#KnowYourEnglish

(A Segment from The Hindu)

What does ‘homebody’ mean?

“Haven’t seen you in a while. Guess you decided to take a break. Where did
you go?”

“Had about ten days of leave remaining. So, decided to go somewhere I’ve
never been to —Sikkim! Guess who I met there?”

“The only person I know in Sikkim is Sujatha’s sister, Jyothi. Was it her?”

“Yes, it was! Asked her to come over for dinner at the hotel. But you know what,
she…”

“Jyothi’s a homebody. She probably refused to join you.”

“That’s right! Instead, she invited me over to her place. She’s a fantastic cook.
By the way, does ‘homebody’ mean someone who likes staying at home?”

“That’s right! A ‘homebody’ is a person who is

most comfortable in familiar surroundings.”

“In other words, this person hates going out.

Doesn’t like to travel.”
“I guess you could that. When a homebody has to travel, he does so, reluctantly.
The word sometimes carries with it a hint of disapproval. Vijay’s friends are
complaining that since marriage, he’s become a homebody.”

“I don’t think there’s anyone in my family who is a homebody. Even my

grandmother loves seeing new places.”

“It’s also possible to say ‘homebird’. It has the same meaning as ‘homebody’.”

“Don’t waste your time inviting Jyothi to parties. She’s a homebird.”

“That’s a good example! During weekends, Ramakanth is a homebird. Spends

a lot of his time looking after the garden.”

“Tell me, how is b..i..n..g..e pronounced. Is it like…”

“It rhymes with the words, ‘hinge’, ‘cringe’ and ‘tinge’. It is…”

“In other words, it rhymes with the second syllable of ‘syringe’!”

“That’s right! Do you know what ‘binge’ means?”

“Have a vague idea. My friends always talk about binge-watching several

episodes of a series. Yesterday, I binge-watched four episodes of Reacher.”

“That’s a good example. When you ‘binge-watch’, you

spend your time watching several episodes of a show
— one after another. I plan to binge-watch the first two
seasons of House this weekend.”
“That’s a pretty old television series, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is! But I haven’t watched it in a while. The word ‘binge’ has other
meanings as well. Do you know what they are?”

“Not a clue.”

“The word can be used as a noun and a verb. When used as a noun, it means
to do something excessively. It could be eating, drinking, shopping, etc.”

“When he didn’t get selected for the team, Atul went on a two-day drinking
binge.”

“That was a stupid thing to do. Ever since Christmas, I’ve been on an eating
binge.”

“That’s to be expected, I guess. Most people eat a lot between Christmas and
New Year’s. After all, we’re all at home doing nothing.”

“Here’s another example. In the U.S. and the U.K., people go on a shopping
binge before Christmas.”

“Can you give me examples of binge as a verb?”

“Whenever I get depressed, I binge on sweets.”

“My father binges on chips when he watches a cricket

match on TV.”
“That’s an excellent example! During weekends, many of my
friends binge on junk food.”
“One more reason to become a homebody. We’ll avoid junk food.”

“That’s true.”.

For More Content Join Our Telegram Channel By Clicking Here

Use Code PREP2DAY

Click Here To Grab It Now