Know Your English

WE TALK about a ``gaggle of geese'', ``a litter of puppies'', and a ``school of dolphins''. What do you call a group of peacocks? (A. Ananthan, Chennai)

The collective noun that is used with peacocks is ``muster''. We talk about a ``muster of peacocks''. The ``u'' is pronounced like the ``u'' in ``must'', ``bust'', and ``dust''.

Is it correct to say ``each and every''? (T. Balachander, Bangalore)

It is very common to hear people say, ``I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming tonight''. It is not only Indians who use this expression, but native speakers of English also employ it quite frequently. Careful users of the language however frown on this expression; they argue that it is redundant to say ``each and every''. They would prefer that you say, ``I would like to thank each one of you for coming tonight'', or ``I would like to thank every one of you for coming tonight.'' The expression ``each and every'' is however very commonly used by both native and non-native speakers of English.

Is there a difference between ``Bala and Geetha both received a letter this morning'', and ``Bala and Geetha each received a letter this morning''? (L. Sandhya, Trivandrum)

Yes, there is. You would use the first sentence to mean that Bala and Geetha received a single letter that was addressed to both of them. In other words, there was only one letter received in the morning. However, people often use it to mean that two letters were received, one by each person. Careful users of the language believe that this is wrong usage. The second sentence, on the other hand, is specific in meaning that Bala and Geetha each received a letter. In other words, two letters were received in the morning.

What is the origin and meaning of the expression ``to get someone's goat''? (G. Sankunthala, Secunderabad)

This is an expression used in informal contexts. When someone gets your goat he/she makes you very annoyed. Here are a few examples.

* Shoba got my goat when she accused me of being laid-back.

* I don't know much about Mohan, but Sunita says he gets her goat.

* The way Ram bosses over his parents gets my goat.

The idiom I understand comes from the world of horse racing. Racehorses are supposed to be highly-strung animals; they have a lot of nervous energy and it is a big job trying to keep these animals calm. In the old days, horse trainers used to put a goat in the stalls of these animals in an effort to keep them calm. The two animals used to bond and very often the horse became attached to its companion - the goat. To ensure that a horse did not perform well in an upcoming race, what many rival horse owners used to do was to steal the goat the night before the race. This used to upset the horse very much and as a result it would underperform in the race. So when you say that someone has got your goat, you are comparing yourself to the horse rather than the goat itself.

What is the meaning of ``Bingo''? (T. M. U. Geetha Priya, Chennai)

Bingo is a game. What we call ``Tambola'' and ``Housie'' in India, people in the West refer to as Bingo. When a player finds that his card contains all the numbers that have been called out, he usually shouts ``bingo'' to indicate that he has won. In everyday context when someone shouts ``bingo'', what he means to say is that something rather surprising and pleasant has happened. This rather informal expression is also used to indicate that you have done something successfully. Here are a few examples.

* I turned the key for the fifth time and bingo, this time the car started.

* Hamsa started to play tennis for exercise and bingo she was hooked.

* I turned the corner and bingo! There she was waiting for me.

``Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.'' - Elbert Hubbard

S. UPENDRAN

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