Know your English

WHY DO we say, ``love all'' in tennis?

(A. Umar, Kadayanallur).

You have been watching the matches on T.V., haven't you? ``Love,'' I understand, comes from the French ``l'oeuf,'' which means ``an egg.'' The egg, as you know, has for a long time symbolised ``zero.'' So, when the umpire says, ``love all'' what he means is that the score is ``zero-zero.'' No one has scored a point as yet. This is one of the explanations. Some others have suggested that ``love'' comes from the phrase ``for the love of the game.'' In the old days people played because they enjoyed the game. They didn't play for money. Things have really changed since then, haven't they? Nowadays the first thing that most sportsmen say is, ``Show me the money!.''

What is the meaning of ``to take a dig at''?

(Vivek Srinivasan, Kerala).

This is a slang expression, which is commonly used in American English. When you ``take a dig at someone,'' you deliberately insult or annoy someone. It is also possible to say, ``to take a jab at someone.'' Here are a few examples:

* In his speech, the Vice-Chancellor took several digs at the academic staff.

* Mala loves to take jabs at people she doesn't like.

These two expressions should be used only in informal contexts.

What is a ``hen party''?

(Abdul Jabbar, Vikarabad, A.P.)

It's a party that you and I will definitely not be invited to. A ``hen party'' is a party to which only ladies are invited; the men are strictly kept out. Before a wedding, for example, the bride and her female friends usually get together and have a good time. This would be called a hen party. Know what the opposite of a ``hen party'' is? A ``stag party.'' It is a party to which only men are invited. Here are a few examples.

* Janaki refused to go to the hen party.

* There was too much commotion at the hen party last night.

Should the word ``government'' be followed by a singular or a plural verb?

(M. Muralisankar, Virudhnagar).

It can be followed by either a singular or a plural verb. For example, we can say:

* The Government have decided to call off the meeting with the terrorists.

* The Government has decided to call off the meeting with the terrorists.

Both sentences are grammatically acceptable. The meaning however is slightly different. In the second sentence - the one with the singular verb - you are thinking of the Government as a single entity. In other words, the various departments of the government form one big unit. In the first sentence, on the other hand, you are thinking of the government as consisting of distinct individual units. In this case, you don't see the various departments coming together to form a single entity. They all exist independently. So, whether you use a singular or a plural verb depends on you. It depends on the meaning that you wish to convey.

Here are some more nouns, which can be followed by either a singular or plural verb: committee, jury, staff, team, family or firm.

Which is the longest word in the dictionary?

(Y. Rajesh, Pendurthy).

The longest word listed in a dictionary is usually a disease. The longest word that I have come across is:

``pneumonoultramicroscopic- silicovolcanoconiosis.'' It is a word containing 45 letters! Please don't ask me how you pronounce it! If you come across a longer word, please do let me know.

Does one ``eat'' or ``drink'' soup?

(C. Jayaraman, Secunderabad).

It depends on the soup. If it is thin soup, then you ``drink'' it. If on the other hand, it is thick - it contains vegetables or large chunks of meat - then, you definitely eat it. So it is O.K to say, ``Eat your soup.''

What is the meaning of ``storm in a teacup''?

(M. Nagarajan, Bangalore).

Supposing a storm started brewing in your teacup. Would you get scared? Probably not. How big a storm can be created in a small teacup, anyway? Not big at all. So when you say that the commotion that someone created was a storm in a teacup, what you mean is that the excitement and commotion was over some very trivial matter. It was an uproar over practically nothing. Here are a few examples:

* The fight that Sujatha and Rosie had wasn't anything serious; just a storm in a teacup.

* Don't worry about the silly row. It was just a storm in a teacup. Americans tend to say ``tempest in a teapot.''

``My son has taken up meditation - at least it's better than sitting doing nothing.'' - Max Kauffmann

S. UPENDRAN

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