Know your English

What is the meaning and origin of ‘go/come under the hammer’?

(S Dongre, Bangalore)

The expression is mostly used to refer to objects that are on sale at a public auction. People who are interested in buying the object attend the auction and bid for it. The person who bids the highest — offers the maximum amount of money — takes the article home. Nowadays, of course, even people ‘go under the hammer’. In the IPL, for example, players come under the hammer every year.

*Some of Ravi Varma’s paintings are going under the hammer next month.

*The repossessed cars and motorcycles will be coming under the hammer.

In a public auction, the person who is in charge of the event — the auctioneer — usually carries a wooden hammer with him. When the bidding for an article is over, he shouts ‘sold’, and hits the table with the hammer to indicate that the transaction has been completed.

How is the word ‘cerebral’ pronounced?

(J Indira, Chennai)

There are two different ways of pronouncing the word. Some people pronounce the first ‘e’ like the ‘e’ in ‘set’, ‘bet’ and ‘wet’, and the second like the ‘i’ in ‘pit’, ‘kit’ and ‘bit’. The final ‘a’ is usually pronounced like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. In British English, the word is pronounced ‘SE-ri-bril’ with the stress on the first syllable. Americans, on the other hand, pronounce the vowel in the second syllable like the ‘ee’ in ‘feet’, ‘meet’ and ‘greet’. They pronounce the word ‘se-REE-brel’ with the stress on the second syllable. The word comes from the Latin ‘cerebrum’ meaning ‘brain’. In everyday contexts, ‘cerebral’ is used to mean ‘intellectual rather than emotional or physical’.

*I don’t enjoy his books — they are too cerebral for me.

What is the difference between ‘indict’ and ‘indite’?

(Charumathi, Nagpur)

Believe it or not, the two words are pronounced the same way — their meanings, however, are very different. The first syllable in both words is pronounced like the word ‘in’, and the second rhymes with the words ‘light’, ‘right’ and ‘might’. The stress in both the words is on the second syllable — ‘in-DIGHT’. So, what happens to the ‘c’ in ‘indict’? It’s not pronounced! Both words come from the Latin ‘indictare’ meaning ‘to declare’. Of the two, ‘indict’ is frequently heard in legal contexts. When a person who has committed a crime is indicted, charges are officially levelled against him or her.

*The former CEO was indicted on corruption charges.

*Preetham was indicted for selling drugs and distributing fake currency.

Unlike ‘indict’, the word ‘indite’ is not frequently used nowadays. It means to write down or compose.

Is it okay to say ‘avoid presentations’ at the bottom of a wedding card?

(KV Rajan, Chennai)

No, it isn’t. People usually give presents or gifts at a wedding; they do not make presentations! A presentation is usually a talk given by someone who wishes to provide information about something. For example, salesmen often make presentations on a product. Scholars make presentations on their research. If you don’t want your invitees to bring gifts, then on the wedding card, you should say ‘No presents’ and not ‘No presentations’. Why anyone would actually say this is beyond me. After all, presents are the best part of getting married!

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“Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl.” — Stephen Leacock