Know your English | What does ‘legwork’ mean? Premium

A column in The Hindu which helps you learn English

“How do you pronounce g..o..a..t..e..e?”

“The ‘goa’ is pronounced like the word ‘go’, and the ‘tee’ is pronounced like the word ‘tea’. The word is pronounced ‘go-TEA’ with the stress on the second syllable. Do you know what a goatee is?”

“Isn’t it the pointed beard that you grow on the chin?”

“Very good! When you have a goatee, you leave the area around the chin alone. You shave everywhere else — cheeks, under the neck, etc.”

“I am not particularly fond of the goatee. Are you?”

“It looks great on some people. My friend Ravi has had a goatee most of his life.”

“That’s true! But why is it called ‘goatee’? Is there a reason?”