What is the meaning and origin of ‘a bone to pick with someone’?
(AK Arunachalam, Kancheepuram)
This idiom has been around for over 400 years and it is mostly used in informal contexts. When you have a bone to pick with someone, you are annoyed about something that the individual has said or done; you wish to talk to the person and make it known how angry or upset you are with him/her.
*I have a bone to pick with you. You’ve been talking to my clients behind my back.
*I’ve a bone to pick with you. Why did you tell my wife about the surprise party?
No one is really sure about the origin of the idiom. Some people think it refers to how annoyed or angry a dog would be if you were to take away the juicy bone it has been chewing on. Others suggest that the idiom refers to the length or duration of the conversation between you and the person you are annoyed with. Just as the dog spends a lot of time on the bone, you are likely to spend a lot of time talking to the person who has upset you.
How is the word ‘raconteur’ pronounced?
(Mudassir Rasool, Jammu)
There are several ways of pronouncing this rather formal word. One way is to pronounce the ‘a’ like the ‘a’ in ‘cat’ and ‘bat’, and the following syllable like the word ‘con’. The ‘eur’ in the final syllable sounds like the ‘ir’ in ‘dirt’ and ‘shirt’. This word of French origin can be pronounced ‘ra-con-TER’ with the main stress on the third syllable. A raconteur is someone who keeps his listener entertained by telling him funny or interesting stories; he excels in the art of telling anecdotes. The word comes from the French ‘raconter’ meaning ‘to recount, tell, narrate’.
*Girls flock to Naveen because he’s a brilliant raconteur.
*According to some people, Sidhu is the best raconteur in cricket.
What is the meaning of ‘vanilla model’?
(Sashi Kumar, Kochi)
Nowadays, when you walk into a shop to buy a television set, you are amazed by the features that some of the models come equipped with — for those of us who know very little about the advances in technology, buying a television set or a cell phone can be a rather intimidating experience. ‘Plain vanilla’ and ‘vanilla’ are used in informal contexts to refer to a gadget without the bells and whistles — it is the basic or the down to earth model without all the frills. The terms can also be used to mean ‘dull’ or ‘ordinary’.
*My grandmother wants a cell phone. I’m planning to get her a vanilla model.
*After having been in the limelight for nearly 15 years, the star found the vanilla domestic life rather boring.
Why vanilla? When it comes to ice cream, vanilla is believed to be the most basic flavour.
Which is correct? Anita finally found a place to live/live in?
(T Dileep, Chennai)
Both sentences have the same meaning, and as far as grammar is concerned ‘live in’ would be considered the formal of the two. The preposition ‘in’ can be dropped in informal contexts — especially in speech.
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“My life is just great now. Normal. Vanilla.” — Jason Bateman
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