Lesson 41: Polls, Missiles and Goblins. Jul 6th, 2006
On this show, we discussed the phrasal verb “to get at”, and a recent poll on British people’s opinions of America from “The Daily Telegraph”, which is a serious paper from the UK. We also discussed world peace and the World Cup again.
1. We thanked Jola (pronounced Yola) for her very kind donations to the Bob ‘n Rob Show. We really appreciate it. 2. We tried to answer Tanit’s question about the idiom “Billy big time”. We believe this is a deviation of the original “to hit the big time”, which means to succeed in a big way. In certain contexts, it may mean to be ‘big-headed’ or over confident: e.g.: “the England football team thought they were Billy big time but they lost in the quarters”. Another phrase connected with this is “Billy no mates”, which means, funnily enough, someone who has no friends.
Extra Language
two faced: someone who says one thing to a person and then talks behind that person’s back.
interrogate: to question someone intensely
goblin: a fantastical creature (see ‘Lord of the rings’
the punchline: the funny and critical part of a joke
toot your horn / blow your own trumpet: to boast, or to show off
_________________________________________________ Ancient Japanese English Study Secret
shadowing: repeat TV newscasters etc. Repeat people in conversation to show understanding and reaction
1) it can mean to criticize someone in an unkind way e.g.: My boss is always getting at me.
2) it can mean to use threats or financial rewards to persuade someone to make the decision you want them to make e.g.: The Mafia got at the witness so the charges were dropped.
“to get at something ” has a few meanings:
1) it can mean to be able to reach something e.g.: I couldn’t get at the plate because it was too high.
2) it can mean to discover the truth about something e.g.: I want to get at the truth.
_________________________________________________ Both sides of the pond
We focused mostly on pronunciation differences this week, except for the adjective “mean”.
(US) Tuesday (UK) Tuesday (US) Puma (UK) Puma (US) Status (UK) Status (US) Semi (final) (UK) Semi (final) (US) Data (UK) Data (US) mean (angry) (UK) mean (stingy, not generous)
Peace around the world By Freedom People Lyrics: It doesn’t matter ’bout your color or your creed It doesn’t matter which religion you believe It doesn’t matter if you’re rich or if you’re poor Whether your a politician or one who fights the war
It really makes no difference what country you are from Nobody wants to lose their daughter or their son Take a moment of silence, say a prayer for everyone It’s time to stop the violence, lay down the guns and sing…
Peace around the world Peace around the world Peace is coming to us all
Love is universal And music is the voice Everyone can live in peace If we all make the choice To love Oh yeah
There’s got to be a way to end all the war Love’s the only thing that’s worth fighting for Nothing’s worth the taking of another person’s life When it’s love we should be making to end the world’s strife
The day will come when everyone will live in harmony And celebrate the brotherhood of all humanity Divided we will fail, together we’ll achieve it But before it can happen we’ve all got to believe it
Peace around the world Peace around the world Peace is coming Peace is coming Peace is coming To us all Peace is coming to us all All around the world Peace is coming to us all