Is ‘tier’ pronounced the same way as ‘tyre’? Which syllable is stressed in ‘baton’– the first or the second? How is the word ‘danseuse’ pronounced? Are you friends with the ‘big cheese’ on campus? When you watch a film, do you have a sense of ‘déjà vu’?
Vocabulary and Pronunciation Is a practical reference guide that provides answers to such questions. The selections included in the book highlight some of the everyday words that we mispronounce when speaking in English. In addition, the book familiarises the reader with several hundred words and expressions used by native speakers of English in formal and informal contexts.Like the earlier three volumes, this book is based on Upendran’s popular weekly column, Know Your English, published in The Hindu. It contains a selection of over 800 entries; an explanation of the meaning, pronunciation and etymology of each word has been provided.
S Upendran has been writing the column, Know Your English, since 1992. He is Professor in the Department of Materials Development at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. The selections in this book are those that featured since 1992.
180-degree turn A1 Abecedarian AbnegateAcademic Academic bulimia AcerbicAcquiesce Acumen Ad nauseam Adidas Adieu Adolescent Adrenalin Aeon/Eon Affability Aficionado Agemate Ailurophobia Airhead Airplane talker AisleA.k.a Akimbo Albeit Alibi All-nighter Alma mater Alumnus Alzheimer’s Amour-propre Angst Annus horribilus Ante-mortem Antsy Apartheid Aplomb Apropos Archives ASAP Askance Assuage Asthma Auspices Auteur AwryBachelorette Bad-mouth someone Ballpark estimate/figure Band-aid solution Bang on Baton Beat (past tense) Beau Beau geste Becomes you Behemoth Beleaguered Belly-up Besiege Bête noire Between jobs Big cheese Billet-doux Bite someone’s head off Blasé Blinkers Blithe Blockbuster Blonde moment Bludgeon Blunted Bon voyage Bona fide Bonfire Bonhomie Bonkers Boomerang (verb) Boondoggle Bootlegger Boulevard Bouquet Bourgeois Bowl Braggadocio Break the bank Breakfast Bric-a-brac Bromance Brontophobia Brouhaha Brown-noser Brownie points Brusque Bucket list Budget Buffet Bullish Bumf Burgeon Burlesque Buy(ing) a lemon Buzz-killCabal Cachet Cacophony Cajole Canard Capish Caption Captious Carte blanche Cast-iron stomach Cataclysm
Categorical inaccuracy Catnap Cavalcade Caveat C’est la vie Chagrin ChaperoneChary Cheerless Chef d’oeuvre Chequebook diplomacy Cherry pick Chew someone out (He’s) Chicken Chill out Chimera Chock-a-block Chutzpah Ciao Cinephile Circa Cleptopenia Clerk Clock-watcher Clotheshorse Clutch player Coffee-table book Cognoscente Collage Collateral damage Colleague Comb forComb-over Come clean Come out with all guns blazing Comestibles Comeuppance Comfortable Comfy Commentate Comstockery Conduit Conglomerate Conk out Conniption Connoisseur Conscientiously Control freak Controversy Convalesce Copycat Cornucopia Cost a bomb Costermonger Cosy/Cozy up to Country cousinCoup de grace Cowed into Crèche Criticaster Crowdsource Crow’s feet Crummy Cuckoo Cul de sac Cult figure Culture vulture Curmudgeon Cyberchondriac Cyber hoarding Cynophobia CynosureDaddy of them all Dais Danseuse De rigueur Dead from the neck up Dead-tree media Deal fell through Debacle Debris Debut Debutante Decrepit Deep pockets Déjà vu Delhi belly Demarche Deplane Dereliction Derring-do Desert Desk jockey Dessert DesultoryDeus ex machinaDevelopDichotomyDiddly-squatDiemDies nonDifferently abledDilettanteDiscombobulateDiscomfitDishevelledDisorientatedDisparageDivaDivorceDivorcéeDodoDomestic engineerDoozyDossierDouble entendreDouble takeDouble whammyDoublespeakDourDownplayDowntimeDoyenDragon ladyDrama queenDrollDudeDumb-downDummy upDun forEar candyEater’s comaEchelonEconomical with the truthEconomically inactiveEdgyEerieEeyorishEffeminateEfficacyEgalitarianEgo massageEgo-surfingEgregiousEitherEmaciatedEmbarrassEmeritusEn blocEncyclopaedicEnnuiEnsconceEnsembleEntourageEntrepreneurEpithetEpitomeEponymousErsatzEruditeEsotericEt al.EtiquetteEulogyEuphemismEuthanasiaExorcismExposéEye candyFait accompliFantabulousFast talkFatheadFaux pasFecundFeistyFestschriftFiancéeFibFinesseFirst nightFishwifeFive o’clock shadowFlabbergastedFlavour of the monthFlibbertigibbetFlip outFlippantFloor itFlummoxFoibleFollically challengedFollow suitFoodaholicFoodieFoot the billFork outFortuitousFracasFragileFranchiseFrazzleFreebieFriendly fireFrogsFructuousFuddy-duddyFudgeFunny boneFuroreGabfestGameGame changerGame face GarriageGaseousGaucheGeekGelotologyGeophagyGet fresh with someoneGitGlitchGlitteratiGo ballisticGo southGo viralGobbledygookGobsmackedGoldbrickerGonnaGoose pimplesGrade grubbersGraduandGratuitousGraveyard shiftGravitasGreenhornGrossed outGround zeroGrungyGubernatorialGuesstimateGuilt tripGun-shyGung-hoGymnophobiaHackneyedHalf-witHam actorHamburgerHand-me-downHand-me-upHarassHard sellHard upHead-hunterHeads upHeartsink patientHeebie-jeebiesHegemonyHeinousHeirHeistHelicopter parentsHexHiggledy-piggledyHigh maintenanceHighfalutinHobby-horseHogwashHoi polloiHomageHoministHonchoHoneymoonHoney trapHoochHors-de-combatHorse senseHotfootHowled downHubrisHullabalooHumdingerHumongousHunky-doryHydrophobiaHymnHypeHyperboleHypochondriacIbidIdiosyncrasyIdiot boxIdyllic IffyIgnoramusIlkImbroglioImpugnIn loco parentisIn totoIn your faceInchoateInfructuousInnuendoInsoucianceInter aliaInveterateInvidiousJejuneJoie de vivreJuggernautKafkaesqueKick-startKick the habitKingpinKioskKiss of deathKithKlutzKnee-jerk reactionKnow-it-all/Know-allKowtowKudosKvetchLa-di-daLa-la landLackadaisicalLacuneLagniappeLaid-backLaissez-faireLambast(e)LeapfrogLeisureLeitmotiv/LeitmotifLemonLet it rideLevel playing fieldLiefLieutenantLilliputianLimboLingua francaLitterateurLobbyistLogophileLogorrhoeaLollapaloozaLoquaciousLuck outLucreLugubriousMagic bulletMagnanimousMagniloquenceMagnum opusMajorlyMake a killingMake the gradeMala fideMalaiseMalevolenceMalfeasanceMalignManoeuvreMaverickMaydayMea culpaMealy-mouthedMeatatarianMedical tourismMenuMickey MouseMilksopMingyMinutiaeMischievousMissentModus operandiModus vivendiMojoMooferMoreishMorgueMot justeMsMulctMurfingMythomaniaNe plus ultraNéeNicheNincompoopNitpickingNoirNoisomeNolens volensNomophobiaNonchalantNousNouveau richeNuanceNubNumero unoNuptialNyctophobiaObdurateObsequiousOeuvreOfficiousOmbudsmanOmertaOnionOustOut in left fieldOvenOxymoronPaeanPage 3PanachePandemoniumPangramPanjandrumPaparazziParadigmParochialParty animalPastichePayolaPeccadilloPejorativePelfPenchantPeppyPer sePercolatePeripheralPernicketyPerspicuousPescetarianPhillumenistPhlegmaticPigeonPigeonholePizzazzPlethoraPoignantPotatoPotatoheadPotpourriPounding the booksPre-loved/Pre-ownedPrecociousProfessional studentProfligateProfundityProgenyPsephologistPsych outPuerilePulchritudePush the envelopePusillanimousPussyfootPutativeQuagmireQualmQuasiQue sera seraQuid pro quoQuinquennialQuintessentialQui viveQuixoticRambunctiousRapportRara avisRaucousRazzmatazzRead you loud and clearRealtorRecuseRed carpet treatment/ welcomeRed-letter dayRedressRegiftReminisceRenaissanceRendezvousRenegeRepertoireRequiemResearchRethinkRighteousRigmaroleRiposteRisquéRogerRotundRubbish (verb)SabotageSaladSandwichSang-froidSatchelSavoir-faireScaremongerSchadenfreudeScheduleSchismSchizophreniaSchmaltzySchmuckScintillatingScintillaScourgeSecond-guessSeige mentalitySepulchreSerendipitySeveredSewShake the pagoda treeShell-shockedShenanigansShibbolethShilly-shallyShoestring budgetShopaholicShowboatingShuteyeSicSilhouetteSilver bulletSine dieSine qua nonSinisterSkulduggerySkunkedSledgingSleepfestSleuthSlipshodSlush fundSmartsSnitch,Soft-pedalSoireeSoliloquySomeSomnambulismSoporificSotto voceSoul searchingSour,SouthpawSpielSpin doctorSplurgeSponge offStaccatoStamping groundStatuesqueStatureStaycationSteadfastStealthStealth callStockholm syndromeStonewallStoogeStoveStraight arrowStraw pollStudy animalStymieSuaveSub rosaSubalternSubterfugeSuccinctSuccourSucculentSuiteSumptuousSuperbSupineSycophancySyrupyTagged alongTailspinTake a hikeTake a rain checkTally hoTankedTantamountTchotchkeTeemingTeflonTelegenicTellerTete-a-teteTexter’s thumbTextually challengedTextual satisfactionThanatologyThesaurusThoroughfareTierTiffTinderboxTinseltownTittle-tattleToastTo go postalToothsomeTop-drawerTopiaryTortoiseTouch base with someoneTouchéTour de force ToutTownterviewTrailblazerTrenchantTrypanophobiaTrystTsetseTurncoatTV stonedUberUbiquitousUmpteenUncouthUnctuousUrban legendUxoricideValetVanillaVaseVerbiageVibesVideVidiot VigilanteVignetteVillainViragoVis-a-visVitiateVivaciousVolkswagenVolte-faceVoluminousVouchsafeVox populiVoyeurWalk the talkWalking disaster areaWannabeWatchdog agencyWatershed momentWebinarWebtrovertWee hoursWeirdWetwareWherewithalWhistle-blowerWilling to take his/her medicineWilly-nillyWimpyWinning uglyWootWordrobeWorrywartWrap rageWutheringXenophobiaYada yada yadaYapYellularYes-manYoung TurksYou’re nutsZeitgeistZenithZephyrZero in onZing