Know your English

“Ms. S. Hazarika, Jorhat, wants to know the meaning of the idiom ‘to fall between two stools.’”

“It means ‘to be unable to decide between two alternatives and so to be unable to profit from either.’ It is neither verse nor prose. It falls between two stools. The origin of the expression is found in a party game called ‘Choosing the Queen of Sheba.’ A carpet is very tightly stretched between two stools.

Each stool is occupied by a lady. A person is asked to come into the room, sit on the carpet and decide which of the two ladies is the Queen of Sheba. After the person steps on the carpet, the ladies abruptly rise, the carpet collapses making the victim fall to the ground. This is the source of the idiom. Not all agree that this is the source of the idiom.”

“Ms. Kulkarni wants to know the difference between ‘proclivity’ and ‘propensity.’”

“‘Propensity’ is ‘a natural inclination or tendency.’ One has a propensity ‘for,’ ‘to’ or ‘towards’ something, it can be used with good or bad things.

He has a propensity for classical music.

‘Proclivity’ means ‘innate or inherent inclination.’ But it is always used with something bad.

He is notorious for his sexual proclivities.

‘Proclivity’ can be used with ‘for,’ ‘to’ or ‘towards’. ‘Propensity’ and ‘proclivity’ apparently mean the same thing. But while ‘propensity’ goes with good and bad tendencies, ‘proclivity’ goes only with bad tendencies.”

“Mr. C.A. Reddi wants to know the exact meaning of the word ‘lewd.’”

“‘Lewd’ means ‘indecent, obscene, lustful.’

He considers it a lewd novel.

She thinks that he has a permanent lewd expression on his face.

‘Lewd’ rhymes with ‘rude’ and ‘feud.’ In American English, it rhymes with ‘food’, ‘mood.’”

“Mr. T.L. Srinivasan, Chintadripet, Madras, wants to know whether the following is correct: Come on in.”

“‘Come in’ means ‘come inside, enter the room. ‘Come on’ is used to convey one’s enthusiasm, encouragement. Come on in. In this, there is a tone of encouragement, a certain warmth.”

“Mr. V.H. Krishna Prakash wants to know the meaning of ‘apple of discord.’”

“‘The apple of discord’ means ‘the cause of an argument or a quarrel.’ An apple of discord is a bone of contention. Eris, the Greek goddess of Discord, was angry at not being invited to the wedding of Peteus and Thetis. Deciding to create discord among the wedding guests, she threw into their midst a golden apple marked ‘for the fairest’. When Hera,

Pallas Athena and Aphrodite put in their claims for the apple, Paris was asked to act as judge and he awarded the apple to Aphrodite. The other two goddesses became furious and made up their minds to wreak vengeance on him. The fall of Troy is attributed to their spite. From this story, we get the idiom ‘the apple of discord’ or ‘an apple of discord.’

The apple of discord in the party is his selection for a post in the party.”

Published in The Hindu on June 25, 1991.