Moral Maze – 7

My childless nephew has been left a one-third share of a holiday home. The balance is owned by his well-off siblings, who holiday in the house with their children. My modestly-earning nephew is divorcing and cannot buy his spouse’s share of the marital home. A poky flat awaits him unless his siblings buy out his share of the holiday home. They refuse. Who is being unreasonable?

Language notes

balance – noun – the difference between an amount of money paid and the money unpaid, between credit and debit. Here the nephew’s brothers and sisters own two-thirds of the property, the balance of what he owns.
poky – adj – (of a room or building) (also pokey) uncomfortably small and cramped
to buy someone out – to pay someone to give up an ownership, interest or share

"May all your troubles be small ones!" This is a phrase which is used in reaction to someone who is making a mountain out of a molehill about his / her problems. It actually means you think someone should get his / her problem into perspective, and complain less, or make less of a song-and-dance about it.

to make a song-and-dance about sth – to make a lot of fuss about something

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