The Gorilla and The Lioness

          A gorilla is sitting in a tree when he espies a lioness quenching her thirst by the river. The gorilla thinks naughtily, " It'd be fun to pull her tail.". Without wasting any time, he swings into action. He pulls the leonine creature's tail with all his strength.


          The lioness gets such a fright that she jumps into the river. Showing a clean pair of heels, the gorilla thinks, " I have to think of something fast. It's not easy to outrun this mighty beast."
          Luckily for him, the gorilla sees a hunter's tent and nips inside to hide. The shirtless hunter drops the paper he is reading and runs out of the tent. The gorilla decides to pretend to be the hunter - he wears the hunter's shirt and hat, and starts to read the paper.
          " This is a safe place for me to lie low," he says to himself. "The lioness is sure to try to get her own back. There is no telling what she'll do to me if she finds me!"
          Meanwhile, the lioness says to herself, " I'll search every nook and cranny for this gorilla. When I find him, I'll tan his hide!" A minute later, the lioness pads into the tent. Thinking that it is the hunter reading the paper, she says, " Mister, did you see a gorilla run in here?" From behind the paper, the gorilla answers, "You mean the one that pulled the tail of a lioness a while ago?"
         With a look of utter disbelief on her face, the lioness says, "What?! It's in the papers already?!"

Swing into action  - Begin doing something energetically
Show a clean pair of heels - Run away fast
Lie low - Hide so as to avoid being discovered or caught
Get one's own back - Get revenge
There is no telling - It is impossible to know / determine
Every nook and cranny - Everywhere
Tan / Whip someone's hide - Beat someone severely


Adapted from: Oh Teik Theam  Insight Star2 Tuesday 17 September 2013

Love

          
       
           Let's talk about love. Love is not a one-day commercialised event that deludes you into spending a tidy sum to prove your love for another person.

          The reason a bunch of roses is more expensive on February 14 is pure economics. As long as there is a willing buyer, there will be a willing seller.

          Actually, I love flowers. A bouquet of flowers given or received at the right time, for the right reason, is actually one of the joys in life. And I follow the principle set by a dear friend who said : 'Please send me flowers while I can still smell them, not when my body is in a coffin. For that, it's better to give the money to a worthy cause.

         You see, when we fall into the trap of expressing love only on a particular day, like the way hampers are delivered to people on festive occasions, it is no longer special. So, let's talk about real love.
       
          Every morning, my neighbour in an adjacent street takes her mother out for a walk. Her mother is in a wheelchair and she has to be particularly careful when she reaches my street as it is a main road. Her cheerful disposition is always a welcome balm for a tired soul. Love, generously shared, makes us want to exclaim: 'I am loved. I am rich. I am privileged. My cup runneth over.'

          There is also another aspect of love that we seldom want to grapple with. Love is action It calls us to deliberately reach out to others - people who are different, people who can't speak out for themselves, total strangers, and even our worst enemies.

          We don't need a special day to show love. If you want to experience love, just look at ordinary people doing extraordinary things every day. They are the people who walk that extra mile, share your burdens and sow love in the midst of hatred.

          And, you can be one of them.

Adapted from: Soo Ewe Jin Sunday Star, 17 February 2013

         

Square expressions

Square

An open area in the middle of a town.
eg: The Dam Square in Amsterdam is a bustling commercial hub.

Be back to square one

To be back in the same situation from which you started with no progress.
eg: His shop was burnt down so his business is back to square one.

A square

An old-fashioned person who is not interested in the latest styles or music.
eg: The girls found Keith boring because he is a square.

Square somebody

To pay somebody to do what you want.
eg: We have to square the driver extra fare for waiting twenty minutes.

Square your shoulders

Push back your shoulders while keeping your back straight to show your determination.
eg: He squared his shoulders and walked into the squash court with confidence.

Adapted from: Mind Our English, Star2 Tuesday 5 February 2013

Round Expressions

Enough to go around

Enough for everyone
eg: Are there enough drinks to go around?

Round the corner

Not far away
eg: There is a bakery round the corner

Round the clock

24 hours - both day and night
eg: The 7-eleven shop is open round the clock.

Rounds

Visits that someone makes regularly as part of his/her job.
eg: The physician is out on his morning rounds now.

Round of applause

Period when people are clapping to show they enjoy a performance.
eg: There was a thunderous round of applause with whistles and shouts at the end of the concert.

Daily round

Things you have to do every day.
eg: My daily round of cooking, washing and cleaning keeps me busy for hours.

Round table

A round table discussion or meeting is one in which everyone can talk about things in an equal way.
eg: The rulers had a round table conference to discuss the latest laws.

Round robin

A competition in which every player or team plays against each of the other players or teams.
eg: Many football matches are first held on a round robin basis within groups before the later knock-out stages.

Round trip

A journey to a place and back
eg: The round trip to Emerald Bay takes about two hours.

Roundup

A roundup of people means they are captured or arrested by the police and brought to one place
eg: Every now and then there is a roundup of drug addicts on the streets in certain seedy areas.


Adapted from: Mind Our English Star2 Tuesday 5 February 2013