THAI SAYING IN ENGLISH
Dear Dr English,
I want to know the English expression for the Thai saying "joot tai tum tor". Please kindly explain to me.
Thanut
I do not think there is an equivalent English expression for a situation that is called "jud tai tum tor" in Thai, but according to the Domnern-Sathienpong Thai-English Dictionary, the saying means to get a nasty surprise, to commit a faux pas (a socially embarrassing action or mistake), to make an embarrassing blunder (a careless mistake), or to make a boner (an embarrassing mistake)
It came as a nasty surprise to Wanchai that it was the car of his boss' wife that he had hit.
Wanchai is very quiet today as he doesn't want a faux pas at a special event like this.
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WHY SHE "DON'T"?
Dear Dr English,
From the lyrics of the popular song "Cocaine" below, the singer sings, "She don't lie..."
I wonder why he does not sing "She doesn't lie..."
If you wanna hang out you've got to take her out, cocaine
If you wanna get down, down on the ground, cocaine
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie, cocaine.
If you got bad news, you wanna kick them blues, cocaine.
When your day is done and you wanna run, cocaine.
Pongjai Kridakorn
Lyrics in songs do not always follow the normal rules of grammar because of the sound and the rhythm the word or phrase expressed. Also, the songwriters sometimes intend to sound like some ethnic groups that use non-official grammar rules. Songs are not ideal material for learning grammar, but are good for practising listening skills and comprehension.
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GREETING IN THE AFTERNOON
Dear Dr English,
When we meet a person for the first time in a day during the afternoon, how should we greet him/her? Can I say "good afternoon"?
Visweswara Rao
Yes, you can. "Good morning", "good afternoon" and "good evening" are formal greetings. When to use which phrase depends on the time of day. "Good morning" is used roughly until about 1pm. "Good afternoon" is normally used between 1pm and 6pm. After 6pm, "Good evening" is used.
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