How is the word ’schadenfreude’ pronounced?
(V. Vishal, Delhi) The ‘scha' in this word of German origin is like the ‘shar' in ‘sharp' and ‘shark', while the ‘e' in the se...
»
What is the meaning and origin of ‘sit below the salt'?
(Dheeraj Kumar, Kanpur)
This rather old-fashioned expression is used to refer to a person of very low status. An in...
»
What is the meaning and origin of ‘Aunt Sally'?
(S.K. Sharma, Visakha- patnam)
Aunt Sally is the name of a game played in some parts of Britain where the figure of a woman...
»
What is the meaning of ‘Homeric laughter'?
(K. Vaithinathasamy, Kumbokonam)
The ‘Homer' referred to in this expression is the Greek poet who is believed to have written th...
»
What is the fear of darkness or night called?
(R. Jayanthi, Chennai)
The word that you have in mind is ‘nyctophobia'. The ‘y' sounds like the ‘i' in ‘bit', ‘hit' and ‘sit'...
»
What is the meaning and origin of ‘Who is going to bell the cat'?
(G. Aditya, Hyderabad)
This relatively old idiom means to perform a dangerous or a risky task. When you a...
»
What is the meaning and origin of ‘Soapy Sam'?
(Rakesh Sharma, Chandigarh)
This is an expression that is mostly used to show disapproval. When you label someone ‘Soapy Sam', you...
»
“Why is it you are always late? I've been waiting here for over half an hour.”
“I'm so sorry. I didn't know how to get here. So I asked Suresh, and he...”
“Why did you ask him? D...
»
Is it okay to say ‘He has a soft corner for her'?
(N. Karthik, Bangalore)
This is an expression mostly used in India to mean to have warm feelings for someone or something...
»
Why do people say ‘biting remark'?
(Pradeep Kumar, Ranchi)
This is an expression which is mostly used to show disapproval. When you make a ‘biting remark', you usually say...
»
