The fort was restored to its former glory

The word ‘petty’ has several different meanings. When you refer to someone as being a ‘petty individual’, you are suggesting he is rather mean; someone who is selfish and focuses on rather trivial matters. It is not in this sense, however, that the word is being used here.

‘Petty’ comes from the French ‘petit’ meaning small. When you say that a woman is ‘petit’, you are suggesting she is small built. The word ‘cash’, on the other hand, comes from the Latin ‘capsa’ meaning ‘box’ or ‘chest’.

The term was originally used to refer to a box in which people kept money; with the passage of time, however, the meaning of the word shifted from the box to the money that was inside the box. The term ‘petty cash’, which continues to be used even today, began to be used in the 17th century in business circles to refer to the small amount of cash set aside for the minor, day-to-day expenses, that incurred - for example, snacks, tea, stationery, stamps, etc.

We usually pay for the afternoon tea and biscuits out of petty cash. When the Manager went on leave, I was put in charge of petty cash. You usually ‘repair’ something that is not working or not working properly. The aim here is to get the object – car, clock, grinder, etc.

– working again. You may carry out the repairs yourself, or you may pay someone to do it for you. For example, if your car or scooter is giving you problems, you might take it to a mechanic and get it fixed. The aim is here to solve a practical problem - getting the vehicle running again.

When you get your brakes repaired, you do not usually worry about the number of dents in the car. You may get the brakes repaired without fixing the dents - in other words, you are not worried about how the car looks. Your primary aim is to get it running again.

In other words, the focus of any repair is limited; the time and money spent on a repair is likely to vary. Sujatha is looking for a good mechanic to repair her dad’s old scooter. Ravi spent a couple of weekends trying to repair the grandfather clock.

To ‘restore’ an old car is far more difficult than repairing it. The process of ‘restoring’ a vehicle involves not only getting it to run again, but also making the vehicle look brand new – the way it looked when you first bought it.

In the case of restoration, unlike in the case of repairs, looks are important. To achieve this, you ensure that everything about the car looks authentic - the rear-view mirror, the paint, the upholstery, etc. should look like the original.

The same is true of the engine as well. People who restore things spend a lot of time looking for genuine parts. In other words, restoring involves bringing the vehicle back to its original glory. Restoring an object is both expensive and time consuming.

This shop specialises in restoring old clocks. Suresh spent nearly five years restoring his grandfather’s Fiat.