7/22/2017 KnowyourEnglish:Whatisthemeaningandoriginofdoneanddusted?

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KNOW YOUR ENGLISH

Know your English: What is the meaning and origin of done and dusted?
S. UPENDRAN
FEBRUARY 17, 2014 23:35 IST
UPDATED: MAY 18, 2016 08:55 IST

What is the meaning and origin of done and dusted?

(K. Shanthi, Hyderabad)

The expression is mostly used in British English in informal contexts to mean to successfully complete something. When a
businessman says that a deal has been done and dusted, he means that he has been successful in clinching it; there is nothing
left to be done.

*I would like the project to be done and dusted by tomorrow.

*The match had been done and dusted by the end of the third day.

The expression comes from the world of writing. In the past, everyone made use of ink to write; people dipped their quill or
pen into a bottle of ink before putting words on paper. Those of us who have used a fountain pen know that ink doesnt dry
very quickly. Sometimes, you had to wait for a long time before the paper absorbed the ink. To quicken the drying process,
people used to sprinkle an absorbent dust or powder on the paper. Once the ink had dried, the powder was dusted off the
paper.

Is modem an example of an abbreviation or an acronymn?

(J. Nisanth, Dindigul)

Neither, I am afraid. An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or a phrase. UN, for example, is the abbreviated form of
United Nations. Jawaharlal Nehru University is often abbreviated to JNU. When an individual says these abbreviated forms,
he pronounces each letter separately. An acronym, on the other hand, is a word formed from the first letter of a series of
words. NATO is an acronym for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A AP is an acronym for Aam Aadmi Party. Unlike an
abbreviation, an acronym is usually pronounced as a word; we do not say each letter individually. Modem the device we
switch on when we wish to access the Internet is a combination of the words modulator and de-modulator. It is an
example of a blend or portmanteau word.
Why do cricket commentators say fishing outside the off stump?
(Rahul Sharma, Kolkata)

The word fish can be used as a noun and a verb. As a verb, it means to grope or search for something using ones hands instead
of ones eyes. We often see women who carry large handbags fish for their cell phone they merely put their hand inside in the
bag and feel the various objects. So, when a batsman fishes outside the off stump, he merely hangs his bat out without really
seeing the ball. He is hoping that somehow that the bat will meet the ball.
How is the word delicatessen pronounced?
(L.Durgadevi, Mayiladuthurai)

Deli rhymes with belly, smelly and jelly, while the following a is like the a in china. The tess rhymes with mess, less
and chess, and the final vowel is like the a in china. The word is pronounced de-li-ke-TESS-en with the stress on the fourth
syllable. In everyday contexts, the word is reduced to deli. The Americans borrowed it from the German delikatesse meaning
a delicacy or fine food. A delicatessen is usually a small shop that sells salads, cheese and cooked meat from foreign countries.
*Hema works in the delicatessen/deli in Vikrampuri.

******

A teachers job is to take a bunch of live wires and see they are all well grounded. D. Martin

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