IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: I’LL EAT MY HAT
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: It means to suggest that one would be surprised over an occurrence.
EXAMPLE: I’ll eat my hat if the BJP wins the forthcoming UP elections.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#354
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: JOHN HANCOCK
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: To write one’s signature
EXAMPLE: I was asked to put my John Hancock on the papers before commencement of my driving test.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#353
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: To stay calm; to not lose one’s cool
EXAMPLE: The best way to respond to rabid chest beaters who prickle over the issue of demonetisation is to keep your shirt on.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#352
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: LOOSE CANNON
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: somebody whose activities are uncommon and out of control
EXAMPLE: In selecting Arwind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi, most Delhiites were unaware that they were selecting a loose cannon.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#351
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: MUM’S THE WORD
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: to keep quiet and say nothing; not to reveal a secret
EXAMPLE: “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum”.
__William Shakespeare, Henry IV PART 2
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IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: NAME IS MUD
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: to be disgraced, in trouble; discredited
EXAMPLE: In an increasingly bipolar world, if you can’t conclusively prove your Hindu credentials, your name is mud.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#349
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: ON PINS AND NEEDLES
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: anxious over something; to be worried or nervous over something about to happen
EXAMPLE: Americans are on pins and needles ever since the shock election of Donald Trump as US President.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#348
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: PAINT SOMETHING WITH A BROAD BRUSH
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: to make sweeping generalisations without understanding or talking about specific details or variations
EXAMPLE: While addressing a mass meeting the other day, the venon-spewing BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj revealed his bigoted mindset when he painted Muslims with the same brush.
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IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: QUEENSBERRY RULES
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: Standard rules of conduct or behaviour; gentlemanly conduct especially in a dispute; moral decorum
EXAMPLE: Some blind followers of our PM, (Modi bhakts, of whom there are dime a dozen) fail to adhere to the Queensberry rules when faced with criticism of their views.
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IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: GO DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: To enter a period of chaos or confusion
EXAMPLE: Critics of the demonetisation exercise say that with this India has gone down the rabbit hole.
(c)neelanilpanicker2017#idiom#345
IDIOMATICALLY YOURS: SALAD DAYS
By Neel Anil Panicker
MEANING: period of youthful inexperience; innocence
EXAMPLE: A lot many Indians wonder why the Congress persists on hoisting Rahul Gandhi on the party throne when it is clear that the man has yet to get over his salad days.
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