AUG 25 — I was at a wedding reception at the weekend where close friends and relatives were invited to speak of the bride and groom – impromptu.
The first was a close friend of the bride who spoke fondly of her — expectedly.
Speaking of the groom, the friend in all honesty said that not much was known of him. The couple had kept their relationship to themselves for seven years, but the first impression was that he was an introvert — just the opposite of the bride.
Opposites do attract.
Now that they are husband and wife, one is not just the opposite but the better half of the other.
According to Grammarphobia, when “better half” appeared in the mid-16th century, it meant “the larger portion of something” or “more than half”.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the phrase appeared in the late 16th century to mean “a person’s husband, wife or (in later use) partner”.
The first citation is from The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia, a pastoral romance by Sir Philip Sidney, published posthumously in 1590, four years after the author’s death. The dying Argalus said to his wife Parthenia:
“My dear, my better half … I find I must now leave you.”
The OED also says the phrase has had two other senses: “a close and intimate friend” (1596) and “a person’s soul” (1629), but the first is now rare and the second obsolete.
In the spousal sense, “better half” is often used affectionately. But my wife is the better half – literally.
It now dawns on me why can’t the Opposition be the better half of the government?
This file picture shows a sign held up by a protester during the ‘Turun Anwar’ rally at Sogo Shopping Center, Kuala Lumpur July 26, 2025 — Picture by Raymond Manuel
Instead of calling for the prime minister to “turun” — when the prime minister “turun” the government also “turun” — be the better half by being a responsible Opposition to make the country and its governance better.
Come GE16, may the better coalition be the government.
