[Thad E Ginathom]

...When you have stopped Banging Your Head Against a Brick wall!

My wife speaks of "breaking one's head" over a problem.

A sitcom from several decades ago gave us the advice "not to get our knickers twisted"

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My wife speaks of "breaking one's head" over a problem.

That is a transliteration from a similar Tamil usage. A variation of banging one's head, really!

Thad, that made me wonder - have you picked up any Tamil words yet? The swear words, at least?

[Thad E Ginathom]

I probably know about twelve to fifteen words of Tamil plus a handful of bird and animal names. About the thing I always refer to by its Tamil name is an ee!

That is pretty bad for five years, and a good few years before that of being with Tamil people in London. Mt mind is no better at language than it was in my school-days.

Still... If I can up it to 30 in the next five years, and perhaps increase my sentence count beyond one or two...

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I probably know about twelve to fifteen words of Tamil plus a handful of bird and animal names. About the thing I always refer to by its Tamil name is an ee!

That is pretty bad for five years, and a good few years before that of being with Tamil people in London. Mt mind is no better at language than it was in my school-days.

Still... If I can up it to 30 in the next five years, and perhaps increase my sentence count beyond one or two...

Well I guess you are 'Tamilogically challenged', right? I suggest you pick up at least the commonly-used swear words, as it helps a lot to know if someone is swearing at you, and also helps in swearing back.

As the old saying goes--'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

If you know at least the swear words, you can pass yourselves off as a local.

[LithiumSunset]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

...
I am no expert, but I love the language and study it, so I tend to make a few less mistakes. But we all make mistakes.....

If there is a joke intended here, its brilliant! (of course, we all make mistakes!) However I would have worded 'few less' differently, I am sure even you would have, Sam.

Tried to trawl through the pages, don't think anybody 'got' it, but then, did I?

[carboy]

Not sure if this has already been discussed in this thread, but the use of the word "crib" to mean complain or whine is almost unique to India.

[anku94]

Originally Posted by carboy

Not sure if this has already been discussed in this thread, but the use of the word "crib" to mean complain or whine is almost unique to India.

6. crib

n / v., Complain, rant.
Dude, will you stop cribbing about the weather?
She cribs all the time

Source : Urban Dictionary: crib

Well, Urban Dictionary doesn't get the same respect from scholars the Oxford dictionary does, but it's not maintained by, or is popular with Indians.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by anku94

Source : Urban Dictionary: crib

Well, Urban Dictionary doesn't get the same respect from scholars the Oxford dictionary does, but it's not maintained by, or is popular with Indians.

Urban Dictionary lets anyone add entries, I think.
This was added by "Macha" who likely may be Indian. This is the only by that user.

Most other sources do not give this meaning for crib.

define:crib - Google Search

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by LithiumSunset

If there is a joke intended here, its brilliant! (of course, we all make mistakes!) However I would have worded 'few less' differently, I am sure even you would have, Sam.

Tried to trawl through the pages, don't think anybody 'got' it, but then, did I?

So we have another contributor to this thread. Welcome.
And you are right - no one got it. But if you mean to say 'got it' itself is not a correct usage (going by the way you have put it in quotes), I would say, I dont get it

[anku94]

Originally Posted by carboy

Urban Dictionary lets anyone add entries, I think.
This was added by "Macha" who likely may be Indian. This is the only by that user.

Most other sources do not give this meaning for crib.

define:crib - Google Search

Well, see the 80-90 thumbs ups besides that definition. I'm sure 80-90 Indian users don't visit the site and arrive at a specific word, 'crib'. IMO, it's an informal usage of the word doesn't appear in dictionaries. There are a lot more words popular with Americans/English that don't appear anywhere except UrbanDictionary.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by anku94

Well, see the 80-90 thumbs ups besides that definition. I'm sure 80-90 Indian users don't visit the site and arrive at a specific word, 'crib'. IMO, it's an informal usage of the word doesn't appear in dictionaries. There are a lot more words popular with Americans/English that don't appear anywhere except UrbanDictionary.

I am pretty sure that the English do not use the word crib in this sense. Thad can confirm. Nor do Australians.

Americans, I am not so sure, but I have never come across an American using it in that sense.

Plus there seems to be 51 thumbs up besides that meaning, not 80-90.
And 35 downs.

[anku94]

Originally Posted by carboy

I am pretty sure that the English do not use the word crib in this sense. Thad can confirm. Nor do Australians.

Americans, I am not so sure, but I have never come across an American using it in that sense.

Plus there seems to be 51 thumbs up besides that meaning, not 80-90.
And 35 downs.

After using UD for over an year to understand, you know, the kindda highly informal English Americans use in movies, I've learnt not to count the thumbs-downs. They're misleading, usually the work of frustrated teenagers.

Plus, every country has its local version of a language. You don't have to look upto the English Language department at Oxford to sanction your usage of a word.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by carboy

I am pretty sure that the English do not use the word crib in this sense. Thad can confirm. Nor do Australians.

I am not going to be dogmatic on this one, not sure enough to say "never" --- but I think you are right.

Originally Posted by anku94

Plus, every country has its local version of a language. You don't have to look upto the English Language department at Oxford to sanction your usage of a word.

It is absolutely true both that language evolves and that English has different regional variants. It is also true that both of these are often claimed as justification for bad and incorrect language. Taking the point to extremes, if we admit everything, then even baby talk must enter the language uncorrected!

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

It is absolutely true both that language evolves and that English has different regional variants. It is also true that both of these are often claimed as justification for bad and incorrect language. Taking the point to extremes, if we admit everything, then even baby talk must enter the language uncorrected!

I agree with TEG on this. Taking things to the extreme can result in a language in which one is not able to converse with a person from another region. As an Indian what I speak may not be understood by a Japanese and what the Japanese speak may not be understood by the Australians and so on. So what will be the purpose of such a language, that too English, which is called a universal language?