Oh My Word: Troop, Troupe

The dance troupe performed for six hours continuously delighting and enlivening the US troops stationed in Afghanistan. Troop is a large group of people or animals in motion: A troop of pupils were seen scattered across the playground and just enjoying for being there. A troop of reindeers is a wonderful sight to witness.

The plural of troop is troops meaning soldiers. A unit of cavalry or armed forces: In the international border areas between countries troops’ movements are closely watch by the respective countries; presence of foreign troops in a country is usually resented by the locals. As a verb troop refers to coming or going together in large numbers. Movie goers were seen trooping to buy tickets for the screening of Amitabh Bachchan’s movie.

“Siddhartha saw a troop of monkeys moving through the high canopy of the forest in the branches and heard their savage greedy song.” – Siddharatha by Hermann Hesse. The troop carriers of Russian and American made aircrafts and armoured vehicles are imported by many developing countries! Trope is a figurative reference to the use of a word or phrase in a metaphorical or ironical sense.

It is Greek in origin from the word tropos: turn, way, trope. It also refers to overused theme or device: The trope of India movies is songs and fights. “In the last days after 9/11, we heard innumerable reprises of the lazy leftist trope ‘poverty breeds terrorism.’ But the Arab world is wealthy.

It suffers, as David Pryce- Jones has said, from intellectual poverty.” –Mark Steyn Troupe is a group of performing artists; an ensemble; cast or a band of singers or musicians. It should be noted that troop and troupe both refers to a group of people but in troupe refers only to performing artists.

Trouper is a member of artistic group such as dance troupe or theatre. In informal contexts, trouper also refers to a person who is loyal and dependable (Amit Shah is the trouper of Modi that is why he was elevated to the key position of the BJP). A dance troupe was spotted in the desert of Rajasthan which made a troop of local to flock to scene of action. Cuba is known for sending its ballet troupes to Russia and Germany for performances without infusing trope of its communism. Troop,