“Tell me, how is the word ‘buff’ pronounced?”
“It rhymes with ‘stuff’, ‘rough’ and ‘tough’. Do you know what the word means?”
“Doesn’t it mean someone who knows a great deal about some subject or is very enthusiastic about it?”
“Very good! That’s one of the meanings of the word. Gayathri is a camera buff.”
“Her brother Bala, on the other hand, is a movie buff.”
“That’s a good example. But did you know that the word buff also refers to a colour? One of the meanings of buff is ‘light brownish yellow’.”
“But what’s the connection between the two meanings? I mean, is there...”
“The word actually comes from the Latin ‘bufalus’ meaning ‘buffalo’. ‘Buff’ was used to refer to the brownish yellow hide of the animal. Centuries later, volunteer fire fighters in New York City began to be called ‘fire buffs’ because they were very enthusiastic about their job — and their uniform was brownish yellow.“
“I see. Since their uniform was buff in colour and they went about their job enthusiastically, people who were enthusiastic about things began to be called ‘buffs’.”
“Exactly! How is the house renovation coming along? Is it over?”
“We’ve renovated the kitchen. In May, we plan to renovate the drawing room, and then a little later, the three bedrooms. Finally,...“
“I don’t understand! Why are you doing the remodelling piecemeal?”
Piecemeal
“Piecemeal? Does it mean doing something little by little with no apparent plan?”
“Exactly! Doing something little by little over a period of time in a rather unsystematic or random manner. Harini was upset because her recommendations had been implemented piecemeal.”
“Over the years, the Government has provided piecemeal solutions to the water problem.”
“That’s because our politicians can’t plan. They can only work piecemeal. So tell me, how was your trip to Kerala? Did you enjoy yourself?”
“You bet! Spent a lot of time with little Anika. I enjoyed myself big time.”
“Big time? Is it another way of saying that you enjoyed yourself a great deal?”
“That‘s right! The expression ‘big time’ is mostly used in informal contexts to add emphasis to something that you’ve said.”
“I see. If I say, ‘Vijith is into tennis big time’, it means that he likes tennis very much. He is a tennis buff.”
“Exactly! It could mean that he plays a lot of tennis or that he follows tennis closely.”
“While you were gone, I looked after your plants. So, you owe me big time.”
“Good example. While I was away, people at the office messed things up big time.”
“I see. How are the new tennis shoes you bought? Are they comfortable?”
“I’m sure they will be once I break them in.”
“Break them in? Why would you want to break your shoes? Is it even possible?”
“I’m not going to break them, but break them in. In other words, I’m going to wear the shoes for very short periods of time till I begin to feel comfortable in them.”
“New shoes are usually pretty stiff. So, when you break them in, you’re making them more flexible. You’re making them supple.”
“I guess you could say that. You can use the expression with other things as well.”
“How about this example? It took Shanthi two weeks to break her jeans in.”
“Sounds good. Now, shall we take a break?”
* * * * *
Shoepidity: the act of wearing ridiculously uncomfortable shoes just because they look good. — Unknown
The author teaches at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. upendrankye@gmail.com