Are you a neophyte or a man of the world?

Today’s English
July 25th, 2017

Knowledge which is acquired from books and people may be or may not be true but experience that is your own can never be false.  An experienced person is one who is skilful, seasoned, accomplished, adept, proficient, competent, veteran, resourceful, abled and expert.  The more you are experienced, the more you are mature.  Here are some expressions which you can try to talk about somebody’s experience and inexperience.

Whenever there is a failure, we have to accept it and learn a lesson from that experience.  This is what the expression “chalk it up to experience” / “put it down to experience”means.

1. I came to know that your project ended in failure. Don’t feel anything. Chalk it up to experience.
2. Have you lost all your money in business? Don’t worry. Just put it down to experience.

If a person has a lot of experience about life and people, and can deal with any kind of situations, he is called “a man of the world" or “a woman of the world".
1. You have put a right question to the wrong person. Ask Mr.John who is really a man of the world.
2. She, being a woman of the world, settled all issues which came on her way.

If a person with no experience gives pieces of advice and suggestions to another person with no experience, the situation is known as “the blind leading the blind".  If you are speaking on the stage for the first time, it’s your maiden speech. If you are just now involved into an activity and has started to learn and gather experience, you are a neophyte.  But, after getting into a new powerful position without enough experience, if you behave in such a way as if you know more than others and irritate others in this way, you are “an upstart.”

1. He knows nothing about this. Following his words is but the blind leading the blind.
2. I’m just a neophyte. Why can’t you ask any senior staff here?
3. His behaviour, after assuming the new position, proved that he is an upstart.

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt