Know your English | What does ‘to barge in on’ mean?

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ‘to barge in on’? (S. Jambunathan, Coorg)

When you ‘barge in on someone’, you intrude on the individual; you walk into their room without their permission — very often, upsetting the person. You interrupt, quite rudely, whatever it is the person is doing. It is also possible to ‘barge in on someone’s conversation’. When you do this, you rudely interrupt a conversation that two people are having; you poke your nose into something that you have no business doing.

From now on, make it a point to knock. Don’t just barge in.

Raj has the irritating habit of barging in on everyone’s conversation.

The expression can also be used to mean ‘to bump into or collide with someone or something’. In this case, you ‘barge into someone or something’.

I nearly barged into Tara as I was turning the corner.

The car skidded on the ice and barged into a big tree.

‘Barge’ comes from the Latin ‘bara’ meaning ‘boat’, and the word was initially used to refer to any small boat. Over a period of time, however, the word underwent a change in meaning. Today, it is mostly used to refer to any flat-bottomed vessel, mainly used to transport cargo. These vessels are mostly found on rivers and canals and are incapable of independent movement. Being big and heavy (because of the cargo they are carrying), they are usually towed or pulled by other boats, any attempt to quickly change direction or come to an abrupt stop usually results in an accident, with the barge sometimes colliding with the boat towing it.

What is the difference between ‘overpriced’ and ‘expensive’? (Aparna Das, Puri)

‘Expensive’ is the opposite of ‘cheap’; when you buy a product that is ‘expensive’, you are paying a lot of money for it. In addition to hinting at the price of the product, the use of the word also suggests something about the quality and value of the product. When you say that something is ‘expensive’, you are suggesting that given the quality of the product, it is worth the money you are paying for it. In other words, you are getting your money’s worth. We must, however, remember that ‘expensive’ is a relative term. What you and I may consider ‘expensive’, someone else may not.

Sandeep has a big collection of very expensive watches.

Shantha is in the habit of wearing very expensive clothes.

The use of the word ‘overpriced’ suggests that you are passing judgment on a product — you are saying it is not worth the money that you are being asked to pay. While the product may not be expensive, you are being made to pay a lot more than it is worth. You are being made to pay way too much money for a product of low value.

I couldn’t talk my friend out of buying a pair of ridiculously overpriced shoes.

I looked at the menu and walked out. Every item in the restaurant was overpriced.

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