"Please, he said. What is the meaning of these words? I stared at the words in the distressed way you might stare at party guests whose faces you' ve seen somewhere before but whose names have escaped your mind. Proverb? Peculiar? Idiomatic? How on earth should i know? It's one thing to use a word it's another to explain it. I resorted to shifting the topic Where did you get these words? The driver explained that he was Pakistani. He listened to the radio as he drove and often jotted down unfamiliar, fascinating words whose meanings and spellings he then sought from his passengers “ Peculiar;" he said." What does this mean?” could manage that one. Strange, " I said. "Odd. Often with a hint of something suspicious “ Thank you,Miss. And idiomatic?”“Please,” he said. “What is the meaning of these words?” I stared at the words in the distressed way you might stare at party guests whose faces you’ve seen somewhere before but whose names have escaped your mind. Proverb? Peculiar? Idiomatic? How on earth should I know? It’s one thing to use a word, it’s another to explain it. I resorted to shifting the topic. “Where did you get these words?” The driver explained that he was Pakistani. He listened to the radio as he drove and often jotted down unfamiliar, fascinating words whose meanings and spellings he then sought from his passengers. “Peculiar,” he said. “What does this mean?” I could manage that one. “Strange,” I said. “Odd. Often with a hint of something suspicious.” “Thank you, Miss. And idiomatic?