WORD POWER
Exam blues
Prerana Trehan

THESE days students of Classes X and XII, are up to their ears in studies. Class XII students especially have their hands full because in addition to the Board exams they also have to take competitive exams. Like all his classmates, my younger brother, who is in Class XII, too is snowed under. In fact, with all the tuition classes he has to attend, he has been on the go the whole year.

Vacation plans in most homes have been put on hold till the end of the month when the Board exams will finally finish. Parents are willing to go all out to help their children get good grades. Some parents go out of their way to see that there are no distractions at home and even put off visitors till the exams are over. Doing well has become so important these days that many students are determined to get good marks, by hook or by crook.

While for some exams are child’s play, for others these are heavy going. Some just go through the motions of revising their course but they are not sincere about it. Such students are bound to be in dire straits at this time of the year. If they do not do the exams well, they will have to face the music when the results come out.

Be up to your ears/eyes: to have too much of something, especially work.

Have your hands full: to be so busy that you do not have time to do anything else.

Be snowed under: to have so much work that you have problems dealing with it all.

Be on the go: be very busy and active.

Put something on hold: to put off doing something until a later date.

Go all out: use a lot of energy and effort to do something, exert oneself to the full.

Go out of your way to do something: try very hard to do something, usually something nice.

By hook or by crook: using whatever methods are necessary.

Bhild’s play: very easy.

Heavy going: something that is difficult and needs a lot of effort.

Go through the motions: do something but without enthusiasm or effort.

In dire straits: in a very tough or dangerous situation.

Face the music: accept criticism or punishment for something that you have done.

Use idioms to complete the following sentences. Use the keyword in the brackets:

With most of my colleagues on leave, I am... .

I was new to the neighbourhood when my son suddenly took ill. I was pleasantly surprised when my neighbours went... to help me.

When my boss found out that I didn’t drive because I was terrified of the traffic on the roads, he told me I had nothing to worry because driving was... .

Lack of funds has forced me to... my plans to learn photography.

I am handling an important project and I will have to... if something goes wrong.

The modern meaning of the idiom by hook or by crook is different from the original one. The hook in medieval times was a chopper with a hooked end which was used for pruning. The crook was the shepherd’s crook — a long staff with a big hook at one end for catching the back leg of a sheep. The idiom refers to medieval laws meant to restrict the gathering of firewood: one was allowed to cut off, with a hook, only those branches which could be pulled down with a crook.

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