Wednesday, November 19, 2008

#891 Annoying Phrases, Project Gutenberg, Gutted, Kiwi Ingenuity, Virtual Affair


Show 891 Wednesday 19 November
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.

Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

The other day I found a really interesting article on the New Zealand Herald website –actually it wasn’t an article, just a thread of comments. They asked the question: What phrase annoys you the most? And hundreds of people replied. I thought it was very interesting – you should go and have a read if you’re interested in what irritates people in New Zealand, or people who read that website.

People seem to be irritated by all kinds of things, like the usual mistakes, such as confusing you’re and your or bought and brought. And also just particular idioms or sayings that aren’t mistakes, but just annoying them for some reason.

One person said the most annoying phrase was to be honest. I’ve always thought this was a strange phrase too, although it doesn’t annoy me as such.

This is what they wrote: When I hear this, I cast my mind back to the preceding conversation and assume it was all lies. People use "to be honest" as a way of stressing a point, but the alternative meaning is amusing.



click here

The site I recommend today is called Project Gutenberg – if that’s how you pronounce it.

This is from their about page:

Project Gutenberg is the first and largest single collection of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.

It’s a great site. They have thousands of books that you can read for free.
For example, one book that I recommend reading if you haven’t already read it is: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.



Word of the Day

Today’s word is gutted.

In the Concise Oxford Dictionary it says:
bitterly disappointed or upset

But some people in New Zealand use this word when they’re just a little bit disappointed or upset. For example: Ugh, I’ve run out of lead! Gutted!

And this is rather irritating to someone called Sheriff of Nothing from Auckland.

They wrote this: Gutted is probably the most overused word today. It implies that one feels like they have had their entrails ripped right out of them. Possibly appropriate for, say, a guy whose wife just ran away with his best friend, followed by the death of his dog. Not appropriate for mild disappointment!



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora in Stick News today a British woman is divorcing her husband after she caught him having an affair in Second Life.

Amy and David met in an online chat room in 2003 and got married in real life. They also had a wedding in a virtual world called Second Life. Then this year Amy caught David’s Second Life character in a compromising position with another virtual woman. Amy said that David confessed he’d been talking to a female player for a few weeks and said he didn’t love her anymore. She filed for divorce the next day.

And that was Stick News for Wednesday the 19th of November.
Kia Ora.





conversations with sarah
#555 Do you know what ingenuity means?

Step 1: Repeat Takeshi’s lines.
Step 2: Read Takeshi’s lines and talk to Sarah.

Takeshi What are some other phrases that annoy people?

Sarah A few people mentioned “Kiwi ingenuity”.

Takeshi What does that mean?

Sarah Well, do you know what ingenuity means?

Takeshi No.

Sarah It means: the ability to invent things or solve problems in clever new ways.

Takeshi And what about the “kiwi” part?

Sarah Kiwi means New Zealand and this is a common stereotype of New Zealanders – that we can solve any problem like MacGyver, just using a piece of Number 8 wire.

Takeshi But it’s not true?

Sarah Well, there might be some truth to it. But the way some people use it, it sounds pretty arrogant, like one person commented: as if no one else on the planet is capable of inventive, commonsense solutions.



notes

1. The question was actually which but I said what by accident.

2. I pronounced assume incorrectly.

3. I fixed the spelling mistakes in the quote from Sheriff of Nothing.

4. They actually wrote possibly, but I accidentally said probably.

5. compromising adj. if sth is compromising, it shows or tells people sth that you want to keep secret, because it is wrong or embarrassing

6. Kiwi means:
n. a kind of bird
n. a New Zealander
adj. New Zealand (eg. I love New Zealand music.)
* Kiwi is also means “kiwifruit” in some countries outside of New Zealand.



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

click here start
artist: #NarNaoud#
album: Green Vision
track: Oriental Standing
from: Gironde, France
artist at Jamendo
album at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Tranquilizer Jam
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.

#890 Enemy Of The State, Special Samosas 10,000 Rupees, Attached


Show 890 Tuesday 18 November
Watch today’s show at YouTube or BlipTV.


Hi, I’m Sarah. Welcome to The Daily English Show.

Today we’re studying a scene from a movie called Enemy of the State. I really like this movie.
In this scene two guys have just been rowing and they’re talking in a changing room. And one of the guys has just had his house broken into so they’re talking about that.
Breaking and entering is another name for burglary which is the crime of breaking into a house or a home in order to do something bad … usually steal something.

And here’s an idiom for you to study: on top of sth.
This means: in addition to sth.

The guy has just been saying that he’s upset because his blender was stolen and all but one of his suits was ruined. And then he says: Yeah, then, on top of it, the only suit that they leave me is three years old.



STICK NEWS

Kia Ora in Stick News today a stall owner in India charged a Dutch couple over 200 dollars for 4 samosas. He told the tourists they were expensive because they were special samsoas.

A couple from The Netherlands went to India on holiday. They bought 4 samosas, which usually only cost a few rupees. But Reuters reported that after the tourists ate the snacks they were charged 10,000 rupees. The stall owner said his samosas were special because they were made of herbs and had aphrodisiac qualities. The couple apparently argued with the shopkeeper, and then paid him. They then complained to a police officer who forced the shopkeeper to return the change which was 9990 rupees.

And that was Stick News for Tuesday the 18th of November.
Kia Ora.





Word of the Day

Today’s word is attached. Attached means joined.

These keitai straps are attached to this phone.

Attached also means emotionally attached – as in full of affection for something or somebody.

One of the guys in today’s scene says:
You seem a little attached to this blender, Robert.

He’s trying to say that it’s strange to be so upset about losing a blender – because it’s not the kind of thing that people usually have so much affection for.



conversations with sarah

#554 Loved that blender

Step 1: Repeat the friend’s lines.
Step 2: Read the friend’s lines and talk to Robert.
* On the DVD I have this is in chapter 11 (0:42:55)

Friend Take any of your clothes?

Robert No, they threw all my shoes and suits in the tub and spray-painted my damn dog.
They trashed my computers, my big screen TV. Took my blender.

Friend What about jewellery?

Robert No.

Friend What about silverware?

Robert No. Just my blender.

Friend Blender, huh?

Robert Loved that blender.

Friend You know, I did stuff when I was a kid.
I mean, not breaking and entering, but, you know, stuff.

Robert Hey we all did stuff. I just wished they hadn't stolen my damn blender.

Friend You seem a little attached to this blender, Robert.

Robert Yeah, then, on top of it, the only suit that they leave me is three years old.

Friend Hasn't gotten any better with age.



notes

1. Apparently keitai straps are called phone straps in English. I'd never heard of them before coming to Japan, which is why I use the Japanese word in English.

2. He actually says thrashed in the movie, but I accidentally said trashed. I think trashed makes more sense anyway.

3. I think it's kind of strange how Robert says "on top of it". I would say "on top of that" - but maybe that's just me.

4. I accidentally left out a line in the dialogue - so, rather than record it again, I cut both of these two lines:
Robert Yeah, well, some people meditate, some people get massages, I blend.
Friend You're really weird, you know that?
(They should go after "You seem a little attached to this blender, Robert".)



links

today's news
today's STICK NEWS pictures

music

show start
artist: Boom Tschak
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: More Chocolate, Please
from: Former Yugoslavia
MySpace

WOD start
artist: DJ iPep's
album: Home Mix 2007
track: Game Toy
from: EVREUX, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

cws start
artist: Wolfgang S.
album: Indietronic CCBit.
track: Dynamite
from: Belgrade, Serbia, Former Yugoslavia
artist site
MySpace

qa start
artist: ioeo
album: triptracks
track: triptrack2
from: Saint Raphael, France
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

qa bgm
artist: Zeropage
album: Ambient Pills Update
track: Tranquilizer Jam
from: Switzerland
album at Jamendo
artist at Jamendo
artist site

Did you notice a mistake in this script? Please leave us a comment and tell us! We really appreciate people pointing out our mistakes.Thank you.

Have you translated this script - or part of it - into your language for English practice and published it on your blog? Please leave a comment and a link so other people can read your translation. Thank you.