“Did you inform the principal about the problem the students are having with the new teacher?”

“I can’t. If I do, I’ll be in serious trouble.”

“Why would you be in serious trouble? The students are not complaining about you.”

“The principal doesn’t like it when someone complains about the new teacher. Right now, she’s the apple of his eye.”

“Apple of his eye? What are you talking about? How can you get an apple…”

“When you say that your sister is the apple of your eye, what you’re suggesting is that she’s someone you like very much.”

“That she’s my favourite; someone I absolutely adore.”

“I guess you could say that! You can use this expression with objects as well. Raj has had that car of his for over twenty years. It continues to be the apple of his eye.”

“Our old house in the village is the apple of my father’s eye.”

“What about you? Are you the apple of your mother’s eye?”

“No, my sister is the apple of my mother’s eye. Tell me, what’s the connection between an apple and an eye? I mean, is the…”

“In the past, people believed that an apple looked like the pupil — the shape, that is. In fact, for some time, the words ‘apple’ and ‘pupil’ were used synonymously.”

“I see. Without the pupil, we wouldn’t be able to see. Sight is something everyone values. I guess that’s why the idiom ‘the apple of one’s eye’ means something that is greatly treasured or valued.”

“Very good!”

“Thank you. Why haven’t you sent any of the photographs that you took at last week’s birthday party?”

“They’re not worth sending. Most of them had been photobombed by someone or the other.”

“Photobombed? What does it mean?”

“It’s when someone walks in front of the person whose photograph is being taken. The unwanted person may appear in the background as well. In the process, the individual ruins the picture. A person may do this deliberately or accidentally.”

“Many of my friends do it intentionally. They usually have a funny expression on their face when they do this.”

“My neighbour’s irritating kid photobombed most of the pictures I took of my grandmother.”

“I thought I had taken a beautiful photograph of the morning sun. But unfortunately, I got photobombed by a couple of crows.”

“That’s a good example. In this context, the two crows can be referred to as ‘photobombers’. I kept my eye on the man dressed like a clown. He looked like someone who was used to playing the role of a photobomber.”

“My friends love playing the role of a photobomber.”

“So, did you talk to your friends about the cricket match?”

“Yes, we discussed about it. But I don’t think they’re really interested in playing cricket in this weather.”

“I see. You generally ‘discuss’ something. You don’t ‘discuss about’ it.”

“But I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘discuss about’.”

“It’s true some people say it. But it’s frowned upon. Let’s discuss the matter over a cup of coffee.”

“This article discusses how songs can be used in the classroom. How about seeing a movie tomorrow afternoon?”

“Why don’t we discuss it on our way home?”

The chief function of the body is to carry the brain around.

-Thomas. A. Edison

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