By Segun Omolayo

More and more expressions of Nigerian provenance, as reported, have found their ways into the Oxford English Dictionary. Someone has warned, however, that their admittance has not made them English standard expressions, stressing that we should not use them anyhow just because they are now entries in the dictionary.

In other words, it may not be acceptable for a permanent secretary to now write words like chop-chop, buka and tokunbo to the governor just because they are in the dictionary.

The message is that writers should still beware of standard usage, even as we expect more Nigerian expressions such as “thank you for yesterday,” “go and open the door,” “come and eat” to get admittance into the English dictionary someday.

After all, more than 60 languages across the world have contributed words and phrases to the language. Even then, depending on the formality or informality, content or context of each writing, writers must beware of their diction in all situations, the entries in the dictionary notwithstanding.

Meanwhile, however, let literary geniuses like Sam Omatseye continue exercising their prerogative of creative liberty as they position words like fura and amala for global reckoning.

Now then, back to idioms:

In like manner

This is another simple-looking idiom that is prone to easy distortion, especially as such distortions can be very imperceptible. See how imperceptibly they tend to come in the statement below:

Mrs. Hillary Clinton also spoke in the like manner about the country.

It is incorrect to write in the like manner. The correct expression is in like manner. “It is normally used adverbially to mean any of the following, as the case may be: additionally, again, as well, besides, furthermore, likewise, moreover, in the same way etc.” (www.likenrich.com, as cited in “Pop” Errors).

In the context of the sentence, the most appropriate possible meanings of in like manner is: in the same way. To grasp this meaning sharply, apply it to the idiom as used correctly below:

Mrs. Hillary Clinton also spoke in like manner about the country.

Bring somebody to book/Bring somebody to justice

A little alteration here or there in an idiom changes it and creates confusion, even for those who have known and mastered it for a long time.

Read Also: IDIOMS IV

If you are such a person, you are likely to ask yourself, as you come across the kind of misuse below, whether you have always mistaken what is wrong for what is right or vice versa. The concern here is that errors are infectious, especially with so many vectors around.

The president should bring the fuel subsidy culprits to books.

According to “Pop” Errors, ‘Bring to book is it. It comes from the English idiom bring somebody to book, but the addition of letter s  to the word book has completely altered the idiom; it cannot stand as used, therefore. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary says it means “punish somebody for doing something wrong and make them explain their behavior.”

As closely related as bring to book and bring to justice are, we need to mind the fine difference between them. While the former is to punish, the latter is “to arrest somebody for a crime and put them on trial in court” (ibid:). The highly nuanced difference suggests that you are brought to justice first and then brought to book.

Staring in the face

Again, only a little tweak has spoilt the broth in the specimen sentence below – if we may adapt a popular saying in reverse: 

The roots of the multi-dimensional problems staring the country on the face are traceable mostly to the corridors of government.

The point is, “Staring in the face is the idiom, adapted from be staring somebody in the face. When something stares you in the face, it means the thing is glaringly apparent or obvious. Note that this is different from another idiom, namely: be staring something in the face.

When you are starring something in the face that means you cannot avoid that thing. The dictionary illustrates thus: “They were staring defeat in the face” (“Pop” Errors).

There is something important to take away from the closeness and near-sameness of the two idioms involved here: be staring somebody in the face; and be staring something in the face.

The important take-away is that you must master each idiom in detail, lest you keep mistaking one for another, betraying inexcusable ignorance.

Retrace his steps

As in all cases of alteration, the issue with this idiom is the dropping of one little element, which act is considered an unwarranted invention. In most of such cases, the neologists end up creating an expression that is alien to the English language. A good example of such lexical waywardness is:

It is not too late to retrace his step.

Let us note that retrace his step is not the same thing as retrace his steps, which is the appropriate way to use the idiom in the construction in consideration.

The difference between right and wrong lies in steps and step. As remarked earlier, the dropping of the letter s from the word steps makes the difference between sure-footed diction and uncertain, trial-and-error choice of words and expressions.

The repercussion spreads beyond the writer to infect innocent readers. The writer should inform and educate accurately, not confuse and mislead. To make ourselves clear, we re-write, thus:

It is not too late to retrace his STEPS.