Saccharine, syrupy, get-go...
"HOW DO you pronounce s..a..c..c..h..a..r..i..n..e?"
"Well, the first syllable is pronounced like the word `sack'. The `a' in the second syllable is like the `a' in `china'."
"And the final syllable probably rhymes with `seen', `teen', and `keen'."
"Yes, that's how some people pronounce it. Others make it rhyme with `fine', `pine' and `dine'. The main stress is on the first syllable. Do you know what saccharine means?"
"Doesn't it mean excessively sweet?"
"Excellent! When you say that something is `saccharine' what you mean is that it is very sweet."
"So the word is used disapprovingly?"
"That's right. Here's an example. Everyone in my office just loves Dilip. I find his behaviour very saccharine. Of course, the word also refers to an artificial sweetener — so it means the behaviour is artificially sweet!"
"When I walked into her office, she gave me a saccharine smile."
"That's a good example. Who are you talking about?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Doesn't matter. So, did you go and see the movie?"
"Yes, I saw the movie yesterday. "
"Well, what did you think of it? Wasn't it just great?"
"Great? I thought it was syrupy."
"Syrupy? What is that supposed to mean?"
"When you say that something is syrupy what you mean is that it is overly sentimental."
"In other words, dripping with sentiment. Just like a syrup."
"I guess you could say that."
"I hate songs with syrupy lyrics."
"So do I. My cousin loves to read syrupy tales of romance."
"My mother does too."
"Syrupy can also be used to mean insincere."
"How about this example? Whenever I run into her, she gives me a syrupy smile. How does it sound?"
"Pretty good. I don't like it when Harish becomes syrupy."
"I don't either. But he has always been like that from the get-go."
"From the what? Did you say get-go?"
"That's right! It's an expression frequently used in American English."
"But what does it mean?"
"When you say that I have been here from the get-go, it means that you have been there from the beginning."
"In other words, you have been there from day one."
"That's right. Here's an example. I don't understand how she got the promotion. The job should have gone to Laxman. He has been with the company since the get-go."
"Listen, you must show them who the boss is from the get-go. How does it sound?"
"Pretty good. The students had all the answers figured out from the get-go."
"I have been part of the team from the get-go. So I should be made the captain."
"You are cuckoo, you know that."
"I am not!"
"Do you even know what cuckoo means?"
"No, but I am sure I am not one."
"It means crazy."
"And I am not crazy. How do you spell the word?"
"C..u.c..k..o..o. The first syllable is pronounced like the word `cook' and the `oo' in the second is like the `oo' in `fool', `cool', and `pool'."
"And the stress is on the first syllable. You are the one who is cuckoo."
"How did I ever become friends with a cuckoo like you?"
"That's because you are a cuckoo yourself."
"Our company has come up with a new scheme to increase sales. If you ask me, it's plain cuckoo."
"According to you ...."
"....talking about cuckoo, how is that cousin of yours doing? Is he still busy moving bones from graveyard to another?"
"Moving bones? What are you talking about?"
"That's how someone described doing a Ph.D. "
"You'll be happy to know that Suresh has got his Ph. D."
"Good for him."
***** ***** *****
"Bad spellers of the world — Untie!" — Graffiti
S. UPENDRAN
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