For representative purposes.
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“Hi! Nice to see you again. When did you get back from Singapore?”
“A couple of days ago. Needed a few days to recover.”
“I understand! So, how was the trip? Did the students enjoy it?”
“We all had a good time. Managed to see a few places and do some shopping. But I’m happy to be back.”
“I’m sure, you are! Looking after 15 students for a week couldn’t have been a picnic. You must have been on…”
“Picnic? What are you talking about? We didn’t go on any picnic. We just went around…”
“I didn’t say you and your students went on a picnic. I said looking after them couldn’t have been a picnic. Meaning, taking care of them must have been hard work.”
“You’re right, it certainly wasn’t a picnic. It required a great deal of effort. Kids today can be so demanding, and so very unpleasant at times.”
“That’s true! My great grandmother had a dozen kids. Bringing them up couldn’t have been a picnic.”
“I’m sure it wasn’t. I thought of quitting my job and starting my own school. Talked to a few people about it, and they said that running a school was no picnic.”
“That’s a good example. I was in Bengaluru last week. Driving in that city is no picnic.”
“I think most people would agree with you on that! The good thing about the place is that you won’t get a challan for overspeeding.”
“That’s true! By the way, the word ‘overspeeding’ is an Indianism. Native speakers of English do not use the word. They merely say ‘speeding’ and not ‘overspeeding’. In the U.S. and the U.K., when you’re caught exceeding the speed limit, you’re given a ticket for ‘speeding’ — and not ‘overspeeding’.”
“I see. The policeman gave Vinita a challan for speeding. How does that sound?”
“Good example. Speeding is a common problem on all our highways.”
“It most certainly is. By the way, did your cousin’s daughter get through the entrance test?”
“Surprisingly, she did not! Needless to say, she’s crestfallen.”
“Crestfallen? Does it mean disappointed?”
“Yes, that’s one of the meanings of the word. ‘Crestfallen’ also suggests that you’re disappointed or shocked with the outcome because it’s totally unexpected.”
“In other words, your cousin’s daughter was expecting to get through the entrance test.”
“That’s right! She’s never failed a test.”
“How about this example? When the children were told that the birthday party had been cancelled, they were crestfallen.”
“Good example. Pankaj looked crestfallen when he heard about the accident.”
“Crestfallen! Seems a strange word. Doesn’t the word ‘crest’ mean the top of a mountain or hill?”
“That’s right! The word can also be used to refer to the feathers on top of a bird’s head.”
“I see. So, if you’re on top, shouldn’t you be happy? I mean why…”
“According to some scholars, crestfallen was first used to refer to a male bird which had been defeated in a fight.”
“I guess when a bird lost, the feathers on top of its head, drooped. They didn’t stand up straight.”
“In other words, the bird’s ‘crest’ fell. Hence the word ‘crestfallen’.
“Makes sense, I guess.” Join the Du88 online community and stay informed, follow our website.
Published – March 03, 2025 08:30 am IST