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What is the that means and origin of ‘hogwash’? (Bikram Das, Cuttack)
‘Hogwash’ has been part of American English because the fifteenth century. Over the years, the phrase has undergone a change in that means; immediately, it’s principally utilized in casual contexts to recommend disapproval. When you consult with somebody’s speak as being ‘hogwash’, what you might be suggesting is that the person is talking nonsense; what he’s saying is utter garbage. The phrase may also be used to refer to 1’s horrible fashion of writing.
The clarification supplied by the Vice Chancellor was nothing greater than a load of hogwash.
You name this a analysis paper? It’s nothing greater than hogwash.
‘Hogwash’ comes from ‘hog’ and ‘wash’. ‘Hog’ is generally used to consult with a castrated pig, and ‘wash’ to the kitchen leftovers used to feed animals. For a very long time, farmers combined the leftovers from the kitchen with water and fed them to the hogs. This was the unique that means of the time period. Since the meals given to the animals had no dietary worth, any type of communication (talking and writing) that lacked substance started to be referred to as ‘hogwash’. With the passage of time, the phrase started for use to consult with low cost or nugatory liquor as effectively.
What is the plural of ‘antenna’? How is the phrase pronounced? (Dilip Nayar, Kannur)
The phrase ‘antenna’ consists of three syllables; the primary is pronounced just like the phrase ‘an’ and ‘Ann’. The second sounds just like the phrase ‘ten’, whereas the vowel within the third sounds just like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The phrase is pronounced ‘an-TEN-e’ with the stress on the second syllable. The phrase has two potential plurals; one is so as to add the plural suffix ‘s’. The phrase is then pronounced ‘an-TEN-as’, and the stress continues to be on the second syllable. It can also be potential so as to add the Latin suffix ‘ae’ to the phrase to make it a plural – on this case, will probably be spelt ‘antennae’. The first two syllables are pronounced like the primary two syllables in ‘antenna’. The last syllable ‘ae’, nevertheless, is pronounced just like the ‘ee’ in ‘fees’, ‘bees’, and ‘knees’. In this case, the phrase is pronounced ‘an-TEN-ee’.
What is the that means of the expression ‘play gooseberry’? (L Vibha, Secunderabad)
This is a task that almost all sane people can be reluctant to play. When two individuals are in love, they wish to be left alone – an undesirable third particular person getting into the scenario can be most unwelcome. When you ‘play gooseberry’, you change into the undesirable third particular person within the scenario.
Every time I ask her out, she brings her little brother to play gooseberry.
I informed Sreekala I wouldn’t play gooseberry.
In the previous, single girls have been by no means left alone within the firm of males – they have been all the time accompanied by somebody to keep watch over issues. This particular person acted as a chaperone; she needed to be sure that she may overhear many of the dialog, and on the similar time, preserve a distance from the couple. If the couple stopped and sat down, it was the job of the chaperone to faux that she was choosing flowers or fruit – generally, it was gooseberry, and generally, apples. The expression ‘to play gooseberry’ is seldom heard these days – the undesirable particular person is these days normally known as the ‘third wheel’.
Published – March 30, 2026 08:30 am IST


