What is the difference between ‘cajole’ and ‘coax’? (K Devender, Delhi)
First, let us deal with the pronunciation of the two words. The first vowel in ‘cajole’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’, and the following syllable rhymes with the words ‘pole’, ‘hole’ and ‘mole’. The word is pronounced ‘ke-JOLE’ with the stress on the second syllable. ‘Coax’, on the other hand, rhymes with ‘pokes’, ‘chokes’ and ‘jokes’. When you ‘coax’ or ‘cajole’ someone, you are trying to get him to do something that he may or may not want to. ‘Coax’ suggests that you are persuading someone very gently and patiently; your intentions are usually honourable. ‘Cajole’, on the other hand, has a slightly negative connotation. When you ‘cajole’ someone into doing something, you may choose to use deception. You may flatter or make false promises to get the individual to do what you want him to.
The concerned mother was trying to coax her child into eating an idli.
Vimal cajoled Jayanthi into investing in his company.
What is the meaning and origin of the expression ‘hard and fast rule’? (D Indumathi, Bengaluru)
When you say that something is a hard and fast rule, you're suggesting that it is one that cannot be changed; people have to follow it whether they like it or not. There are no exceptions to the rule.
There is no hard and fast rule about hiring retired employees.
Are there any hard and fast rules regarding this?
The expression comes from the world of sailing. When you say that a ship is hard and fast, what it means is that it is stuck on land. The word ‘fast’ in this context has nothing to do with speed; it means ‘firmly’ or ‘securely’.
Is it okay to say ‘The bus driver who committed the accident is absconding’? (S Vani, Chennai)
Although we find this kind of sentence in our newspapers almost every day, careful users of the language would frown on it. It is possible to commit ‘murder/suicide/fraud’ etc. but one does not ‘commit an accident’. The verb that is normally associated with ‘accident’ is ‘cause’ and not ‘commit’. The driver who caused the accident ran away.
How is the word ‘cavalier’ pronounced? (L Kamakshi, Nagercoil)
The ‘a’ in the first syllable is like the ‘a’ in ‘apple’, ‘ant’ and ‘pants’, while the ‘a’ in second sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The final ‘lier’ rhymes with the words ‘fear’, ‘near’ and ‘dear’. This word is pronounced ‘ka-ve-LIER’ with the stress on the third syllable. It comes from the Latin ‘caballus’ meaning ‘horse’. If someone accuses you of having a cavalier attitude, what the individual is suggesting is that you are completely disregarding the feelings of others. By being very dismissive of others, you are being very arrogant. You are like the person on a horse who looks down on others. Someone who has a cavalier attitude does not take the situation he is in very seriously; and by doing so, puts others in danger.
If you want to survive in this business, you cannot afford to have such a cavalier attitude towards your client's problems.
Teja's cavalier attitude hasn't gone down well with his boss.
The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.
Jerry M Wright
upendrankye@gmail.com
