WORD POWER
Food for thought
Prerana Trehan

I have a sweet tooth, and just the thought of chocolates and cakes makes my mouth water. But this is unfortunate, indeed, because modelling is my bread and butter and no matter what, I have to retain my figure. My agent tells me I can’t have my cake and eat it too, so if I want to reign as the catwalk queen, I must lay off sweet stuff.

I must confess that I quite enjoy my celebrity status and each new modelling contract I land just whets my appetite for more. My addiction to success, perhaps, explains why I find losing assignments to other models hard to swallow. And last week’s incident when I lost a contract because I was considered a bit out of shape, has left a sour taste in my mouth. What made matters worse was the fact that my agent had warned me before I approached the agency for that particular contract that I would have egg on my face if I didn’t lose some weight fast.

That incident reminded me of the time when I was the flavour of the month on the ramp. I am determined now to fight to the bitter end to get back into shape before I am past my sell-by date in the modelling world. I hope that the exercise regimen I plan to start bears fruit. If along with losing weight I can have a few of my favourite foods every now and then, it would really be the icing on the cake.

To have a sweet tooth: to like eating food with sugar in it.

Make someone’s mouth water: make someone want to eat something.

Someone’s bread and butter: job or activity that provides someone with the money they need to live.

No matter what (happens): used to say that you will definitely do something.

Can’t have your cake and eat it too: used to refer to two things that cannot be had or done at the same time.

Whet someone’s appetite: make someone want more of something.

Hard to swallow: difficult to believe or accept.

Leave a sour taste in your mouth: if an experience leaves a sour taste in your mouth, you have an unpleasant memory of it.

Have egg on your face: be left feeling stupid or embarrassed because of something you did.

Flavour of the month: someone or something that has suddenly become very popular but may not remain popular for long.

To the bitter end: if you do something to the bitter end, you continue it until it is comlpeted, although it is difficult and takes a long time.

Past your sell-by date: often used humorously to refer to a person or thing that is not wanted or used any more because they are outdated.

Bear fruit: produce positive results.

Every now and then: sometimes.

Icing on the cake: something that makes a good situation even better.

The phrase fight to the bitter end is thought to have originated from an archaic nautical expression. In old ships, bitts were posts to which the anchor cable was attached. The bitter end of the cable was nearer the bitts, as distinct from the anchor end and if the cable was paid out to the bitter end, there was none left to go. It is possible that the phrase did not take into account the technical sense of the term ‘bitter’. Rather it was assumed that it referred to a sense of painfulness. It is equally possible that the expression had an independent origin and the existence of an identical nautical term was a mere coincidence.

(Reference: Cambridge International Dictionary of Idioms and A Concise Dictionary of Phrase & Fable)