Daily Study Material

Phrasal Verb of the Day: Call for. transitive verb

Meaning: 1) to make a request for something to happen or more commonly, to make a demand or strong request for something to be done. 2) to need or require a particular thing or quality
3) to arrive and pick up somebody (3 is a rare and somewhat old-fashioned usage). 4) to suggest that something is likely to happen

Examples: 1) "The protesters called for the resignation of the Prime Minister". 2) "This recipe calls for milk, not water". 3) "A gentleman by the name of Mr. Richards called for you this afternoon, Patricia". (This expression was probably more common before there were telephones) .4) "The weathercasters are calling for thunderstorms in the late afternoon".

Idiom of the Day: Tongue And Cheek

Meaning: Something spoken in a humorous and ironic manner which is not meant to be taken seriously.

Origin: This phrase clearly alludes to the facial expression created by putting one's tongue in one's cheek. This induces a wink (go on - try it), which has long been an indication that what is being said is to be taken with a pinch of salt. It may have been used to suppress laughter. 'Tongue in cheek' is the antithesis of the later phrase - 'with a straight face'.