“intervene” and “interfere”

“Interfere” has a negative connotation. When you interfere in something, you are poking your nose into other people’s business. You are meddling. The word carries with it the sense of obstruction or getting in the way of something.

Here are a few examples. *The slashing of funding interfered with the work on the project. *The politician tried to interfere in the police investigation. *I don’t want you to interfere in my life.

“Intervene”, on the other hand, has a much more positive connotation. When you intervene in something, you are playing a much more constructive role. This probably explains why the Americans talk about their intervention in Iraq, rather than interference.

Here are a few examples. *The lawyer intervened in the dispute and resolved the problem. *I don’t want to intervene in a dispute between a husband and a wife. *The police intervened when the students started throwing stones at buses.

The Hindu- ‘Know Your English’ Series, August 26, 2003

“conk out”

The slang expression “conk out” has several different meanings. One of the meanings is “to collapse”.

Here are a few examples. *After the ten-mile jog, I just conked out. *Harini was afraid that she would conk out in front of everyone.

The expression can be used with objects as well. When you say that something has conked out, what you mean is that it has broken down or “quit running”.

*The old fan finally conked out during the summer. *Arun’s scooter conked out on his way to the office.

The Hindu- ‘Know Your English’ Series, August 26, 2003

“Davy Jones’s locker”

This is an expression that is commonly used by sailors. When you say that someone has gone to Davy Jones’s locker what you are implying is that the individual drowned at sea; he is at the bottom of the ocean. The idiom can be used with objects as well.

Here are a few examples. *The pirate ended up in Davy Jones’s locker. *According to this newspaper report, the treasure is still in Davy Jones’s locker. *He has gone to Davy Jones’s locker.

Although the idiom has been part of the English language for well over two centuries, no one is really sure about its origin. Some scholars speculate that Davy Jones or David Jones, was a fearsome pirate. One of the things that he did with his captured prisoners was to make them walk the plank. In other words, he threw them overboard while they were in the middle of the ocean. Result? The prisoners invariably drowned. Another theory is that David Jones was the owner of a pub who often drugged his unsuspecting patrons and sold them off as slaves to ship owners.

The theory that most people are comfortable with is the following: Jones is actually from Jonah, you know the character in the Bible who was swallowed by a whale; and Davy is a corruption of the West Indian word “duppy” meaning “ghost or devil”. So Davy Jones is actually the spirit of the sea, the sailor’s devil!

The Hindu- ‘Know Your English’ Series, August 26, 2003

“brouhaha”

The “ou” in the first syllable is like the “oo” in “pool”, “cool”, and “fool”. The “a” in the following two syllables are pronounced like the “a” in “bath”, “path”, and “father”. Some people put the main stress on the first syllable, while others put it on the second. Both are acceptable.

It means unnecessary noise or angry complaints about something. Many people consider the word to be rather old fashioned. Here are a few examples. *There was brouhaha when the Minister hiked taxes. *What’s all the brouhaha about? *Knowing him as I do, there will be a lot of brouhaha over the new production of “Sleeping Beauty”.

The Hindu- ‘Know Your English’ Series, August 26, 2003