What is the meaning and origin of the idiom ‘left in the lurch’? (P Keshav, Madurai)
‘Lurch’ rhymes with ‘church’, ‘search’ and ‘perch’. The word comes from the French ‘lourche’, a board game played with dice that was popular in Europe – especially, France – in the 16th century. Today, very little is known about the game – not even the rules. It seems to have died a natural death by the end of the 17th century. The only reason we remember the game is because of the expression ‘left in the lurch’. When playing the game, when someone was ‘in the lurch’, it meant he was in a terrible position – he was likely to be defeated by a huge margin. In other words, the person was going to get thrashed. With the passage of time, the idiom changed to ‘left in the lurch’, and it began to be used in everyday contexts. Today, when you say that someone has left you in the lurch, it has nothing to do with winning or losing a game. It means the person who had promised to support you, abandons you at a time when you need him/her the most. The individual had promised to help you, and when you find yourself in a tough spot, the person chooses to do the disappearing act – you are left in a very awkward situation. You are betrayed by someone you had depended on.
The builder was left in the lurch when fifty of his workers walked out on him.
Seema was left in the lurch when on the day of the big party, the cook decided to take the day off.
Which is correct? Ravi sat in a chair or Ravi sat on a chair? (Malini Nayar, Kochi)
Both sentences are grammatically acceptable; which preposition you choose to use will depend on the type of chair that you are sitting on/in. If the chair has arms on both sides, then you would normally say, ‘I’m sitting in a chair’. If there are no arms, and nothing to restrict your movements, then you say ‘sit on chair’. Similarly, you ‘sit on’ the ground or floor. You ‘sit in a car/plane/bus/train’ because you are in an enclosed space. You, however, ‘sit on a bicycle/motorcycle/horse’.
Be careful siting in that chair. One of the arms is broken.
The chair that I sat on in the restaurant was very comfortable.
How is the word ‘distraught’ pronounced? (Neeta Mathur, Kolhapur)
The word consists of two syllables; the first sounds like the ‘dis’ in ‘disturb’ and ‘distance’, while the second syllable rhymes with ‘caught’, ‘bought’ and ‘fought’. The word is pronounced ‘dis-TRAUGHT’ with the stress on the second syllable. It comes from the Latin
‘distrahere’ meaning ‘drawn in different directions.’ Today, the word is mostly used to mean to be terribly upset. When you are distraught, you are so worried or nervous about something, that you are unable to think clearly. And what happens when you are unable to think clearly? Your mind begins to be ‘drawn in different directions’.
The star player was distraught when he missed a penalty in the final minutes of the game.
We were all distraught when we heard the shocking news!
upendrankye@gmail.com
Published – June 22, 2026 08:30 am IST
