Valley English Bites

The Evening Expression-144

"to grasp the nettle"

Meaning: To tackle a difficulty boldly.

Sentence: General Musharaf tried his best to grasp the nettle of Kashmir problem with his then Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001.

The Evening Expression-143

"to buck the trend"

Meaning: To go against the norm: have a different opinion from the majority.

Sentence: Though the majority of apple growers kept their apples stored this year, but some of our neighbours have bucked the trend and have supplied their apples to various markets in the country.

The Evening Expression-142

"helter-skelter"

Meaning: A disorderly confusion: a turmoil.

Sentence: Soon the news broke that a leapord has been spotted in the compound, the children ran helter-skelter.

The Morning Expression-141
"nitty-gritty"
Means the most important aspects or practical details of a subject or situation.
e.g.: A meeting will be held today to discuss the "nitty-gritty" of some major issues. OR, Our teacher gave a detailed "nitty-gritty" of the burning international issues.

The Evening Expression-140

"to catch a tartar"

Meaning: To encounter or be forced to reckon with someone or something that proves more powerful, troublesome or formidable than the one expected.

Sentence: Most of the times, the complacent students in the exams end up catching a tartar by taking other students for granted.

The Evening Expression-139

"snowball effect"

Meaning: A situation in which something increases in size or importance at a faster and faster rate.

Sentence: The arrival of the flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi at the crease would always have the snowball effect vis-a-vis the spectators watching the game.

The Morning Expression-138
"to go berserk"
Means to become very angry, crazy, and violent
e.g.: The forces "went berserk" when the people continued to protest against the new policy/law of the government.

The Morning Expression-137

"better late than never"

Meaning: It is better to do something late than not at all.

Sentence: Our flight was delayed by two hours, but better late than never, because the airport authorities closed the airport after the plane took off.

The Evening Expression-136

"save the day"

Meaning: Find or provide a solution to a difficulty or disaster.

Sentence: Javid Maindad's last ball six to Chetan Sharma in Sharjah in 1986 saved the day for Pakistan.

The Morning Expression-135
"to cast aspersions"
Means to criticize (someone or someone's actions or character) harshly or unfairly.
e.g.: Generally in politucs, politicians "cast aspersions" on their political opponents.

The Evening Expression-134
"cast pearls before swine"
If you say that someone is casting pearls before swine, you mean that they are wasting their time by offering something that is helpful or valuable to someone who does not appreciate or understand it.
e.g.: I tried a lot to convince him but he was so unwilling to change that I realised I was "casting pearls before swine."

The Morning Expression-12
"lay-off"
Means an occasion when a company stops employing someone (temporarily/permanently) because the company doesn't have enough money or resources or work to support them.
e.g.: Around 2 lakh Indian IT employees have been "laid-off" by various IT-Giants like Microsoft, Twitter, Amazon, Google etc. amid the on-going "lay-off" spree at the international level.