Know your English | What does ‘chirpy’ mean?

“Tried calling you around 9 last night, but you didn’t pick up. Where were you…”

“Sorry about that! Believe it or not, I was sound asleep by 8:30.”

“Really? You’re someone who goes to be bed rather late, aren’t you? So, what …”

“Went on a long trek with Sujatha and her gang. I was so exhausted that I crashed out as soon as I returned home.”

“You crashed out? What are you talking about?”

“When you say that you ‘crashed out’, what you’re suggesting is that you fell asleep very quickly. The expression is used in informal contexts.”

“I see! In other words, you were so tired that you just couldn’t stay awake.”

“That’s right! After a heavy meal, I just crashed out on the new sofa.”

“How about this example? After a day of cricket in the hot sun, I expect the kids to crash out after dinner.”

“Sounds good! For all you know, they might crash out even before dinner!”

“What about you? Do you crash out as soon as your head hits the pillow? Or does it take you some time to actually …”

“I’m not that lucky, I’m afraid! It takes me a long time to fall asleep. After lying down, I toss and turn for some time before I eventually…”

“Toss and turn? Does it mean to be restless?”

“That’s right! When you toss and turn in bed, you keep changing your position in order…”

“You’re hoping to find a comfortable position…”

“It could be that! Or it could be that you’re worried about something. One can also toss and turn while sleeping.”

“If you do that, it probably suggests that you’re restless. The sleep is not deep.”

“Very good! I think the baby is going to come down with something. She was tossing and turning all night.”

“After a night of tossing and turning, Anand woke up in the morning feeling extremely tired.”

“Great example! I get up at 3:00 in the morning, and then I toss and turn till I get out of bed at 5:00.”

“I don’t have any such problem. No tossing and turning. I sleep like a log. And when I wake up, I’m my usual …By the way, how is c..h..i..r..p..y pronounced?”

“The first syllable rhymes with ‘sir’, ‘stir’ and ‘fur’, and the following ‘y’ sounds like the ‘i’ in ‘pit’, ‘kit’ and ‘bit’. The word is pronounced ‘CHER-pi’ with the stress on the first syllable. Any idea what the word means?”

“Of course, I do! When you say that someone is a chirpy individual, what you’re suggesting is that he is a very happy person.”

“Not just happy, but very bubbly. He is someone who is full of life. He is very energetic and enjoys talking.”

“I see. How about this example? Unlike her husband, Sudha is always chirpy.”

“Good example. What you say is true. How she manages to be so chirpy in the mornings is something that is beyond me.”

“People at the office become chirpier as the weekend approaches.”

“And we are extremely grumpy when we come to work on Monday!”

“Most normal people are! People the world over experience the Monday morning blues!”

“So true!”

upendrankye@gmail.com