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WHAT IS the meaning of "horses for courses"?
(Javid Latif, Chennai)
A test captain usually has 16 players to choose from. So how does he decide who is going to play and who is not? Well, one of the things he usually does, is to look at the pitch. He tries to figure out if it is going to be conducive to pace or spin. If he thinks it is going to turn, he will opt for a spinner instead of a pace bowler. This is what we mean by the idiomatic expression "horses for courses"; choosing the person ideally suited for a particular job on hand. This individual may not be the best person on the team, but he is the best person for the job on hand. He has the required skills that you are looking for.
* Lalitha was better qualified, but we were looking for someone who had lived abroad. It was horses for courses as far as we were concerned.
* There are many good dictionaries in the market; choosing the right one is a matter of horses for courses.
The expression, as you have probably guessed by now, comes from the world of horse racing. Racing pundits believe that some horses are better suited for certain types of courses. I understand that some horses run well on tracks that are wet, while others do well on dry tracks.
S. Upendran
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