7 days ago
Who is the ‘husband' in animal husbandry?
What is the meaning of 'husbandry' in 'animal husbandry'? (Nischal, Indore)
It probably means a husband who has been hung out to dry! Just kidding! The word 'husbandry' has nothing to do with husbands. By the way, the 'y' in the word is pronounced like the 'i' in 'bit' and 'sit'. The word is pronounced 'HUZ-ben-dri', with the stress on the first syllable. When it first began to be used, the word 'husband' meant 'peasant farmer', and we all know that farmers grow crops and raise animals — cattle, goats, pigs, etc. People who cultivate the land or breed animals are said to be practising 'husbandry'. Farmers who practise 'animal husbandry' raise animals, while those that grow crops are in the business of 'crop husbandry'.
When I grow up, I would like to be involved in crop husbandry.
What is the meaning and origin of 'through thick and thin'? (L. Jaganathan, Vellore)
When someone stays with you 'through thick and thin', what it means is that the individual stands by you through good and bad times. He is someone who can be depended on, no matter what the situation is; he will not disappear at the slightest hint of trouble. The individual is not what one might call a 'fair weather friend' — in other words, someone who can be seen in your company only when he has something to gain.
The speaker thanked his wife for sticking with him through thick and thin.
I'm not a fool. So don't expect me to support you through thick and thin.
According to scholars, this is one of the oldest idioms in English. It has been around since the 13th century, a time when much of England, and for that matter, most of Europe, was full of dense forests. The original expression was 'through thicket and thin wood'. The word 'thicket' in this context is used to refer to a group of trees growing close together or a cluster of bushes in proximity. The trees and bushes are so close together that making one's way through them becomes a difficult task. The 'thin wood' in the expression refers to those portions of the forest where vegetation is sparse, thus, making it possible for a traveller to walk quickly. With the passage of time, the idiom changed to 'through thick and thin', and acquired the figurative meaning discussed in the previous para.
What is the meaning of 'toothless wonder'? (Yavinder Bhadaur, Barnala)
The expression has several different meanings. The first one that immediately comes to mind is a child who has lost one or more teeth. It could also refer to an elderly person who has a few teeth missing.
I notice that your son is a toothless wonder. When did that happen?
Toothless wonder has a figurative meaning as well. For those of us who watched the West Indies playing cricket in the 1980s, the current set of players who represent the once formidable team are nothing more than toothless wonders. A team that was once powerful, but is now incapable of performing. A committee that is a toothless wonder is one that has no real authority to perform its duty.
Hillary is the Chairperson, and she herself calls the committee a toothless wonder.
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