Long time no see

                   

Hey everybody!! What's cracking?....uhh..Excuse me, long time no see?  Well, you can congratulate me for becoming a mother to a cute little baby boy. After a good sixteen months of sleepless nights, dark circles around my eyes and tiring full day chores, I have realised, what it takes to be a mother. Hats off to my mother who raised me and hats off to all mothers around the world. It is not for nothing that the world bows to them with respect.

And now you will say, 'what about this little few post old baby that you abandoned?' . Well, that's true and from the core of my heart I'm really really sorry. Without his food (new post) he looks so malnourished and pale. He needs the a lot of attention to look plump and healthy isn't it?

So, did you do any reading all this while? I'm currently reading Immortals of  meluha, by Amish Tripathi. Will review it after finishing it. 'Long time no see' is an expression which means it is a long time since we last met and is used as a greeting expression.

Anyway, what's cracking is a slang expression used in place of  ' what's going on?' . And by the way, a few days back a friend told me ' How do you manage so many things simultaneously? Hands off to you!' She actually wanted to say 'Hats off to you' which means 'to salute or honor someone'. Incorrect usage of phrases is a problem of millions of people around the globe and they end up making a laughing stock of themselves.


Do you know the meaning of  a passerby? It means, a person who passes by something, usually on foot. Alright, can you tell me what is the correct plural of passerby? Passerbys or passersby? Actually it is passersby. Be careful with its usage.

Better safe than sorry! Right???

Some good similes

   

   First you should understand what is a simile? A simile(simi-li) is

"a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion )",

In other words, a simile is a figure of speech which compares two things that are  different from each other.  We usually come across similes almost everywhere , from oral conversation to the written form of English. They help emphasise ,what is being conveyed to the reader or listener. They can be funny or serious, depending on the subject.

We often use as or like with similes. Common patterns of similes are the following.

• As X as Y ( as adjective as noun)
• Something is like something 
• Something(does)like something 

Some commonly used similes of the first type are given below.

•       As alike as two peas in a pod  (very similar)
•       As American as apple pie  
•       As black as coal (black)
•       As black as thunder
•       As blind as a bat (having a bad eyesight)
•       As bold as brass
•       As boring as watching paint dry
•       As brave as a lion (very brave)
•       As bright as a button
•       As busy as a bee
•       As cheap as dirt
•       As clean as a whistle
•       As clear as mud (not understandable at all)
•       As cold as ice
•       As cool as a cucumber
•       As cunning as a fox
•       As daft as a brush (very foolish)
•       As dead as a doornail (unusable )
•       As deaf as post
•       As different as chalk and cheese  ( different)
•       As difficult as nailing jelly to a tree 
•       As drunk as a skunk 
•       As dry as a bone 
•       As easy as a pie
•       As fit as a fiddle ( in very good health)
•       As flat as a pancake 
•       As free as a bird 
•       As fresh as a daisy 
•       As gentle as a lamb 
•       As good as new 
•       As happy as a lark 
•       As hard as a rock
•       As hard as iron 
•       As keen as a mustard (very enthusiastic )
•       As green as grass 
•       As happy as a lark 
•       As hard as a rock 
•       As light as a feather 
•       As loose as a goose 
•       As neat as a new pin 
•       As playful as a kitten 
•       As pretty as a picture 
•       As pleased as Punch (pleased and self-satisfied)
•       As sick as a parrot (very disappointed)
•       As snug as a bug in a rug (very comfortable)
•       As sound as a bell  (to be very healthy)   
•       As wise as an owl (very wise)

Some similes mean the opposite of what is said. For instance, 'as clear as mud' means something that is not at all understandable. 

'As wise as an owl'  means someone very wise.We indians normally think "how can an owl be called wise? " Please don't take it to mean aka "ullu" and use it in the opposite sense.  An owl has big round eyes, a stern look and a feathery head making it look like it has a big brain and it symbolizes wisdom

                                         RAINING CATS AND DOGS!!! Woof...

It rained cats and dogs in my city for the last two days so the weather here has suddenly changed from extremely hot and humid(moist) to cool , breezy and pleasant. So while enjoying a cuppa(cup of tea)  I'm going to key in a few phrases for you to relish(enjoy).

 
(A).   rain cats and dogs/rain buckets- rain heavily
       "I'm not going out, it's raining cats and dogs"'

(B).  cut no ice- fail to impress
       " The recent victory of  Mr. X  in the assembly elections cut no ice with me"

(C)  cup of tea-something pleasurable or agreeable
      "Cooking makes me nauseous . It is not my cup of tea."

(D)  through thick and thin-through all circumstances
       "Despite all obstacles, Radha stood by me through thick and thin."

                                CONFUSED!     CONFUSED!   CONFUSED!


      I'm completely taken aback(surprised)by the number of synonyms of the word 'confused' which is so often used in our everyday language. Get over this  hackneyed(common) word and check out some new ones , after all , you've got to make an impression! Here you go...

Flummoxed , bewildered , puzzled , rattled , addled , discombobulated , flustered , flabbergasted , perplexed, confounded , befuddled . 

All these words are verbs and many of them have different meanings as nouns .  Be cautious with their usage.

The keynote(Central idea) is to abjure(renounce) old dilapidated(decaying ) words and fill your vocabulary with words which are new to you. 

English certainly is a funny language. A command over it can put you in the spotlight( getting public attention)otherwise you may possibly end up being in a spot(caught in a problem). So you see, how a word can have different implications in different sentences.
Cramming new words and phrases will land you nowhere unless you use them in your regular communication. Moreover, reading good english stuff helps immensely, which you may find in the editorials of leading English newspapers,any English (fiction or non-fiction books). Listening to English news channel debates, watching English films and most importantly, speaking in English, will help you get to grips(deal with) with the nuances of the language.
All you have to do is , whenever you come across a new word, just pull out your dictionaries which have been for long , growing and multiplying in some isolated corner of your homes.
Bad idea?????Alright, download a dictionary app on your cellphone and find out the meaning. This will certainly leave all you lazy ones with fewer excuses to offer .
The eccentricities of English will make learning fun for you . The keynote is practice, practice and practice some more.