PE 12/17 All Aboard for St. Petersburg

* up-to-date: based on or using the latest methods or information

ex> I’m impressed with Hilary’s up-to-date ideas on using social media for advertising.

* conducive: providing the conditions for a specific outcome

ex> Your giving trumpet lessons in our home would not be conducive to my being able to study.

* tie in with: to be relevant to

ex> The two departments were merged because their research tied in with each other’s.

Note> I often heard this from professors who would grade my essays in college. They would make remarks on the side such as, “This point ties in nicely with your argument.” Those types of comments would make my day!

* before you know it: very soon

ex> I’ll teach him how to shred lettuce, and before you know it he’ll be making salads all by himself.

Note> This phrase means that it will happen so quickly that you might miss whatever happened. So I would say, “It’ll all be over before you know it!”

* bonkers: crazy; mentally unbalanced

ex> Trying to get all these papers in order is enough to drive you bonkers.

* Come off it: I don’t believe you.

ex> Come off it. There’s no way that a dog can ever be taught to perform arithmetic.

* furthermore: 게다가, 더욱이

There are several synonyms for furthermore, like in addition to, what’s more, besides, moreover, additionally, on top of that, and and. Why? In English, it is considered bad style to reuse the same expressions within a passage, except when they’re used intentionally for emphasis. That’s why there are so many ways to say and!

ex> You’re not allowed to leave this house for two weeks. Furthermore, you must take all the medication your doctor has prescribed. Is that understood?

PE 12/16 What to Do with Ugly Fruit

* produce: food or other goods obtained through farming

ex> Our neighborhood convenience store has started carrying some produce.

* let something slide: to neglect something

ex> John took piano lessons for many years, but he let it slide when he went to college.

* bat a thousand: to do something perfectly or successfully

ex> I’ve sold something to every customer today, so I guess I’m batting a thousand.

Note> In the baseball world, batting (a) 1000 in major league baseball is considered perfect. Please note that this phrase is often used sarcastically.

* get rid of: to discard; dispose of

ex> My bedroom is much more organized now that I’ve gotten rid of all the clothes I wasn’t wearing.

* brainstorm: a sudden idea; a group session to gather ideas

ex> Unless someone has brainstorm, I suggest we maintain our current advertising strategy.

* there’s a lot to be said for something: the idea has many strong merits

ex> There’s a lot to be said for finishing one project before starting another.

* put out: 내놓다, 내다 놓다

Put out is an expression with many meanings. It means “to extinguish,” as in “Firefighters put out the blaze in minutes.” In British English,, put out means “annoyed.” It also means “to place outdoors,” as in “Please put out the cat before you come to bed.”

ex> Danielle, would you please put out these Christmas cookies on top of the display counter?

PE 12/15 Meredith Vieira Speech

* on the road: traveling; touring or working

ex> My uncle’s career meant that he was on the road for ten months of the year.

* media darling: a popular, well-liked celebrity

ex> You’ll never become a media darling if you keep throwing drinks at reporters.

Note> Darling is used as an affectionate form of address to a beloved person. You can use this term to your children, spouse, and loved ones.

* have it all: to be successful in every way

ex> Thanks to his hard work and good luck, my cousin now has it all.

* go along: to participate in a situation without objecting

ex> Fanny would go along with her older brother’s crazy schemes because they were often exciting.

* commit to something: to dedicate oneself to doing something fully

ex> Once I committed to becoming a better person, everything in my life improved.

* listen to one’s gut: to trust one’s instincts

ex> If I had listened to my gut, I would’ve changed careers a long time ago.

Note> Native speakers also use the expression “have a gut feeling” to mean the same thing. It means to have an intuitive feeling about something.

* churning: 불안한, 혼란스러운, 요동치는

Churning is literally the process of turning milk or cream into butter by agitating it. The term is also applied to the act of a stockbroker excessively trading their customer’s securities to increase their commissions.

ex> Do I seem calm to you” That’s amazing, because I’m churning inside.

PE 12/14 Where Did My Elastics Go?

* go over something with a fine-tooth comb: to search or examine something thoroughly

ex> My accountant is going over my tax return with a fine-tooth comb to see if I can save some money.

* deplete: (of a supply) to reduce to a tiny or nonexistent amount

ex> Over fishing depleted the Atlantic cod stocks to the point where the species practically vanished.

* baffling: impossible to understand

ex> Shelly can take one look at a roadmap and know where we are, but I find them baffling.

Note> Baffle means “confuse,” but it can also mean “amaze.” A magician might baffle you with an impressive magic trick. Baffle can also be used like stump. If you are stumped by a question on a test, then you’ve been baffled by that question.

* nail it: to do something perfectly or successfully

ex> Bob was worried about taking his driving test, but he nailed it.

* from here on in: starting from now

ex> From here on in, I suggest you close your umbrella before you try to walk through the door.

* toe the line: to do what one is expected or requested to do; follow orders

ex> Daniel’s new teacher is very good at getting the kids to toe the line.

Note> The phrase derives from track-and-field events in which athletes are required to place a foot on a starting line and wait for the signal to go. Race officials used to shout “Toe the line!” where now they shout “On your marks!”

* be busted: (나쁜 짓을 하다가) 걸린, 들킨

The slang term busted also means “broken,” as in “We couldn’t leave the compound because the automatic gate was busted.” It is also a slang term meaning “to be arrested.”

ex> I got busted for hiding the dishes I was supposed to wash in the oven.

PE 12/11 The Perfect Sock Drawer

* go against the grain: to be the opposite of what one would normally want or do

ex> It goes against the grain for David to pay for anything.

Note> According to one theory, the expression comes from the world of carpentry. The fine lines that you find on a piece of wood are called “grain.” If you wish to smoothen wood, for best results, you should run the tool you are using “along” the grain, and not “against” it.

* stem from: to be caused by something

ex> His ability to decorate home stems from his training as an interior designer.

* espouse: to express support for something

ex> I admire the speaker for espousing the elimination of capital punishment everywhere.

* mishmash: a confused mixture

ex> She can take a mishmash of leftovers and turn it into a fantastic meal.

Note> Many houses have one kitchen drawer full of a mishmash of pens, rubber bands, carryout menus, and gum, for example. The word was originally spelled with a hyphen, mish-mash, and before that it was mysse-masche, which had to do with mash, as it a bunch of soft food chucked together and fed to pigs.

* sticking point: something that prevents progress or agreement

ex> One of the sticking points in the dispute is the duration of paid maternity leave.

* deal-breaker: an unresolved problem that prevents an agreement from being reached

ex> His personal hygiene is not the greatest, but I wouldn’t say it was a deal-breaker.

* settle down: 정착하다

This expression has another – but somewhat related – meaning. To settle down can mean “to become calm,” and is sometimes used in the imperative form to demand that someone behave in a more calm manner.

ex> H is, and I have a feeling that the two of them will be settling down soon.

PE 12/10 St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow

* above and beyond the call of duty: more than what is necessary or expected

ex> Carl went above and beyond the call of duty when he filled up and washed my car after borrowing it last week.

* macabre: gruesome; involving death or injury in a horrifying way

ex> Ellie didn’t like the movie I took her to because it was too macabre for her.

* game over: a hopeless situation

ex> If we can’t convince this client to sign the contract, it’ll be game over for this company.

* one’s elevator doesn’t go to the top floor: one is insane or mentally unstable

ex> Judging from his ideas about politics, I’d say that Frank’s elevator doesn’t go to the top floor.

Note> Basically, this is just a nicer way of saying that someone is dumb or stupid

* power trip: an urge and quest to dominate others

ex> Some people go into politics to make the world a better place, and some are simply on a power trip.

Note> For people who work in the office, I’m sure you’ve encountered a boss or supervisor who goes on power trips. I find that people who go on power trips are trying to hide their insecurities inside.

* neurotic: excessively worried about imagined threats or problems

ex> My neurotic aunt used to be so worried about germs that she would boil all her dishes.

* wipe out: 완전히 없애 버리다 (파괴하다)

Wipe out also means “to lose one’s balance and fall down” as in, “Kenny wiped out when he was skiing and broke his ankle.” It is also a slang term meaning “to murder.”

ex> Did you know that the bison was almost completely wiped out due to excessive hunting?

PE 12/9 Repair or Replace?

* take (something) into account: to consider; remember as being significant

ex> When you realize how many factors meteorologists take into account, it’s amazing they can predict the weather at all.

* preferable: more desirable than another option

ex> Which do you think would be preferable for the guests: a morning swim or an afternoon walk?

* ballpark figure: a numerical estimate within a reasonable range

ex> I don’t need to know exactly how much the repairs will cost, but can you give me a ballpark figure?

Note> This phrase is from the fact that baseballs are seldom hit out of the ballpark, but may still land anywhere within a large area.

* bamboozle: to cheat or confuse someone

ex> Salesmen in the 1950’s employed many methods to bamboozle their customers.

* on good terms: in a friendly relationship; without conflict or bad feelings

ex> I’ve been on good terms with my landlady ever since I swept the sidewalks.

Note> You can also be on bad terms with someone. Clearly, this would mean that there is conflict and ill feelings for someone.

* bad taste in one’s mouth: an unpleasant memory of an experience

ex> Sarah’s high school experiences left her with a bad taste in her mouth, so she was reluctant to enroll for college.

* you reap what you sow: 뿌린 대로 거둔다

The word sow has two different meanings with two different pronunciations. In this expression, sow means “to scatter seeds on the ground,” and is pronounced the same as the common English word so. The other meaning of sow is “an adult female pig,” and is pronounced with the same vowel sound as the word how.

ex> Well, you reap what you sow. You should’ve talked to her if you weren’t happy in your relationship.