What is the distinction between “hire” and “rent”? (C.G. Mallaiah, Hospet, Karnataka)
The two phrases can be utilized in reference to issues. When you “hire” or “rent” one thing, you’re taking possession of it briefly for a sure price. In each circumstances, there’s a fee concerned. Nowadays, there’s a tendency to make use of the 2 phrases interchangeably, particularly in American English. Here are a couple of examples:
We employed/rented a automotive for the journey.
Sumathi employed/rented a room for 3 months.
The college students had been so bored that they rented/employed a VCR for the weekend.
Unlike the phrase “rent”, “hire” can be utilized with individuals as effectively. When you “hire” somebody, you purchase his/her companies for a price. One can not “rent” a person’s companies.
We employed a cook dinner for 3 months.
Mala employed herself out as a translator.
We want to rent an element-time accountant.
It could be fallacious to make use of “rent” within the examples given above.
How is the phrase “kudos” pronounced? What does the phrase imply? (Dr. Ok. Sankara Narayana, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh)
This is an off-the-cuff phrase that means “honour and glory”. When you obtain “kudos” for having performed one thing, you get credit score for it. It is an uncountable noun and is all the time adopted by a singular verb. It is necessary to do not forget that there is no such thing as a phrase “kudo”. Like the phrases “physics”, “statistics”, and “mathematics”, “kudos” all the time ends with an “s”. Here are a couple of examples:
Rajnikanth enjoys all of the kudos that goes with being a profitable film star.
The soldier obtained numerous kudos from the excessive command for his courageous deeds.
The phrase comes from the Greek “kudos” that means “glory”. The college students at Oxford and Cambridge Universities made the phrase in style within the 18th century. The “k” is pronounced just like the letter “Q” and the “u” is just like the “oo” in phrases like “cool”, “pool”, and “fool”. The “o” within the second syllable is just like the “o” in “pot”, “not”, and “hot”. The last “s” is just like the “s” in “sit” “sat”, and “sip”. The stress is on the primary syllable.
Why are psychiatrists known as “shrinks”? (S.S. Saravanan, Madurai)
Have you ever been to a psychiatrist? Every time you’ve gotten completed visiting one, you will see that the dimensions of your pockets has shrunk significantly! That’s the rationale why they’re known as “shrinks”! Just kidding! The slang time period “shrink” is utilized not simply to psychiatrists, but in addition to psychotherapists and psychologists.
“Shrink” is the shortened type of “headshrinker”. This was the time period used to discuss with the drugs males amongst cannibal tribes. It was frequent follow among the many “doctors” in these tribes to chop off their sufferer’s head. When the top dried, it regarded shrunk! Later, the cranium was eliminated and this made the top look even smaller. Mercifully, our trendy-day psychiatrists don’t try and shrink our heads utilizing the identical strategies! They strive their stage finest to “shrink” the illusions floating round inside our heads.
What is the right response to “thank you”? Is it “Don’t mention it”, or “You’re welcome”? (C.B.D. Rao, Bangalore)
Both are equally acceptable. “Don’t mention it” is likely one of the customary responses in British English — a number of the others being “That’s all right” and “Not at all”. The response “You’re welcome” is taken into account very American. Thanks to the unfold of American English, nonetheless, “you’re welcome” is turning into fairly frequent in all forms of English.
What is the origin and that means of “baker’s dozen”? (S. Damodaran, Trichy)
A “baker’s dozen” is one other means of referring to the quantity 13. There are a number of theories as to how this expression took place. One of them is the next:
In the outdated days, it was the usual follow amongst bakers to cheat their prospects. They cheated by underneath-weighing their bread; that’s, they diminished its weight. Laws had been handed within the fifteenth century to make it possible for prospects weren’t taken for a trip. If a baker was caught dishonest, he was instantly despatched to jail.
To make it possible for they weren’t caught brief, what the bakers began doing was so as to add an additional loaf of bread to each twelve {that a} buyer purchased. By giving the shoppers an additional loaf of bread — the thirteenth loaf — the baker not solely saved his prospects glad, but in addition ensured that he wouldn’t be penalised for any scarcity.
Published in The Hindu on January 11, 2000
Published – March 25, 2026 08:00 am IST
