In common parlance, a fan can be off-ed and a person can be in the act of offing a fan. And no, the fan in question is not the type of fan that supports Manchester United, and a person who wants to 'off the fan' or is in the process of 'offing the fan' does not want to murder said supporter of ManU. Fans are not just offed, sometimes one is also given an opportunity to 'on the fan'. This is not an instruction to perform feats worthy of a three-ring circus.
The fan, referred to in these contexts, is the garden variety of ceiling fan, which plays an important role in every Indian house, especially during the summer (i.e. 9 months of the year). Use of this humble, everyday object is one of the few ways the heat can be made bearable, and it is therefore the subject of many Hinglish sentences. Instructions regarding fan-usage given by a Hinglish speaker to a non-Hinglish speaker can be the source of great confusion.
To clarify, requests to 'on a fan' or 'off a fan' mean that the person just wants the ceiling fan to be turned on or off. When given this instruction, look at the fan in the room and change its current state of rest or motion to the direct opposite.
Fan-related requests can be made more complicated when you are told to 'raise' or 'lower' the fan. These feats, which seem to require the help of an electrician and a builder, are simple requests to turn the regulator to increase or decrease the speed of the fan.
You may also be requested to 'fasten the fan', 'speed the fan' or 'increase the fan'. For queries regarding these instructions see 'raise the fan'. Instructions to 'slow the fan' or 'decrease the fan' are similar to 'lower the fan' but are far less frequently used only because the average summer temperature in the country does not permit it.
The culprit in these fan-tastic situations? My favourite, literal translation!
The fan, referred to in these contexts, is the garden variety of ceiling fan, which plays an important role in every Indian house, especially during the summer (i.e. 9 months of the year). Use of this humble, everyday object is one of the few ways the heat can be made bearable, and it is therefore the subject of many Hinglish sentences. Instructions regarding fan-usage given by a Hinglish speaker to a non-Hinglish speaker can be the source of great confusion.
To clarify, requests to 'on a fan' or 'off a fan' mean that the person just wants the ceiling fan to be turned on or off. When given this instruction, look at the fan in the room and change its current state of rest or motion to the direct opposite.
Fan-related requests can be made more complicated when you are told to 'raise' or 'lower' the fan. These feats, which seem to require the help of an electrician and a builder, are simple requests to turn the regulator to increase or decrease the speed of the fan.
You may also be requested to 'fasten the fan', 'speed the fan' or 'increase the fan'. For queries regarding these instructions see 'raise the fan'. Instructions to 'slow the fan' or 'decrease the fan' are similar to 'lower the fan' but are far less frequently used only because the average summer temperature in the country does not permit it.
The culprit in these fan-tastic situations? My favourite, literal translation!
u left out one of my favourits... reduce the fan!
ReplyDeletewill put JK rowling to shame :)