Language notes on idioms, pronunciation, and usage
A language column answers reader questions on English meanings, pronunciation, and usage. It explains the idiom “to bite the dust”, the informal American word “hooch”, the phrase “snail mail”, the regional word choice between “flats” and “apartments”, and the expression “ad nauseam”.
The material is useful mainly as vocabulary support. It has limited direct UPSC value because it does not touch a policy, institution, law, or event, but it can help in precision of language for essay and comprehension practice.
Meaning and usage
“To bite the dust” is used informally. The phrase can mean death and, more generally, that something breaks or fails.
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