JOIN ME FOR A REVEALING ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS
1. POTHOLE vs GALLOP
Many of us have often used the word GALLOP instead of POTHOLE to mean:
(POTHOLE) a hole in a road surface that results from gradual damage caused by traffic and/or weather
GALLOP: (of a horse etc) to run fast so that all four feet come off the ground together in each act of forward movement,
Or
(of a person) to ride a horse that is running in this way.
“The car could not move at a fast pace because the road has too many potholes.”
“The horse galloped home.”
2. EYE-SERVICE or BOOT-LICKING?
EYE-SERVICE must have been coined by Nigerians to mean BOOT-LICKING which means:
‘attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.’
Let’s always use universally acceptable words while we speak or write in the English language.
So, the correct expression is: BOOTLICKING and not EYE-SERVICE
BOOTLICKER (noun)
BOOTLICKING (noun)
“BOOTLICKING is what many do to get their daily bread”
3. BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW THAN THE DEVIL YOU DON’T versus BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW THAN THE ANGEL YOU DON’T?
The above idiom under review always has the DEVIL compared to an ANGEL.
The English people or even Americans never have the ANGEL used in this idiom.
Where or how we came to insert ANGEL in our version still shocks me.
The right idiom is:
BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW (THAN THE DEVIL YOU DON’T)
Meaning:
It is easier and wiser to stay in a bad situation that you know and can deal with rather than change to a new situation which may be much worse.
OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER’S DICTIONARY, 9TH EDITION.
4. DON’T MENTION or DON’T MENTION IT?
We are used to saying; DON’T MENTION when we wish to give a polite answer when somebody has thanked us for something
The correct expression is: DON’T MENTION IT. Another way to say this is: YOU’RE WELCOME.
Always end the idiom DON’T MENTION with the pronoun IT to make it correct.
“Thanks for your help.”
“Don’t mention it”
5. AT LOGGERHEADS or AT LOGGERHEAD?
When we use this idiom, the word LOGGERHEADS which is a noun, should be in plural form…
LOGGERHEAD
AT LOGGERHEADS (with somebody) (over something)
A. The labour Unions are at LOGGERHEADS with the government over minimum wage issues.
Folks, this is where we end today’s session.
REFERENCE
OXFORD ADVANCED LEARNER’S DICTIONARY, 9TH EDITION…
THE INTERNET ALSO PROVIDED HELP.
_Only the Living Learn_
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