iqdigest

Can ‘downtime’ be used with humans also? It's a term that was first used in factories. A factory's ‘downtime’ is the period when its machines are switched off. It's also used with computers. A computer's downtime is the period when it is switched off. When it is not in use. So when a person talks about downtime, he is referring to the period when he does not work. He relaxes. A period when an employee is unable to work productively due to fatigue, lack of tasks, motivation issues, or system delays. Examples: Waiting for data to load Breaks and rest time Lack of work assignment Low energy or burnout * If it's downtime you want, work for a government organization. Last year we didn't get downtime between projects. It was just terrible. Key Differences Aspect Machine Downtime Human Downtime Cause Technical faults, updates, power issues Mental fatigue, idle time, lack of input Predictability Can be scheduled or monitored Harder to predict consiste...

What does “goldbricking” mean? It means to be lazy. To avoid doing one's duty. Like our Government officials! I wish somebody would tell these people to stop goldbricking and do some work for a change. Goldbricking is what our politicians are born to do. Even those who are not goldbrickers become one. A goldbricker is someone who spends his time doing nothing. *    Madhu is such a goldbricker. *    If you think he is a goldbricker, you should meet his brother. We've talked about ‘goldbricking’ and ‘goldbricker’. Does the word `goldbrick' exist? Yes, it does. A ‘goldbrick’ is someone who is very lazy. *    Stop wasting your time and get back to work you goldbrick. *    Our cable operator is such a goldbrick.

How is the word "flour" pronounced? It's pronounced the same way as the word "flower". It rhymes with "shower", "our", and "power".

Why do we say "an MBBS" and "an MP"? The rule for using the articles "a" and "an" is quite simple.  Use "a" before words that begin with a consonant sound and "an" before words that begin with a vowel sound.  Notice that I am not referring to the letter which a word begins with, but the sound.  Try this out. Say M.B.B.S. Now say the word "monkey". Do you hear a difference between the "m" in monkey and "MBBS"?  The letter "m" when said in isolation, as it is done in the case of "MBBS" and "MP", begins with a vowel sound. That's the reason why you use the article "an". But the same letter in words like "monkey" and "man" begins with a consonant sound.  This also explains why the word university" although it begins with the letter "u" does not take the article "an" before it. The word does not beg...

What is the meaning and origin of the expression "once in a blue moon"? When something happens "once in a blue moon" it happens very rarely. Here are a few examples.   There are several explanations as to the origin of this expression. According to scientists, whenever a volcano erupts, the Sulphur and dust particles that are thrown up into the atmosphere often cause the moon to appear blue for some time. When the volcano on Krakatoa (an island between Java and Sumatra) exploded in 1883, rocks were hurled thirty miles high into the air and dust from the volcano fell nearly three thousand miles away. After this eruption the moon looked blue for several days. Luckily for us, volcanoes don't erupt every day, so a blue moon continues to be a rare phenomenon. Another explanation offered by scholars is the following. On very rare occasions we have two full moons within the same month. The editors of "Maine Far...

How is the word "penchant" pronounced? This is a word of French origin and as you may expect there is a big difference in the manner in which the French and the English pronounce it. Here's how the Englishmen pronounce the word. The first syllable sounds like the word "pen", while the "a" in the second is pronounced like the "a" in "china". The "ch" is like the "ch" in "chips", "cheap", and "choose"; the main stress is on the first syllable. Any idea what the word means? When you have a penchant for something, you have a strong liking for it. You tend to do it. The word is generally used in formal contexts. Here are a few examples, * Dilka has a penchant for wearing jeans and T-shirt. * Many writers in our country have a penchant for the florid.