts of short or long duration.

Both words have a figurative meaning as well. They are often used to refer to mental or spiritual suffering. For example, one can talk about the ``pain of separation'' and the ``ache of loneliness''. When your girlfriend or boyfriend ditches you, you may complain of heartache. Your friends will feel sorry for you and will try to cheer you up. They will not take your ``ache'' seriously. If, on the other hand, you complain of having chest ``pain'', the same friends will take you very seriously and rush you to the hospital! My children tell me that I am a pain the neck and my neighbour thinks I am a headache. Who do you think dislikes me more?

What is the origin and meaning of the expression ``to take someone down a peg or two''?

(Tanveer Siddiqui, Mahabubnagar, A.P.)

All of us, at some time or the other, have had the misfortune of meeting arrogant people. When we run into such people, what is it that we would like to do? We would like to teach them a lesson in humility. We would like to show them that they are not as good or as great as they think they are. When you make these arrogant people realise they are not as good as they think they are, you are taking or bringing them down a peg or two. You are cutting them down to size. Here are a few examples:

* It's about time that we brought that arrogant Sanjay down a peg or two.

* In Australia, many of our star players were taken down a peg or two.

* My uncle takes great pleasure in taking everyone down a peg or two.

The British navy frequently used this expression in the 18th century. In those days, the importance of a ship was determined by how high its colours or flags were flying. These flags or colours were raised or lowered by a system of pegs; the higher the peg to which the flag was attached, the greater the ship's honour. So if the flag was tied to the highest peg, it implied that it was a very important ship. When the flag was placed on a lower peg, it implied that the honour given to it was not great. So when you bring or take someone down a peg or two, what you are actually doing is lowering or reducing the honour or esteem of that particular individual.

What is the meaning of ``Stockholm syndrome''?

(Nakka Sudhakara Rao, Nizamabad, A.P.)

This expression appeared several times in newspapers during the hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane in December. Do you watch a lot of movies? Think of movies where a person is taken hostage by an individual or a group of individuals. Initially, the reaction of the hostage towards his/her captors is usually very negative. He/she tries his/her best to escape. But as the individual spends more and more time with the captors, he/she begins to understand them and sometimes even begins to develop a sense of affection towards them. Sometimes he/she even allies with the captors rather than the police or the army, which is trying to rescue them. This feeling of trust and affection that a hostage develops towards his captors is called ``Stockholm syndrome''. This was first noted in the case of the people who were taken hostage during a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973.

``When I was kidnapped, my parents snapped into action. They rented out my room.'' - Woody Allen.

S. UPENDRAN

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