Know Your English

Why you should stop mansplaining

What is the meaning of ‘mansplaining’? (KS Nitya, Vellore)

‘Mansplaining’ is a relatively new word; it is a combination of ‘man’ and ‘explaining’. The word is normally used with men. When a man ‘mansplains’ the rules of cricket to a woman, he usually does so in a condescending manner. He is certain that the woman he is talking to knows nothing or very little about the game and that she understands very little about the technical aspects of the sport.

To ensure that the woman understands what he is saying, he simplifies or dumbs down his explanation. He mistakenly assumes that he knows more about the subject than the woman he is talking to.

Anil was trying to mansplain organic chemistry to my cousin — quite forgetting that she had majored in chemistry.

Treat us as your equals. Don’t give us your mansplanations!

What is the meaning and origin of ‘pipe dream’? (N. Sastry, Kakinada)

This is an expression that has been around for several hundred years. According to scholars, it refers to the pipe used by drug addicts to smoke opium.

Like any powerful drug, opium has the ability to transport an individual to a totally different world. While under the influence of the drug, the person believes that the hallucinations he experiences are real.

Therefore, when you say that something is a ‘pipe dream’, what you are suggesting is that it is a mere fantasy; something that will be impossible to achieve. It is a wish or desire that is unlikely to come true.

Wanting to buy a house in this neighbourhood is nothing more than a pipe dream.

Getting Indians to follow traffic rules! That’s a pipe dream.

How is the word ‘genteel’ pronounced and how is it used in everyday context? (Babu Rao, New Delhi)

The first syllable ‘gen’ rhymes with ‘when’, ‘pen’ and ‘ten’, and the second with the words ‘peel’, ‘feel’ and ‘kneel’.

The word is pronounced ‘jen-TEEL’ with the stress on the second syllable. Many consider this word to be rather old fashioned and limit it to formal contexts. When you say that a person is ‘genteel’, what you mean is that he is someone who belongs to the upper class; an individual who is polite and well mannered. The word is mostly used to suggest that the person is a well-bred individual.

It has a negative connotation as well. It can be used in everyday context to refer to someone who is trying very hard to come across as being well bred; someone who does not belong to the upper class, but pretends that he is.

Jasmine was born into a very genteel family.

What is the difference between ‘alternate’ and ‘alternative’? (V Nagesh, Hyderabad)

If you play tennis or cricket on ‘alternate’ days, you play the game every other day — not every day. For example, you may be playing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

‘Alternative’, on the other hand, suggests that there is a choice to be made. A person needs to choose from the things that are available. In American English, the two words are often used interchangeably.

Sarah was allowed to use the washing machine on alternate days.

The bank won’t lend us the money. What’s the alternative?

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S. Upendran

Thanks to : THE HINDU – 19.02.2017