What does this sentence mean? She has all her marbles.

When you say that someone has all his/her marbles, you mean that he/she is mentally sound.

Here are a few examples:

· My neighbor is nearly 90 years old, but she hasn’t lost her marbles.

· If you are forced to stay in your apartment for another week, I’m sure you will lose your marbles.

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What does the word displace means?

When you displace something, you usually take its place. Most of the time, this replacement is done forcibly.

For examples:

· A growing number of employees in the old factory have been displaced by computers.

· According to this report, moderates are likely to be displaced by extremists.

· There’s no way that technology will displace teachers in schools and colleges.

Displace has another meaning as well.

When a group of people are displaced, they are forced to move from the place where they are living.

· The proposed dam will displace thousands of villagers.

· I am joining an organization that helps people who have been displaced.

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What is the difference between call on and call at?

When you call on someone, you pay them a short visit. It is also possible to say Call upon, but this is considered to be rather formal.

The student called on the ailing principals on Wednesday afternoon.

When a teacher Calls on a student in class, she wants him to answer the question.

I don’t understand why she has to call on me all the time.

The expression Call at is normally used in relation to a place. You usually call at some place.

When you call at someplace, you visit the individual at his place – it could be the office, home, etc.

I called at his office on my way to the airport.

The expression Call at can also be used to mean Stop.

According to the brochure, our ship will call at five ports.

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Can the word alma mater be used to refer to one’s school?

First, let’s deal with the pronunciation. The first a in ma is like the a in cat, bat and sat, while the second a is like the a in China. The a in mater is like the a in bath and path and the final er is like the a in China. The main stress is on the first syllable of mater. This is just one way of pronouncing the word.

Alma mater means Bountiful Mother and it can be used to refer to the school, college or university that you graduated from. Sometimes, schools and college have their own songs, these official songs can also be called Alma Mater.

What is the meaning of Steal a march on?

When you steal a march on someone, you do something before the other person and as a result you gain the advantage. Very often, you competitor isn’t even aware of what you are up to. You accomplish your task secretly, without being noticed.

We stole a march on our rivals by launching the product a month before they did.

The expression comes from the world of medieval warfare. I understand that the word March refer to the distance that an army could cover in a single day. The word Steal means to do something without the other person being aware of it. In the old days, in order to catch their enemy off guard, generals used to march their army during the night. By doing this, they very often succeed in surprising their enemy.

They literally Stole a March on them.

How is the word behove pronounced?

There are two ways of spelling this word. The British spell it behove, while the word, it is pronounced the same way. The first e is like the I in bit, kit and sit. The following o is like the o in go, so and no. The final e is silent and the stress is on the second syllable. The word sounds like beyove and it is mostly used in rather formal contexts. Beehove means Appropriate or necessary. If it behoves you to do something it is necessary for you to do it.

Here is an example.

Remember, you are under oath. It behoves you to tell the truth.

The domestic engineer is out of town. What does this sentence mean?

Another term for a homemaker is Domestic Engineer. This sounds much more important than homemaker.

A domestic engineer could be a man or a woman. He or she stays at home and measure that things run smoothly.

What do you mean by the phrase put their money where their mouth is?

When you tell someone to put his money where his mouth is, what you want him to do is to back his words with action. In other words, don’t just talk, perform.

For Example:

I think you should stop complaining about how corrupt our politicians are. Put your money where you mouth is and contest in the coming elections.

What does the expression came out with guns blazing mean?

When you say that someone came out with guns blazing, what you mean is that he came out with lot of force and energy.

What does the expression ready to rumble mean?

In informal contexts, the word rumble is used to mean to fight. When you say that you are ready to rumble, you mean you are ready to fright fire with fire.

How is the word nuptial pronounced?

The u in the first syllable sounds like the u in the first syllable pup and cup. The t is pronounced like the sh in sheep, ship and show. The ia that follows sounds like the a in China and the stress is on the first syllable . The word sounds like nupshell. It is considered rather old fashioned and is mainly used jocularly to refer to things related to a person’s wedding ceremony.

I had to laugh when the old woman referred to her bedroom as her nuptial chamber.

What is the difference between High Commissioner and Ambassador?

The functions these two individuals perform are the same. There is no difference. I understand that both are of the same rank. Britain’s diplomatic missions in various parts of the world are either called High Commission or Embassy.

The former term is used to refer to Britain’s diplomatic missions in commonwealth countries.
For example, the diplomatic mission in Delhi is called the High Commission and the senior diplomat in charge of it is the High Commissioner.

Since the United States and Russia were never a part of the commonwealth, Britain’s diplomatic missions in these countries are called Embassies and not High Commissions. The person in charge of one is called Ambassador.

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What is the meaning of : humor me?

Sometimes, young children come and tell us tall tales. They narrate events which couldn’t have happened. A child may tell us that there was a tiger in the garden and that he drove it away with a stick. When children tell us such stories, as adults, it is our job to believe them. Why do we pretend to believe them? Simple. We want to keep the children happy. We want to keep the children happy; we want to humour them. When you tell someone humor me what you want the person to do is to agree with what you are saying or what you may be saying, but you want the person to agree with you just to keep you happy .

The husband thought it best though to humour his wife.

I hold the purse strings. So you had better humour me.

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How is the word ombudsman pronounced?

The o is like the o in hot, got, and not. And the following u sounds like the u in put and pull. The s is pronounced like the z in zoo, zip and zap, and the final a is like the a in China. The stress is on the first syllable om.

An ombudsman is someone who investigates complaints made by people against the government or any public organization. He is an independent official who represents the common man in his fight against the government.

All complaints must be made in writing to the banking ombudsman by three this afternoon.
The word is Swedish in origins and it means representative or agent. I understand that the word was borrowed into English in the 1960s. The word is being slowly replaced by ombudsperson.

What is the meaning of square peg in a round hole?

If you are working for an organization, and you say that you feel like a square peg in a round hole, what you mean is that you fell like a total misfit. You and the others around you sense that you don’t belong there. The expression cal also be used to refer to someone who is unsuited for the type of job that he / she is actually doing.

There is a round hole. What would happen if someone inserts a square peg (which means wooden stick in square shape) into the round hole. The square peg would not enter into the hole. Because of mismatch between the two sizes. This expression is just the figurative meaning of this mismatch.

I’ve always felt like a square peg in a round hole in this university. I think it’s about time I resigned.

What is the meaning of Crony Capitalism?

Crony Capitalism is a pejorative term used to refer to the corrupt business dealings carried out by government officials in a capitalist economy. It refers to the success in business based on a clots relationship between businessmen and government officials. The word crony means friend. It is generally used to show disapproval. If you were to refer to Prakash as Delia’s Crony, the implication is that you do not approve of Prakash. What is it that politicians normally do when they become ministers? They help their family member and friends make money by awarding them government contracts, legal permits, specials tax breaks, etc. This favoritism that they show towards family member and friends is called Crony Capitalism.

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What is the origin of denim?

When you hear the word denim, you immediately think of jeans. This sturdy cloth that both young and old wear nowadays was originally made in the town of Nimes in France. I understand the name is pronounced like the word neem. The tough cloth material when it was introduced was not called denim but serge. It was often referred to as serge. It was often referred to serge de Nimes, meaning serge of Nimes with the passage of time, the name of the cloth was shortened to deim. Sailors from genoa, a seaport in Italy, made pants from denim. Since the trousers lasted for a very long time, they were affectionately called Genoese. The name was later shortened to geans from which we get the word jeans.

Is it ok to say : discuss about something?

Although we often hear people say I would like to discuss about the problem, it is not grammatically acceptable. You usually discuss something. You do not discuss about something. The word discuss is not followed by about.

We will not discuss what happened at the meeting.

The word discussion, on the other hand, can be followed by about what happened at the meeting.

What is the meaning of finale?

The word finale consists of three syllables. The I in the first syllable and the e in the final syllable are like the I in hit, bit and king. The a is like the a in path and bath. The stress is on the second syllable na. The word is pronounced finaali.

The last item in a stage show can be referred to as a finale. So can the final movement of a musical composition.

The fireworks were the grand finale of the ten – day event.

What is the meaning of Eater’s Coma?

This is a type of coma that we have all experienced some time or the other. How do we normally feel after a particularly heavy meal? Most of the time, we feel pretty sluggish. We don’t feel like doing anything. After sometime, we begin to feel rather sleepy. This lazy and sleepy felling that we have after a heavy meal is called Eater’s coma.

If I eat everything that is on the table I’ll lapse into an either’s coma.

Is it okay to say : Some of the animals have become extinguished?

The word that you probably have in mind is extinct, not extinguished. When something becomes extinct, it ceases to exist. You don’t’ find it anywhere on the planet. Any living organism can become extinct.

Dinosaurs, for example, have become extinct.

There are reasons to believe that the tiger will soon become extinct.

Some of the animals in the rainforests are on the verge of extinction.

The word extinguish on the other hand is usually used along with the word Fire. When you extinguish a fire or a flame, you put it out.

The firemen battled for three hours before they extinguished the fire.

Which is correct?

Deter to do something.

(Or)

Deter from doing something.

First let’s deal with the pronunciation of deter. The first e is like the I in bit and sit, and the second e is like the ir in shirt, bird and dirt. The stress is on the second syllable ter. The word deter is usually followed by from and not to. When you deter someone from doing something, you discourage him from doing it. You achieve this by making the individual realize how difficult the task may by or by highlighting the unpleasant consequences of performing the task. You do everything to ensure that the person no longer wishes to continue to do what he was doing.

Nothing you say will deter the students from joining the protestors.

What is the meaning and origin of ding–dong battle?

Remember the nursery rhyme we learnt in school.

Ding – dong bell: Pussy is in the well. Well the expression ding – dong refers to the sound that a bell makes. The back and forth motion of the knocker hitting a bell. When you day that two participants were involved in a ding – dong battle, what you mean is that they were involved in a long drawn out battle. The fight was intense and there were times when each participant seemed to have to upper hand in turns. In a ding – dong battle, it is often very difficult to predict who will emerge the winner, sometimes, the result is inconclusive.

Another expression which has more or less the same meaning is See – saw battle.

When you sit on the see – saw, you are up one moment, and down the other.

The fans were hoping for a ding – dong battle. They were disappointed when the guises thrashed them.

What does the word bellyache mean?

When you bellyache someone, you complain in a whining manner. In other words, you sound as if you are moaning.

Here are a few examples.

Whenever I run into Pankaj, he bellyaches about all the work he has to do.

Some of your friends tell me that you bellyache about a lot of things.

A person who is constantly complaining is a bellyacher.

Dead to the world: What do you mean by this phrase?

When you say that someone is dead to the world, what you mean is that the person is sound asleep and you’re finding it rather difficult to wake him up.

After doing all the karate exercises, Mary was dead to the world”.

Sumatra was dead to the world. We were just unable to wake her up.

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