What is the meaning and origin of ‘bat an eye’? (C.V. Amarnath, Vizag)
This rather old expression, which is mostly used in informal contexts, has been part of the language for several centuries. The ‘bat’ in the idiom has nothing to do with the piece of equipment we all use to play games like cricket, table-tennis, baseball, etc. When you say something unexpected, and the other person does not ‘bat an eye’, what it means is that the individual did not react in any way. He did not register emotion of any kind; there was no hint of anger, surprise, fear, embarrassment, etc. His face was wooden; he had his emotions under control. It is also possible to say, ‘bat an eyelash’. The idiom is generally used in the negative.
When Aditya told Sheela he wanted a divorce, she didn’t even bat an eye.
In the movie, the villain kills a family of four without batting an eyelash.
According to scholars, the expression comes from the world of falconry. In the past, birds of prey, such as falcons and hawks, were used by soldiers and hunters. The trained birds used to fly around looking for food, and then when they returned, they used to land on their owner’s arm. Once they landed, they would flutter their wings before settling down. The English borrowed the French word ‘battre’ to refer to this fluttering. With the passage of time, however, the word and its meaning underwent a change. In many dialects of English, ‘battre’ became ‘bat’, and ‘flutter’ changed to ‘blink’. When you a bat an eye, you blink — something that all of us do unconsciously.
How is the word ‘misophonia’ pronounced? (K. Leela, Chennai)
This rather formal word consists of five syllables. The first syllable sounds like the word ‘miss’, and the vowel in the second and final syllable is pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The third syllable is pronounced like the word ‘phone’, and the vowel in the fourth is like the ‘i’ in ‘sit’ and ‘pit’. One way of pronouncing the word is ‘mis-e-PHONE-i-e’ with the stress on the third syllable. The first and third syllables should not lead one to conclude that the word means ‘missing one’s phone’! The ‘phone’ in the word refers to sound, and not the instrument we all use to stay in touch with each other. ‘Misophonia’ is a disorder; people who have it react very negatively to certain sounds — the emotions that they exhibit when hearing the sound may vary from one of disgust, anger, panic, annoyance, etc. For example, some people get extremely angry when they can hear the other person chewing. Others who have this disorder lose their cool when they hear the other person tapping on the table. These sounds drive the person crazy, and as a result, the reaction is unusually strong. People who do not have this disorder will not react in the same way to the sound — in most cases, they may not even register it. A friend of mine gets very irritated and uncomfortable when he hears a spoon scraping the bottom of a cup.
Several of my classmates have been diagnosed with misophonia.
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