What is the meaning of ‘The opposition skunked our team’? (R. Devayani, Hyderabad)
When used as a noun, the word ‘skunk’ is mostly used to refer to the animal which squirts or sprays a foul-smelling liquid on its attacker. The smell is so bad that the attacker flees. The word is sometimes used with human beings as well. When you refer to an individual as a ‘skunk’, what you are suggesting is that he is rather unpleasant; he is disliked and not trusted by those around him.
There’s no way I’m inviting that skunk to the party.
Don’t believe anything that the skunk, Dilip, says.
Unlike in British English, Americans frequently use the word ‘skunk’ as a verb as well. When you say that the rival team ‘skunked’ you, what you mean is that they defeated you quite badly; it was an easy victory for them. In a game like football, it also suggests that your team failed to score a single goal.
Nobody expected Harish to skunk Sanjay in straight sets.
I don’t know why we get skunked in the final every time.
The expression ‘drunk as a skunk’ is used in informal contexts to mean ‘very drunk’.
Which is correct? “I got it for free” or “I got it free”? (Amar, Bengaluru)
If you love your grammar, and strongly believe that all rules should be followed blindly, then you would argue that ‘for free’ is grammatically incorrect. You would maintain that the word ‘free’ is an adjective and not a noun; therefore, a preposition like ‘for’ should not precede it. We cannot, therefore, say ‘for free’. But as we know, rules are meant to be broken. It has become common nowadays, even among native speakers of English, to say ‘for free’. In informal contexts, we hear sentences like ‘I got it for free’. This use, however, is considered ‘non-standard’.
What is the origin of the term ‘piggy bank’? (K. George, Cochin)
Nowadays, when you hear the word ‘piggy bank’, you immediately think of an object shaped like a pig, which parents give their children in order to encourage them to save money. Whenever a child receives money from the parents or relatives, they are expected to put it in the little bank. The curious among you may wonder why this ‘bank’ is shaped like a ‘pig’ — after all, this animal, unlike the squirrel, is not known for its ability to save — it never stores food for the coming winter. The only thing it does is eat greedily.
As you are probably aware, several centuries ago the dishes and utensils that we make use of today were made of clay, and not metal. In England, the clay that was used to make jugs, jars, plates, etc. was called ‘pygg’ (pronounced pig). Whenever a housewife managed to save some money, she used to put it in a ‘pygg jar’ which she called ‘pygg bank’ — meaning ‘clay bank’. Around the 18th century the spelling of the clay was changed to ‘pig’, and by the time the 19th century arrived, most people had forgotten that the word ‘pig’ in ‘pig bank’ referred to a type of clay and not the animal. So much so, when potters were asked to make ‘piggy banks’ , they produced them in the shape of a pig! They became an instant hit with children.
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Published - September 30, 2024 08:30 am IST
