When do you say 'elbow grease'? Is 'more power to your elbow' correct? These 2 pairs of homophones will shock you. Join the class now.

Hello KIB students. 

I hope you kipped well .

We have something vital to learn.

1.Elbow grease

2.More elbow grease

3.More grease to your elbow.

These three expressions are usually used by Nigerians when they want to praise someone and say that they hope the person continues to have success.

The truth is,  'elbow grease' is the only recognised English expression among the three and it doesn't depict 'praise at  all.

So,  the question is,  what exactly is 'Elbow grease'?

Elbow grease means

Hard work especially when you are cleaning; hard scrubbing. Strenuous physical effort. 

Elbow grease , according to Wikipedia,  is an idiom for working hard at manual labour . It is a figure of speech for humorously indicating nothing else but manual work is required.

Here are examples.

When someone is scrubbing the floor and it  still doesn't look clean, you can say.

Hey,  more elbow grease please. The dirt is still visible.

My mum put a lot of elbow grease into cleaning the kitchen.

With more elbow grease,  we'd be able to make this house very clean within an hour.

So if 'elbow grease' deals  with 'physical power' and cleaning,  why tell someone 'elbow grease ' and 'more elbow grease' when they performed well in school?

Well,  the best expression to use  to praise people and wish them success is

'more power to your elbow'.

That's right.

Finally

Aren't and aunt are homophones. 

Please,  don't ever pronounce 'aren't' as 'arint'.

I chuckle when I hear people say that. I find it hard correcting people's expressions.  They'd end up avoiding saying anything around me. What you have to know is that,  Teacher also makes simple mistakes.  Just like you,  I want to be better everyday.

Bizarre and bazaar are homophones. It will be too hard for a Nigerian to agree .

Usually we say

Bazaar as bazaar

bizarre as bizaar.

The both of them are pronounced as / bəˈzɑː/

Alright KIB students,  the class with King Ifey  is  done and dusted. If there is anyone that needs to be here to learn,  please invite them to join us as soon as possible.

Toodles.

Walks out of the class,  peeps through the window.

Oh,  by the way,  someone had asked me what 'right of the bat' means.

It  means 'immediately'.  I'll be going to Harare right off the bat. (don't know Harare?  Find out where it is)

What so you call 'Atitanwangwere' in English.

Is 'be rest assured' correct?

Ciao! 