English Class

English Class

[Before beginning with today’s English class, I will request to all the readers to pray for the people who lost their lives in the gruesome Mumbai attacks.]

Words of the day

Fainthearted: adj. Lacking conviction, courage or boldness. Challenging the Mumbai terrorists wasn’t a job for the fainthearted.

Abseil: v. To go down by a rope fastened at the top and tied around the body. Crack Black Cat Commandos did a daring job when they abseiled on the terrace of the hotel from the helicopter.

Bedlam: n. A place or situation of noisy uproar and confusion. As the inhuman terrorists started spraying bullets on the common people it was a bedlam in the hotel lobby.

Idioms of the day

Grin and bear it: To accept an unpleasant or difficult situation because there is nothing you can do to improve it. The terror strikes are widening the divide between Hindus and Muslims but many of us have to grin and bear it.

Hit a snag: To experience a difficulty. The round-to-clock media coverage of the shootout hit a snag on the actions of the security personnel.

In a bind: Forced to deal with a difficult situation. If the war between India and Pakistan takes place, it will keep the common countrymen of both the nations in a bind.

Combinations of words

Dread and terror: The dread and terror was clearly visible on the faces of the people who were coming out from the hotels.

Disaster of the first magnitude: If India attacked Pakistan in the view of the recent terror strikes - it would be a disaster of the first magnitude for them.

Ambitions and dreams: Those unforgivable brutes in Mumbai have crushed many ambitions and dreams.

Let’s pray and vow to fight terror being united. I shudder to think about an internal divide. Unity is power. I am not afraid from terror strikes; the thing which frightens me is our division. It is to be remembered that people belonging to all the religions were killed in the assault. Will all of us remain united in this tough time? I humbly hope and pray.