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Talking about "home" we all have the feeling of warmth, comfort and relaxation. The adjective "homey" is used mainly in America.

Charlie checked in at a small but homey resort on the riverside.

Don't confuse this with the word "homely", because if the resort Charlie checked into is homely it is plain or ordinary but pleasant like one's own home.

What's the name of that homely pub our gang usually hanged out in on Friday nights?

But since rules tend to have an exception, so are the meanings of "home" when made into new words, such as the one taken from the headline, "Home-truth time for Suvarnabhumi".

Bob is a clever and good-looking young man from a good family who has been wondering why no women have wanted to go out with him, until one day Jack, his long-time friend, told Bob the home truth: he is macho and very selfish. It was surely unpleasant news for Bob but these are the facts.

We must tell them some home truths before the problems go too far.

So, "home-truth time for Suvarnabhumi" is the time for the administration of Suvarnabhumi Airport to face up to unpleasant facts, as appeared in the introductory paragraph of this news article.

"Aviation experts evaluating Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport after one year of operation have said the airport is losing competitiveness due to high charges while still being poor in public services."

Let's go back to our handsome Bob. At the beginning he did not believe Jack and felt that he was unfair to him, but Jack managed to hammer home his honest opinion as a good friend. Bob then realised it and was thankful to his mate.

When Jack hammered home his message to Bob he expressed it clearly and forcefully to make sure that Bob understood his opinion.

How can we hammer home to motorists that drunk-driving is very dangerous to everybody on the roads?

One more word to finish off today's column - "homespun". Literally, the word means a fabric made from thread spun at home rather than in a factory. This has been a simple and ordinary method of making cloth since olden times.

The usual connotation is that it is used metaphorically to describe opinions, beliefs or comments that are simple, uncomplicated and usually not well thought out.

I think their comments were one-sided and homespun; to get a balanced opinion we need to talk to different groups of people.

Complete the sentences using the words explained:

1. Many organisations are trying to … to the public that the self-sufficiency philosophy will benefit the country as a whole.

2. It might cause uneasiness to tell them the … but I believe it is the best move to start with if we want the company to survive.

3. Before this hilltribe village could be accessed by concrete road its residents lived their traditional life and followed … ethics.

4. Whenever Liz felt homesick she would go to the … country cottage in Scotland and spend a weekend there.

5. The pattern on this piece of … cloth is exquisite; it is not easy to find this level of craftsmanship any more.

 

Answers: 1. hammer home, 2. home truths, 3. homespun, 4. homely, 5. homespun

By Parnsap Yomanage