lexicon
Potpourri of letters
Deepti

We all know that ‘phobia’ refers to a strong fear or hatred, but do we know that there are around 500 kinds of phobia? Here are some great ones: fear of chickens is alektorophobia, fear of kissing is philemaphobia, fear of beautiful women is venustaphobia and fear of the mother-in-law is pentheraphobia.

It is true that for most of us concerns about handwriting are history once we leave junior school and enter the world of cyber communication. Communication through the electronic media has cost us our handwriting.

But, we must also keep examination in mind. Most examinations remain in the handwritten mode and this implies some kind of value attached to legible writing. While no examination rules state any kind of credit for clear handwriting, the fact remains that wherever subjective judgment decides the score, handwriting makes a big difference.

Anyway, one doesn’t use the computer for noting on files, entry in diaries, personal letters and cards. A good handwriting goes a long way in creating positive vibes.

Now that IPL is upon us, well and truly we are turning into a cricket-crazy world. Also, cricket has given new words to English. One such word is the expression ‘sticky wicket’. In cricket jargon it refers to a cricket pitch made sticky by the rain, hence becoming tough to play upon. When the expression moved from jargon to daily use, it acquired the metaphorical meaning of any tough or awkward situation that is difficult to handle.

Originally, the word ‘wicket’ comes from the Old French ‘wiket’ that means ‘a small door or grille’, a sense that is still preserved in the words ‘wicket door’ and ‘wicket gate’ for a small door beside a big one, as seen in most jails. Cricket took over the wicket in the 17th century.

A preposition made up of several words is a complex preposition. Often, users are confused whether to use it as one word or two. For instance, the preposition ‘on to’ can be used in both ways, as these examples show: ‘She flopped on to the sofa’ and ‘Do not throw rubbish onto the roadside’.