Shashi Tharoor and Suhel Seth's Witty Exchange Over "Sole Mate" Oxford Dictionary Comment

Shashi Tharoor and Suhel Seth have once again engaged in their trademark wordplay on social media, delighting followers with their linguistic repartee.

New Delhi:

A witty verbal exchange has erupted between Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and author-columnist Suhel Seth after the latter described the Oxford dictionary as the Thiruvananthapuram MP's "sole mate."

True to his reputation, Mr. Tharoor responded with his characteristic eloquence, setting off an entertaining banter between the two wordsmiths.

The exchange began when Mr. Seth posted a photo of himself at Oxford University on Tuesday with the caption: "Greetings my dear @ShashiTharoor from Oxford University: behind me is the building where the Oxford Dictionary (your sole mate) was created."

Mr. Tharoor, known for his vast vocabulary and attention to linguistic precision, quickly noted the wordplay in Seth's message. "Dear @Suhelseth, if the Oxford English Dictionary is my 'sole mate,' then I suppose I walk in well-defined shoes. Better that than barefoot in banality! So I'm guilty as charged," he replied.

The Congress leader continued with his response: "And if you meant the OED is my 'sole' mate, I must say being wedded to the dictionary beats being shackled to cliches. At least my 'sole mate' knows the difference between 'disinterested' and 'uninterested'."

This reference highlights a common linguistic debate. While often used interchangeably, Oxford University Press defines 'disinterested' as impartial or unbiased, whereas 'uninterested' refers to someone who is apathetic.

Seth acknowledged Tharoor's clever comeback as "brilliant" and responded: "Here's wishing you the very best. As always. May the soles on your feet help you navigate people and parties and may you encounter souls who will be enriched by your intellect and find succour from your soul."

Tharoor couldn't resist one more quip: "And you actually wrote 'succour' and not 'sucker', Suhel -- so you ARE capable of self-restraint!" To which Seth humbly replied, "Learnt from the best..."

This isn't the first playful exchange between these two intellectual figures. Previously, they engaged in wordplay when Tharoor accidentally typed "condern" instead of "concern" in a social media post. Seth promptly asked, "What's 'conderned', good sir? New word?" Tharoor graciously admitted his error: "Concerned, when typed with a fat and careless thumb!"

The typo became an ongoing joke between them. Later, Seth wrote, "Just met Shashi Tharoor and am conderned about his throat: he's nursing a cold." Tharoor replied with characteristic wit: "Thank you for your condern, @suhelseth! Grateful that you condign to be conderned! Watch out some may condemn you for that!"

Tharoor, a bestselling author and renowned orator, has long been celebrated for his extensive vocabulary. He has embraced his reputation as a "linguaphile" or "wordsmith," once stating, "I'm besotted with words; it is fair to say that I love them."