“Good morning! You look tired. What’s happening? Having late nights?”

“Venkat is in town, and as you know, he’s a big foodie. So, in the evenings, I’ve been taking him to the new restaurants.”

“That’s nice of you. I just hope you’re not paying all the time. Are you talking about the well-heeled Venkat or the…”

“Well-heeled Venkat? I don’t think I’ve ever looked at Venkat’s heels.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. The expression ‘well-heeled’ is used in informal contexts to mean ‘rich’. A well-heeled individual is someone who has a lot of money. Some of my cousins are well-heeled.”

“During summer, some of the well-heeled in Delhi spend a month in Europe.”

“When the news of the scandal broke, many of his well-heeled clients left him.”

“That’s a good example. I heard that your cousin is taking part in the college elections this year. How is she doing? Do you think she’ll win?”

“Difficult to say. According to most people, the two candidates are running neck and neck.”

“Neck and neck? You mean ‘neck to neck’, don’t you?”

“No, it’s always ‘neck and neck’, not ‘neck to neck’. When you run neck and neck with someone…”

“I know what the expression ‘neck and neck’ means. When you say that two people are running neck and neck, what you’re saying is that they’re running side by side. That it’s difficult to say who will win the race.”

“Very good. The two runners are level and both have a chance of winning. According to exit polls, the two parties are running neck and neck. At this moment, it’s difficult to say who will form the Government.”

“For much of the race, Kumar was in the lead. But as he approached the finish line, he was running neck and neck with four others.”

“Do you know where the expression comes from?”

“Probably from two people running a race.”

“You’re correct about the race part. But it’s not a race between people, but horses.”

“I see. So, it’s the horses that are running neck and neck. That makes sense, I guess. I understand your boss is in some kind of trouble.”

“Big trouble, if you ask me! Several people informed on him. The CEO is planning an inquiry.”

“Is it ‘inform’ or ‘inform on’?”

“When you inform on someone, what you’re doing is going to an individual in authority, and telling them about some wrong that a person has done.”

“And I suppose this is done secretly.”

“Yes, that’s right! For example, you might decide to go to the police and tell them about the illegal activities happening in your company.”

“In other words, you betray the company that you’ve been working for.”

“Well, in a sense, yes. In most cases, ‘inform on’ has a negative connotation. Here’s an example. If you don’t mend your ways Promod, I’m afraid I’ll have to inform on you to our Director.”

“Anyone caught informing on our activities to the police will be punished severely.”

“Das is a man of integrity. If his mother does something wrong, he’ll not hesitate to inform on her.”

“The man must be crazy. I wouldn’t dream of informing on my mother.”

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