What is the difference between ‘jaunt’ and ‘junket’?
(Vinay Kumar, Pune)
All of us have gone for a jaunt sometime or the other. It is usually a short trip that we take in order to unwind and have fun. This pleasure trip or outing may last a few hours or a few days. The word rhymes with ‘haunt’ and ‘taunt’.
*We are planning a two-day jaunt to Kodaikanal.
Politicians and other government officials usually go on ‘junkets’. It is an informal term to refer to the so-called official trips they make using public money. When you refer to a politician’s trip or visit to some place as being a junket, you are suggesting that it was nothing more than a jaunt — a pleasure trip taken by him using tax payers’ money. You are suggesting that the official reason given by the individual or the Government for the trip should be taken with a pinch of salt.
*The Minister’s so-called ‘fact finding’ missions are nothing more than expensive junkets to Europe.
Is it okay to say, ‘He’s been eating my head all week’?
(Remya Johnson, Cochin)
It must be a pretty big head! Just kidding. When a person says that someone has been ‘sitting on my head’ or ‘eating my head’, he means that the individual has been pestering him and has been constantly meddling in his affairs. These expressions do not exist in native varieties of English; they are merely translations of sayings from Indian languages. Native speakers prefer to say, ‘to get on someone’s case’, ‘to breathe down someone’ neck’, etc.
*My boss seems to be upset about something. He’s been on my case all week.
What is the meaning of ‘preaching to the choir’?
(Sudhir Naik, Cuttack)
The choir referred to in this American expression is the group of singers you find in a church. If the priest were to talk about the importance of religion to the members of the choir, he would be wasting his time. He would be talking to a group of people who have already realised its importance — otherwise, they wouldn’t be in church singing the glory of the Lord. In short, preaching to the choir about such matters would be an absolute waste of time. In everyday contexts, the expression is used to talk about someone’s attempt to sell others something that they already have. You attempt to sell an idea to someone who already believes in it; you waste your time trying to convince an audience that is already convinced. The expressions ‘preaching to the choir’ and ‘preaching to the converted’ share the same meaning.
*Please don’t lecture me about the need to keep our streets clean. You are preaching to the choir.
Which is correct: You have enough room/room enough for the bed?
(J Keshav, Chennai)
In terms of grammar, both sentences are acceptable; the word ‘enough’ can be placed before or after a noun. Books on usage suggest that it is much more common nowadays among native speakers to place the word before the noun.
*We have enough time to get to the station.
*They didn’t have time enough to complete the assignment.
******
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.” — Susan Heller
upendrankye@gmail.com
