For representative purposes.
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“I haven’t seen your friend Vivek in a while. Is he busy travelling?”
“I’m sure he wishes he were. Unfortunately, poor Vivek is laid up again. He had a bad….”
“Laid up? Does it mean he’s not well? Is he…”
“When you say that someone is laid up, you mean he’s not doing well. It suggests that the individual is confined to bed.”
“Because he is ill or has injured his foot or something?”
“It could be anything. The important thing is that he’s forced to spend most of his time in bed — whether he likes it or not. Here’s an example. Savithri was laid up for nearly a week with a bad case of cold and cough.”
“My manager was laid up for a month with a serious back problem.”
“That’s a good example! When I was laid up, my friends brought me meals every day.”
“That was thoughtful of them. What happened to Vivek? What is he laid up with?”
“Oh, you know Vivek. A very rash driver. He had a nasty fall on his motorcycle. He…”
“The fall happened more than a month ago! Don’t tell me he still hasn’t recovered!”
“He recovered from that fall all right. This accident happened a few days ago.”
“Good grief! Somebody should take away the bike from the guy. Was it serious?”
“He was pretty badly bruised from head to foot. Luckily, he didn’t have to go under the knife.”
“Lucky not to go under the knife? Don’t think I’ve heard that expression before. Does it mean to have surgery?”
“Very good! That’s exactly what it means. When you go under the knife, you’re operated on.”
“So, the patient is literally lying under the knife the surgeon or doctor is holding!”
“Exactly! During a routine check-up, the doctors found several blockages in Nalini’s heart. Looks like she’ll be going under the knife this weekend.”
“Really? I’m surprised to know that Nalini has a heart. Just kidding! I’m sure her parents will be coming over to help. What really scares me is in many surgeries the patient is conscious while he is under the knife.”
“I know! It happened to my father when he was under the knife for a minor hernia surgery. He could hear everything the doctors were saying.”
“Any idea how long Nalini will be under the knife?
“The doctor said anywhere between four to five hours. She should be up and about in a matter of a few weeks.”
“Up and about? I can guess what that expression means. Doesn’t it mean to feel well enough to do the things you want to?”
“When you’re up and about after a surgery, it means you’re no longer laid up. You’re able to get out of bed, walk around, and do the things that need to be done — without straining yourself too much.”
“In other words, the person is active again. How about this example? The champion was up and about a day after a minor surgery.”
“Sounds good! Visited Naresh after a long time. It was good see his grandfather up and about.”
“The star used social media to inform her adoring fans that she was up and about.”
“I’m sure they’re all relieved.”
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Published – December 15, 2025 08:30 am IST
