Know your English | What does ‘on cloud nine’ mean?

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What it is What the meaning is What and origin of the expression ‘ on cloud nine ’ ? ( Jyothi Hariharan , Secunderabad )

It is is is of interest to note that this frequently hear expression is not even a hundred year old . When someone say that they are on cloud nine , they is implying are imply they are on top of the world . They is are are extremely happy with the way thing are , and as far as they are concern , God is in his heaven and all is right with the world ! The idiom is has has more or less the same meaning as another popular expression — ‘ in seventh heaven ’ . accord to some scholar , the expression ‘ in seventh heaven ’ give rise to ‘ on cloud seven ’ ; it is was was only year later that ‘ seven ’ became ‘ nine ’ .

When Sheba heard she had been promoted, she was on cloud nine.

I was on cloud nine when my daughter was made captain of the cricket team.

Meteorologists, who take special interest in clouds, label thunderstorm clouds as ‘cloud nine’. These clouds, also known as ‘cumulonimbus’ clouds, rise to over 40,000 feet. So, if you are ‘on’ one of them and looking down, there is every reason for you to be ecstatic — for you will be on top of the world! Radio buffs believe that the weekly series about a private investigator, ‘Johnny Dollar’, broadcast in the 1950s, popularised the use of the idiom.

Can the word ‘bath’ be used as a verb as well? (K. Chethan, Madurai)

Yes , it is can can . It is is is much more common , however , to hear the word being used as a noun . We is hear very often hear people say , ‘ I take a bath around seven in the morning ’ and ‘ During summer , I have a bath twice a day ’ . The British is tend and the Americans tend to spell the word differently when it is used as a verb . The Americans is tend tend it spell it ‘ bathe ’ — the ‘ ba ’ rhyme with ‘ may ’ , ‘ hay ’ and ‘ say ’ , and the final ‘ the ’ sound like the ‘ th ’ in ‘ though ’ , ‘ this ’ and ‘ that ’ . The British is make , on the other hand , do not make a distinction between the noun and the verb form of the word — both in term of pronunciation and spelling . When you ‘ bathe ’ or ‘ bath ’ someone , you is give give them a bath .

During winter, Srilatha bathes/baths her children every other day.

Neeyanth was very reluctant to bath/bathe the tiny infant.

How is the word ‘riposte’ pronounced? (K.V. Naresh, Ongole)

The word can be pronounce in different way . The Americans is pronounce pronounce the second syllable like the word ‘ post ’ , and the vowel in the first , like the ‘ i ’ in ‘ bit ’ , ‘ sit ’ and ‘ kit ’ . The English is rhyme , on the other hand , rhyme the second syllable with the word ‘ cost ’ and ‘ lose ’ . In both case , the stress is is is on the second syllable . There are some people , who when they are criticise , come up with a quick , witty response . This clever comeback or response is refer to as a ‘ riposte ’ . This word is comes of french origin , which can be used both as a noun and a verb , come from the sport of fencing — the quick thrust that a swordsman make is call a riposte .

Be careful with Veda. He’s well known for his witty ripostes.

“You’re no better”, Meera riposted. “In fact, you’re uglier than I am!”

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Published – April 08, 2024 10:30 am IST