Eu estava assistindo televisão quando ouvi alguém dizendo: what's your budget? O contexto era o seguinte: uma mulher estava para comprar seu vestido de casamento e, antes que a vendedora selecionasse alguns vestidos para ela, foi feita a pergunta: what's your budget?
Dentre os significados que você pode encontrar para a palavra budget num dicionário, a mais apropriada para essa situação seria: uma soma total de dinheiro destinado para uma finalidade específica. Nesse caso, a finalidade específica seria a compra de um vestido de casamento. O que a vendedora queria saber, portanto, era quanto ela tinha reservado para a compra do vestido, qual seria o limite de preço, qual era seu budget. Isso daria a vendedora uma ideia melhor de que vestidos combinariam melhor, tanto ao estilo da noiva quanto ao bolso dela. Iria evitar gastar tempo em vestidos fora da faixa de preços sugeridos. Em Português, eu acho que essa pergunta equivaleria a mais ou menos para "qual é a faixa de preço que você procura?", "até quanto você está disposta a gastar?"
Imagine outra situação: chega o final de ano e você está fazendo um plano sistemático para os gastos do próximo ano. Depois de somar tudo e fazer previsões para sua situação financeira no ano seguinte, você percebe que não poderá trocar de carro, algo que você esperava fazer. Ao comentar isso com alguém da sua família, você diz: A new car will not be part of our budget the next year. [um carro novo não fará parte dos nossos gastos próximo ano] Perceba que budget se refere a um estoque que define limites, tanto limite de gasto quanto ao período de tempo que estes gastos devem ser feitos. Por exemplo, no exemplo anterior, o seu budget foi anual. Se você fosse específico quanto ao valor que você poderia gastar dentro daquele ano, você poderia dizer algo como: My annual budget is 30 thousand dollars. É isso. Take care!
sexta-feira, 6 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word BONE [part 2]
I've talked about many other expressions with the word bone in the previous post. If you haven't checked it out yet, go back to part 1 and then come back to this post. If you've done that, you must know that I started the other post by talking about the expression to be skin and bones. I said that means to be really skinny, as in: She is nothing but skin and bones. A different expression that means the same thing is "a bag of bones", as in I've lost so much weight that I'm just turning into a bag of bones. You don't say that to anybody though. The person may be offended by being called a bag of bones, so be careful not to say it to people that are not okay with their body image. Maybe a very close friend of you won't mind.
Now imagine you're a teacher [many teachers will relate to the next expression by the way]. You've spent the whole night preparing your next class, correcting previous tests and you're just excited about the new topic you'll be touching on the next day with your students. You get to the classroom, try to start your class, but students will just not stop talking. They're especially noisy today and are not willing to listen up. You're so frustrated by now that you say angrily: I've been working my fingers to the bone to be a good teacher and now you won't just be quiet? to work your fingers to the bone means to work really hard, to give the best of you to accomplish something. That expression is so common that it is considered a cliché by many.
Now let's talk about intuitions. When you were that teacher, frustrated for not being able to give your class properly, maybe you just knew your class wouldn't pay attention to you. You already knew you'd have troubles trying to explain the new topic and get them to be quiet. Actualy, the night before your class, when you were still getting ready, you felt it in your bones you'd be really stressed out the next day. But wait, you felt it in your bones? Isn't that a strange thing to say? It's actually very common to say you feel something in your bones to talk about intuitions. You say you feel it in your bones when you wanna say you have an intuition about something. Maybe you did a very difficult test and someone asks you how was it. You don't think you did well, so you say: I think I failed it. I feel it in my bones. That means you have a feeling, an intuition you failed your test. You're not sure, but you feel it in your bones. I hope this helps. Take care!
Now imagine you're a teacher [many teachers will relate to the next expression by the way]. You've spent the whole night preparing your next class, correcting previous tests and you're just excited about the new topic you'll be touching on the next day with your students. You get to the classroom, try to start your class, but students will just not stop talking. They're especially noisy today and are not willing to listen up. You're so frustrated by now that you say angrily: I've been working my fingers to the bone to be a good teacher and now you won't just be quiet? to work your fingers to the bone means to work really hard, to give the best of you to accomplish something. That expression is so common that it is considered a cliché by many.
Now let's talk about intuitions. When you were that teacher, frustrated for not being able to give your class properly, maybe you just knew your class wouldn't pay attention to you. You already knew you'd have troubles trying to explain the new topic and get them to be quiet. Actualy, the night before your class, when you were still getting ready, you felt it in your bones you'd be really stressed out the next day. But wait, you felt it in your bones? Isn't that a strange thing to say? It's actually very common to say you feel something in your bones to talk about intuitions. You say you feel it in your bones when you wanna say you have an intuition about something. Maybe you did a very difficult test and someone asks you how was it. You don't think you did well, so you say: I think I failed it. I feel it in my bones. That means you have a feeling, an intuition you failed your test. You're not sure, but you feel it in your bones. I hope this helps. Take care!
Expressions with the word BONE
Today's word is a little weird, I must confess, but hey anything counts right? If you don't know what a bone is, just think of what a skeleton is made of. Yes, they're made of bones. It is easier to see bones sticking out of thin people. When you see a very skinny model, for example, you might want to say something like "I saw a model that was nothing but skin and bone". That means she was really really skiny. That's not a very kind thing to say by the way, is it?
Speaking of bones, you know when you hit a spot near your elbow bone that is very sensitive? It seems to give you an eletric shock, doesn't it? We call that spot 'funny bone'. Yes, what gives you the shock may not be the bone itself, but some kind of nerve around; still, we call it funny bone, as in: I bumped my funny bone and made a horrendous face. That's a horrible feeling by the way. Do you remember the last time you bumped your funny bone?
But let's move on to our next expression: to make no bones about something. This expresion goes especially to people who don't mince words [that means they're very straightfoward and have no fear to say what bothers them]. For example, you're at a restaurant with your wife and you think it's taking way too long to be taken the order, and when the food finally comes it is not the option you made. You're so annoyed by now that you go straight to the manager to make a formal complaint and make no bones about your dissatisfaction with the restaurant service. But wait, to make no bones? What does that mean? It means to say clearly what you think of something although it may offend or embarrass someone. You went to the manager to say your opinion about the restaurant regardless of how he may feel about it. You made no bones about it.
Let's suppose now you're still at that restaurant with your wife. It was actually she who invited you to the restaurant. She said she had a bone to pick with you. You think that is a good thing? She having to pick a bone with you? Well, it's surely not. You certainly messed up with her, did something that she did not appreciate and now she wants to talk to you about it. That's what she meant when she said she had a bone to pick with you. She wanted to discuss something you did that bothered her. You'd better run now.
Let's still use the previous example: You're at a restaurant with your wife discussing something bad you did. Let's say you've arrived home very late at night for the last 3 weeks and now you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to explain your wife you've done nothing wrong. Of course she won't buy it so easily. The discussion goes on for hours and no progress seems to have made so far. Actually you both go home still in a bad vibe. The other day, While talking to one of your friends about it, you say: We faught for so long that we forgot what the bone of contention was. What's the bone of contention here? It means the point of an argument. In your case, the bone of contention was you getting home late every night for 3 weeks. That's the unsettled point of disagreement. That's what the bone of content is. I hope this helps. Take care!
Speaking of bones, you know when you hit a spot near your elbow bone that is very sensitive? It seems to give you an eletric shock, doesn't it? We call that spot 'funny bone'. Yes, what gives you the shock may not be the bone itself, but some kind of nerve around; still, we call it funny bone, as in: I bumped my funny bone and made a horrendous face. That's a horrible feeling by the way. Do you remember the last time you bumped your funny bone?
But let's move on to our next expression: to make no bones about something. This expresion goes especially to people who don't mince words [that means they're very straightfoward and have no fear to say what bothers them]. For example, you're at a restaurant with your wife and you think it's taking way too long to be taken the order, and when the food finally comes it is not the option you made. You're so annoyed by now that you go straight to the manager to make a formal complaint and make no bones about your dissatisfaction with the restaurant service. But wait, to make no bones? What does that mean? It means to say clearly what you think of something although it may offend or embarrass someone. You went to the manager to say your opinion about the restaurant regardless of how he may feel about it. You made no bones about it.
Let's suppose now you're still at that restaurant with your wife. It was actually she who invited you to the restaurant. She said she had a bone to pick with you. You think that is a good thing? She having to pick a bone with you? Well, it's surely not. You certainly messed up with her, did something that she did not appreciate and now she wants to talk to you about it. That's what she meant when she said she had a bone to pick with you. She wanted to discuss something you did that bothered her. You'd better run now.
Let's still use the previous example: You're at a restaurant with your wife discussing something bad you did. Let's say you've arrived home very late at night for the last 3 weeks and now you're in the middle of a restaurant trying to explain your wife you've done nothing wrong. Of course she won't buy it so easily. The discussion goes on for hours and no progress seems to have made so far. Actually you both go home still in a bad vibe. The other day, While talking to one of your friends about it, you say: We faught for so long that we forgot what the bone of contention was. What's the bone of contention here? It means the point of an argument. In your case, the bone of contention was you getting home late every night for 3 weeks. That's the unsettled point of disagreement. That's what the bone of content is. I hope this helps. Take care!
quinta-feira, 5 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word bee [to have a bee in your bonnet; to put a bee in someone's bonnet]
In a previous post, I talked about some expressions used with people that won't stop talking. I said you can call those people many different ways, like chatty, motormouth, chatterbox, etc. Today, there's an expression that can somehow relate to someone like that, someone who won't just shut up. The expression is to have a bee in one's bonnet about something. Let's get to know it!
But before going into that expression, it's worth pointing out that there's actually a difference between being chatty and the expression I just mentioned. When you call someone a chatterbox or chatty for example, it means he or she is always speaking. The expression we're touching on today though refers to people that can also speak a lot, but not for any reason or at any time, but for a special reason that makes them really excited about. Maybe you're not a very chatty person in a normal situation, but when it comes to a specific idea or something that you think is important, you become a real chatterbox.
For example, suppose your name is Mary, you're an animal lover, and you think all the dogs should be rescued immediately. It is a really good idea, but it is not something that happens overnight. Still you don't care. You think it is like a priority in your life and you won't stop talking about it until you feel like you mission's been completed. Maybe one of your friends, Derick, thinks you're a little obsessed with that idea and says: She's got a real bee in her bonnet about rescuing dogs. What did Derick mean by to have a been in your bonnet? That means that you keep talking about rescuing dogs again and again and again, and that makes him a little bit annoyed sometimes. When you use that expression to talk about someone else, it generally means you don't care for the idea as much as the person does. For example, Derick might not think the idea of rescuing dogs is as important as you think it is. So he'll say you've got a real bee in your bonnet about it.
But let's suppose you keep trying to make your friend like the dog rescue idea just as much. At first he wouldn't want to listen to what you say very much, but eventually he starts listening attentively to every word you say and ends up getting involved with your idea without even noticing. When something like that happens, he can say: Mary put a bee in my bonnet about rescuing dogs. That means you, Mary, gave him the idea and now he's just as obsessed about it as you. You made him believe the idea. You put a bee in his bonnet about resuing dogs. That's it guys. Talk to you next time!
But before going into that expression, it's worth pointing out that there's actually a difference between being chatty and the expression I just mentioned. When you call someone a chatterbox or chatty for example, it means he or she is always speaking. The expression we're touching on today though refers to people that can also speak a lot, but not for any reason or at any time, but for a special reason that makes them really excited about. Maybe you're not a very chatty person in a normal situation, but when it comes to a specific idea or something that you think is important, you become a real chatterbox.
For example, suppose your name is Mary, you're an animal lover, and you think all the dogs should be rescued immediately. It is a really good idea, but it is not something that happens overnight. Still you don't care. You think it is like a priority in your life and you won't stop talking about it until you feel like you mission's been completed. Maybe one of your friends, Derick, thinks you're a little obsessed with that idea and says: She's got a real bee in her bonnet about rescuing dogs. What did Derick mean by to have a been in your bonnet? That means that you keep talking about rescuing dogs again and again and again, and that makes him a little bit annoyed sometimes. When you use that expression to talk about someone else, it generally means you don't care for the idea as much as the person does. For example, Derick might not think the idea of rescuing dogs is as important as you think it is. So he'll say you've got a real bee in your bonnet about it.
But let's suppose you keep trying to make your friend like the dog rescue idea just as much. At first he wouldn't want to listen to what you say very much, but eventually he starts listening attentively to every word you say and ends up getting involved with your idea without even noticing. When something like that happens, he can say: Mary put a bee in my bonnet about rescuing dogs. That means you, Mary, gave him the idea and now he's just as obsessed about it as you. You made him believe the idea. You put a bee in his bonnet about resuing dogs. That's it guys. Talk to you next time!
quarta-feira, 4 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word DREAM
Are you one of those people who wake up tired after such a long night full of dreams? Dreams are nothing but a sequence of images, thoughts that go through your mind while you're asleep. Dream is actually a very famous word and the description I just gave you might have actually been totally uncalled for. But how many expressions with the word dream do you know? Let's find out!
Much is said about the american dream. I was listening to the song Empire State of Mind, by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, and there's a part of the song that goes like 'New York! Concrete jungles where dreams are made of'. As you can see, the whole american media makes it believe the american dream really exists and it is only waiting for you to pursue them. Most of the times, that idea of the american dream is attached to materialistic goals, like cars, fame, big buildings and so on. I don't wanna go into further details about that, but next time you hear about american dreams, you'll know they're all about an idealist notion some americans have.
What about a pipe dream? What is that? I don't know if you're a very idealistic dreamer, the one who likes to think of ideas that in other people's minds are beyond reality. Some might even tell you to get your head out of the clouds [to stop daydreaming]. They may call those ideas of yours pipe dreams. When you call something a pipe dream, it means it is something that could never happen because it is impossible. Maybe you dream of becoming the richiest man on Earth, or helping every single child starving in Africa, maybe you dream of becoming the president of America, or bringing about world peace. No matter how much sense those ideas sound to you; most people will probably think they're all pipe dreams, they're all ideas that could never happen so easily.
And finally the expression wet dream. Yes, if you know that expression, I can already see a little smile right there hiding in the corner of your mouth. That is because a wet dream means a sexually exciting dream that makes men ejaculate while sleeping. A woman can also have those wet dreams [but won't admit it most the times haha]. Take a look at this example: Most boys start getting wet dreams in their early teens. Something interesting about that term is that it can also refer to things that are not related to sex, but still can be very pleasant for someone. See this example: This new machine is a computer buff's wet dream. I hope this helps. Take care!
Much is said about the american dream. I was listening to the song Empire State of Mind, by Jay Z and Alicia Keys, and there's a part of the song that goes like 'New York! Concrete jungles where dreams are made of'. As you can see, the whole american media makes it believe the american dream really exists and it is only waiting for you to pursue them. Most of the times, that idea of the american dream is attached to materialistic goals, like cars, fame, big buildings and so on. I don't wanna go into further details about that, but next time you hear about american dreams, you'll know they're all about an idealist notion some americans have.
What about a pipe dream? What is that? I don't know if you're a very idealistic dreamer, the one who likes to think of ideas that in other people's minds are beyond reality. Some might even tell you to get your head out of the clouds [to stop daydreaming]. They may call those ideas of yours pipe dreams. When you call something a pipe dream, it means it is something that could never happen because it is impossible. Maybe you dream of becoming the richiest man on Earth, or helping every single child starving in Africa, maybe you dream of becoming the president of America, or bringing about world peace. No matter how much sense those ideas sound to you; most people will probably think they're all pipe dreams, they're all ideas that could never happen so easily.
And finally the expression wet dream. Yes, if you know that expression, I can already see a little smile right there hiding in the corner of your mouth. That is because a wet dream means a sexually exciting dream that makes men ejaculate while sleeping. A woman can also have those wet dreams [but won't admit it most the times haha]. Take a look at this example: Most boys start getting wet dreams in their early teens. Something interesting about that term is that it can also refer to things that are not related to sex, but still can be very pleasant for someone. See this example: This new machine is a computer buff's wet dream. I hope this helps. Take care!
Expressions: to throw in the towel; to kick up a fuss
I was reading a comic strip, which is tirinhas in Portuguese by the way, and a very interesting expression came up: to throw in the towel. Do you know what that means? Well, the comic strip I was reading was about a turtle who felt defeated by life after losing one of his friends. When it fianlly hit him he would have to make a decision, he thought: either I carry on with my life or throw in the towel. Is it easier to understand now? If throwing in the towel is the opposite of getting on with life, then it simply means to give up, stop trying, to quit. If you're in a project that's not going well and you're just trying to convince your team it's time to give up, you can say: How do we reach the decision it's fianlly time to walk away and throw in the towel? That can be an awful thing to say by the way, since you're discouraging everybody. But let's go a little further!
To throw in the towel reminds me of a en expression we have in Portuguese: chutar o balde. One thing that bugs me though is that chutar o balde can mean two things depending on the context it is used: to give up and get really upset. The same doesn't happen to our expression to throw in the towel. If you want to say someone lost temper, you can use the expression to kick up the fuss. See this example: The problem was solved only when Maria kicked up a fuss after having to wait the whole day. Notice that when you kick up a fuss, you're actually making a scene. It's really common to use that expression to talk about people losing temper in public spaces and drawing everybody's attention. I hope this helps. Take care!
To throw in the towel reminds me of a en expression we have in Portuguese: chutar o balde. One thing that bugs me though is that chutar o balde can mean two things depending on the context it is used: to give up and get really upset. The same doesn't happen to our expression to throw in the towel. If you want to say someone lost temper, you can use the expression to kick up the fuss. See this example: The problem was solved only when Maria kicked up a fuss after having to wait the whole day. Notice that when you kick up a fuss, you're actually making a scene. It's really common to use that expression to talk about people losing temper in public spaces and drawing everybody's attention. I hope this helps. Take care!
terça-feira, 3 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word FLAG [to flag something or someone down; to wrap yourself in the flag]
Do you have a a flag of your country? If you don't know what a flag is, just think of that piece of cloth used as a symbol of a nation, state or organization. That's what a flag is. What you may not know is that the word flag can also work as a verb [like most nouns in English], and it is part of many idiomatic expressions that we're about to see. Let's get started!
Imagine you need a taxi, and the only way for you to get it is by waving or making a sign indicating that they should stop for you. That's how things usually work, right? When you do that, you're flagging a taxi down. That's right. The expression to flag something or someone down means to wave in a way to make something or someone stop. In this case, you want the taxi to stop, so you flag the taxi down. See this example: Please go out and flag a taxi down. Easy, huh? But as I said before, you can also flag a person down, as in: A police officer flagged us down to check our vehicle. I don't know why they say it like that, but think of when you have a flag attached at the edge to a staff; what do you usually do to it? Yes, you wave it.
When we talk about flags, we can't help but remember of flags of nations, like the beautiful one we have in Brazil. So flags are a great symbol of nations and usually used to demonstrate one's patrtiotism. We see the american flag in Hollywood movies on a very regular basis, and that's maybe a perfect exemple of a nation taking big pride of their own nationality. But when you say someone wrapped himself in the flag, does it mean he took pride of his country? Not exactly. It actually means the total opposite: If you wrap yourself in the flat, you pretend to do something for your country when you are really doing it for your own advantage. For some reasons, brazilian politicians are known for wrapping themselves in the brazilian flag. They pretend they're worried about the issues of the country, but what they really care about is themselves. I hope you liked today's lesson. Talk to you next time!
Imagine you need a taxi, and the only way for you to get it is by waving or making a sign indicating that they should stop for you. That's how things usually work, right? When you do that, you're flagging a taxi down. That's right. The expression to flag something or someone down means to wave in a way to make something or someone stop. In this case, you want the taxi to stop, so you flag the taxi down. See this example: Please go out and flag a taxi down. Easy, huh? But as I said before, you can also flag a person down, as in: A police officer flagged us down to check our vehicle. I don't know why they say it like that, but think of when you have a flag attached at the edge to a staff; what do you usually do to it? Yes, you wave it.
When we talk about flags, we can't help but remember of flags of nations, like the beautiful one we have in Brazil. So flags are a great symbol of nations and usually used to demonstrate one's patrtiotism. We see the american flag in Hollywood movies on a very regular basis, and that's maybe a perfect exemple of a nation taking big pride of their own nationality. But when you say someone wrapped himself in the flag, does it mean he took pride of his country? Not exactly. It actually means the total opposite: If you wrap yourself in the flat, you pretend to do something for your country when you are really doing it for your own advantage. For some reasons, brazilian politicians are known for wrapping themselves in the brazilian flag. They pretend they're worried about the issues of the country, but what they really care about is themselves. I hope you liked today's lesson. Talk to you next time!
Como dizer capacho e maria-vai-com-as-outras em Inglês? [yes-man, follow like sheep]
No blog, eu já falei sobre como dizer puxa-saco em Inglês. Um yes-man, apesar de não ter que ser necessariamente um puxa-saco, tem tudo para ser. Na verdade, ele está mais para um capacho do que um puxa-saco. Isso porque um yes-man é o tipo de pessoa que concorda com qualquer coisa que um superior sugere, que se rebaixa em nome de uma hierarquia, cuja obediência é inquestionável independentemente de suas convicções pessoais. Como o próprio termo yes-man sugere, é o tipo de pessoa que diz sim pra todo mundo sempre que é conveniente [especialmente para ganhar favores].
Essa expressão me fez lembrar do filme que Jim Carrey protagoniza, Yes man [sim, essa expressão tanto pode ser usada com hífen como sem hífen]. Nele, Jim Carrey interpreta alguém que só sabe dizer não para tudo, tanto para as pessoas quanto para as oportunidades, até que um dia se envolve com uma filosofia de vida onde sim é a resposta para tudo. Você já deve ter assistido esse filme, e deve saber que essa filosofia de vida acaba levando Jim para situações um tanto inconvenientes no final. Mas isso não interessa agora. Veja apenas alguns exemplos do termo yes-man em uso: 1) He denies that he's simply a yes man, and insists he'll be making major chances to the way the club is run. 2) His career consisted of only being a yes man to whoever he worked for.
E por falar em capacho, temos também o que chamamos de maria-vai-com-as-outras. Talvez um yes-man também seja considerado um maria-vai-com-as-outras, já que está sempre concordando com o que os seus superiores dizem, sem qualquer tipo de contestação ou imposição. Mas existe na verdade uma outra expressão. Veja: You're like sheep when it comes to politics. Isso mesmo, usamos a palavra sheep [ovelha] para fazermos referência ao tipo de pessoa que segue a opinião de um bando e não tem opinião própria. Você também pode usar o verbo follow, como em: We may have to get over the fact Obama is president, but don't expect us to follow like sheep. É isso pessoal. Take care!
Essa expressão me fez lembrar do filme que Jim Carrey protagoniza, Yes man [sim, essa expressão tanto pode ser usada com hífen como sem hífen]. Nele, Jim Carrey interpreta alguém que só sabe dizer não para tudo, tanto para as pessoas quanto para as oportunidades, até que um dia se envolve com uma filosofia de vida onde sim é a resposta para tudo. Você já deve ter assistido esse filme, e deve saber que essa filosofia de vida acaba levando Jim para situações um tanto inconvenientes no final. Mas isso não interessa agora. Veja apenas alguns exemplos do termo yes-man em uso: 1) He denies that he's simply a yes man, and insists he'll be making major chances to the way the club is run. 2) His career consisted of only being a yes man to whoever he worked for.
E por falar em capacho, temos também o que chamamos de maria-vai-com-as-outras. Talvez um yes-man também seja considerado um maria-vai-com-as-outras, já que está sempre concordando com o que os seus superiores dizem, sem qualquer tipo de contestação ou imposição. Mas existe na verdade uma outra expressão. Veja: You're like sheep when it comes to politics. Isso mesmo, usamos a palavra sheep [ovelha] para fazermos referência ao tipo de pessoa que segue a opinião de um bando e não tem opinião própria. Você também pode usar o verbo follow, como em: We may have to get over the fact Obama is president, but don't expect us to follow like sheep. É isso pessoal. Take care!
O que significa quarterback? [aprenda também a expressão Monday morning quarterback]
Para entender o significado da palavra quarterback, é necessário um pouco de entendimento sobre esportes. Muita gente diz que quarterback corresponde ao que nós conhecemos como zagueiro, aquele cuja função principal é marcar os atacantes e evitar possibilidades de gol, mas é um pouco mais que isso. Ele também pode fazer parte da armação de jogadas e o próprio ataque da equipe.
De uma maneira ou de outra, no futebol [americano ou não], o quarterback assume uma posição muito importante na equipe. E isso me faz lembrar de algo. Quando Corey Monteith morreu, ator que interpretava o quarterback do time de futebol na série Glee, criaram um episódio chamado The Quarterback como maneira de prestar tributo a ele. Foi uma maneira de dizer o quanto ele era importante, não apenas para a equipe de futebol americana que ele fazia parte, mas para todo mundo. Se você quiser saber mais sobre esse episódio e sobre o ator, clique aqui.
Existe uma expressão com a palavra quarterback que também é muito interessante: Monday morning quarterback. O que isso significa? A ideia é a seguinte: se você é um Monday morning quarterback, você pode ser um daqueles torcedores fanáticos que tem a mania de sair murmurando depois que a partida acaba ou na manhã seguinte [monday morning] sobre o que deveria e o que não deveria ter sido feito. O que você não percebe é que, do conforto da sua casa, não tem como se ter noções da dimensão das coisas na prática. Mesmo assim, você não cansa de bancar o sabichão, aquele que adora dar palpite em tudo que já foi feito. Mas preste bem atenção: essa expressão não é usada apenas com torcedores fanáticos que adoram bancar o técnico de futebol, mas com qualquer pessoa que acha que faria tudo de maneira melhor, aquele tipo de gente que se acha o sabichão [know-it-all]. Veja este exemplo: It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback when you see the kids' low test scores, but there are no easy answers to improving education. Espero que tenham gostado. Take care!
De uma maneira ou de outra, no futebol [americano ou não], o quarterback assume uma posição muito importante na equipe. E isso me faz lembrar de algo. Quando Corey Monteith morreu, ator que interpretava o quarterback do time de futebol na série Glee, criaram um episódio chamado The Quarterback como maneira de prestar tributo a ele. Foi uma maneira de dizer o quanto ele era importante, não apenas para a equipe de futebol americana que ele fazia parte, mas para todo mundo. Se você quiser saber mais sobre esse episódio e sobre o ator, clique aqui.
Existe uma expressão com a palavra quarterback que também é muito interessante: Monday morning quarterback. O que isso significa? A ideia é a seguinte: se você é um Monday morning quarterback, você pode ser um daqueles torcedores fanáticos que tem a mania de sair murmurando depois que a partida acaba ou na manhã seguinte [monday morning] sobre o que deveria e o que não deveria ter sido feito. O que você não percebe é que, do conforto da sua casa, não tem como se ter noções da dimensão das coisas na prática. Mesmo assim, você não cansa de bancar o sabichão, aquele que adora dar palpite em tudo que já foi feito. Mas preste bem atenção: essa expressão não é usada apenas com torcedores fanáticos que adoram bancar o técnico de futebol, mas com qualquer pessoa que acha que faria tudo de maneira melhor, aquele tipo de gente que se acha o sabichão [know-it-all]. Veja este exemplo: It's easy to be a Monday morning quarterback when you see the kids' low test scores, but there are no easy answers to improving education. Espero que tenham gostado. Take care!
segunda-feira, 2 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word KEY
Hey guys. I think today's word is one of the most interesting sources for expressions I've had so far. That is because the word key holds many figurative meanings and can be part of many interesting expressions. The word key alone can already have different usages. One of them is of course its literal meaning, which is a small metal instrument specially cut to fit into a lock and move its bolt; but if you hear someone saying something like "I have the key to success", you'll know the key here means secret, not the object. The same way something of key importance is something very important. Notice that key can work as both noun and adjective.
The word key is very often associated to something misterious, or something that holds a secret inside. Take our next expression as an example: you're an investigative journalist now, and you've been trying to learn a little bit more about a crime that happened in your city. One day, after so much time of investigation, you finally stumble upon something that may hold the key. But wait, what does that mean? To hold the key? Well, maybe you've found a new track that may lead you to the chief suspect for the crime. That track holds the key because it provides the explanation for something that you could not previously understand.
Maybe the track was a record or any kind of document that was under lock and key. Hold on again, under lock and key? that's actually one more example of an expression with the word key. When something is under lock and key, it is locked and kept in a room or a container in a very safe way. So then you get the document that's been under lock and key and there is finally something that can lead you to the real perpetrador of the crime. If everything goes well, you'll be able to make him go to prison to be kept under lock and key. That is correct: to be under lock and key is an expression used for both things and people. The difference is that when it's used with people, it means the person is in prison, he is under lock and key. When it is used with something, it simply means it is locked in a container.
Changing a little bit the course of this post, let us know some more vocabulary. For example, a church key is actually not an expression, but it refers to that device you use to remove bottle tops and pierce a hole in can lids. If you like to drink beer, you probably always keep one of those near. But the same way, if you're a housewife who's always opening cans of tomato juice and the like, you need a church key just as much. I don't know why it has the word church in it, but it made me remember of another expression.
If you've ever been in a church choir, you must have realized there is always someone singing off-key. No matter how well the rest of the choir sings, the one who's singing off-key will always make it sound off pitch. When you sing off-key, you sing out of tune, off pitch, you can't sing accordingly to the harmony and tune of the song. If you're just like that and can't sing in harmony, you can also say you sing out of key. Out of key and off-key are the same thing. But there is more to it: If you're not getting along with someone, you can also say you're out of key with the person. You're out of harmony with him just like you'd be with a song.
And finally the last expression: a golden key can open any door. To understand that one, suppose you applied to work for a very important company. You get ready for the interview, arrive on time, feel like the interview went incredibly well and go home full of hope you'll get the call. But things don't go exactly the way you expected. You find out someone else, whose resume is quite worse than yours, is selected to work for them. You can't believe you've lost for someone so less prepared than you and try to find out what was the real reason. That's when someone tells you: the person that was selected comes from a wealthy family, and a golden key can open any door. When you say something like that, you actually mean to say sufficient money can accomplish anything. In that case, the fact he had much more influence than you made him be chosen over you. It is sad but it is true. Well guys, sorry for such long post, but I couldn't make it differentely. I hope this helps. Take care!
The word key is very often associated to something misterious, or something that holds a secret inside. Take our next expression as an example: you're an investigative journalist now, and you've been trying to learn a little bit more about a crime that happened in your city. One day, after so much time of investigation, you finally stumble upon something that may hold the key. But wait, what does that mean? To hold the key? Well, maybe you've found a new track that may lead you to the chief suspect for the crime. That track holds the key because it provides the explanation for something that you could not previously understand.
Maybe the track was a record or any kind of document that was under lock and key. Hold on again, under lock and key? that's actually one more example of an expression with the word key. When something is under lock and key, it is locked and kept in a room or a container in a very safe way. So then you get the document that's been under lock and key and there is finally something that can lead you to the real perpetrador of the crime. If everything goes well, you'll be able to make him go to prison to be kept under lock and key. That is correct: to be under lock and key is an expression used for both things and people. The difference is that when it's used with people, it means the person is in prison, he is under lock and key. When it is used with something, it simply means it is locked in a container.
Changing a little bit the course of this post, let us know some more vocabulary. For example, a church key is actually not an expression, but it refers to that device you use to remove bottle tops and pierce a hole in can lids. If you like to drink beer, you probably always keep one of those near. But the same way, if you're a housewife who's always opening cans of tomato juice and the like, you need a church key just as much. I don't know why it has the word church in it, but it made me remember of another expression.
If you've ever been in a church choir, you must have realized there is always someone singing off-key. No matter how well the rest of the choir sings, the one who's singing off-key will always make it sound off pitch. When you sing off-key, you sing out of tune, off pitch, you can't sing accordingly to the harmony and tune of the song. If you're just like that and can't sing in harmony, you can also say you sing out of key. Out of key and off-key are the same thing. But there is more to it: If you're not getting along with someone, you can also say you're out of key with the person. You're out of harmony with him just like you'd be with a song.
And finally the last expression: a golden key can open any door. To understand that one, suppose you applied to work for a very important company. You get ready for the interview, arrive on time, feel like the interview went incredibly well and go home full of hope you'll get the call. But things don't go exactly the way you expected. You find out someone else, whose resume is quite worse than yours, is selected to work for them. You can't believe you've lost for someone so less prepared than you and try to find out what was the real reason. That's when someone tells you: the person that was selected comes from a wealthy family, and a golden key can open any door. When you say something like that, you actually mean to say sufficient money can accomplish anything. In that case, the fact he had much more influence than you made him be chosen over you. It is sad but it is true. Well guys, sorry for such long post, but I couldn't make it differentely. I hope this helps. Take care!
O que significa status quo?
Por causa da palavra status, é muito comum se pensar que a frase status quo tem alguma coisa a ver com uma posição social que um indivíduo pode ocupar na sociedade. Mas não, status quo tem um significado bem diferente, e não tem nada a ver com posição social. No latim, essa frase vem da expressão in statu quo res erant ante bellum (no estado em que as coisas estavam antes da guerra), o que ainda não é tão intuitivo assim. Torna-se mais simples se você entender que, hoje em dia, as pessoas usam apenas o termo status quo no sentido de "estado atual das coisas", "no mesmo estado que antes". Por exemplo, 'o estado atual da economia brasileira está indo muito bem' poderia se tornar 'O status quo da economia brasileira está indo muito bem'. Fácil, não é?
Já que a expressão é latina, status quo é escrita da mesma maneira em Inglês [statu quo também é aceitável]. Algumas palavras que geralmente acompanham esse termo são stick to the status quo, keep the status quo, accept the status quo, maintain the status quo, etc [perceba que a expressão é sempre precedida do artigo the]. Talvez pela expressão não ser tão popular em Português, você pode achá-la um tanto formal demais para ser usada em qualquer contexto que não seja mais específico; mas em Inglês, é mais comum o uso dessa expressão em situações mais casuais. Por exemplo, um amigo seu é muito bem sucedido em sua carreira, mas acha que deveria mudar completamente de vida [mudar o status quo]. Você acha que ele deveria deixar as coisas do jeito que estão, já que tudo parece estar indo muito bem. Então você diz: I think you should maintain the status quo! É isso pessoal. Take care!
Já que a expressão é latina, status quo é escrita da mesma maneira em Inglês [statu quo também é aceitável]. Algumas palavras que geralmente acompanham esse termo são stick to the status quo, keep the status quo, accept the status quo, maintain the status quo, etc [perceba que a expressão é sempre precedida do artigo the]. Talvez pela expressão não ser tão popular em Português, você pode achá-la um tanto formal demais para ser usada em qualquer contexto que não seja mais específico; mas em Inglês, é mais comum o uso dessa expressão em situações mais casuais. Por exemplo, um amigo seu é muito bem sucedido em sua carreira, mas acha que deveria mudar completamente de vida [mudar o status quo]. Você acha que ele deveria deixar as coisas do jeito que estão, já que tudo parece estar indo muito bem. Então você diz: I think you should maintain the status quo! É isso pessoal. Take care!
domingo, 1 de dezembro de 2013
Expressions with the word RICH
Hey guys. It's been a while I've not come up with posts completely written in English. Maybe I wanted to reach out for more students of different levels for a while and then come back to where I was. But let's forget that for now and jump right into our expressions with the word rich. Being rich is a stigma for everybody, isnt't it? When you talk about it, people seem to have a whole range of opinions. Some usually say they'd rather be healthy and happy than be rich and unhappy [as if one couldn't have it all at the same time]. They may remember of examples of celebrities being filthy rich and still not being happy. But wait, filthy rich? what does that mean? If someone is filthy rich, they're very very wealthy. In Brazil, we could think of Eike Batista, Roberto Marinho, etc. They're perfect examples of filthy rich brazilian people. But let's know some other expressions:
one law for the rich and another for the poor: If you translate that expression directly into our language, it would still make a lot of sense, wouldn't it? Just think of how things work in Brazil: rich people getting away with big crimes while poor people getting seriously punished for stealing something as cheap as cheese at a supermarket. Not that the act of stealing should be measured by how much something costs, but it sounds weird when you put things into perespective. Next time you see something like that happening, you could say somthing like 'we shouldn't have one law for the rich and another for the poor'.
strick it rich: suppose you do not belong to a rich family, you've never been rich before, but still all of a sudden you become rich. There are some ways of making that happen actually, but one of the most famous ways is maybe by winning the lottery. If sometime in the future you come to win the lottely and become suddenlly filthy rich, you can say you've struck it rich. If you know a businesman that has suddenly become rich in a specific field, you can also say something more specific like Joey struck it rich in oil business.
a rich seam: Remember when I said in the beginning of this post being rich is a stigma for most people? If you ask people around about their opinions on what are the pros and cons of being rich, you may find out that topic provides a lot of opportunities to discuss. So we can say that topic is a rich steam because it provides a lot of controversy and discussion. We can be a little more specific with that expression. Take this as an example: Both wars have provided a rich steam of drama for playwrights and novelists alike. I hope this helps. Take care!
one law for the rich and another for the poor: If you translate that expression directly into our language, it would still make a lot of sense, wouldn't it? Just think of how things work in Brazil: rich people getting away with big crimes while poor people getting seriously punished for stealing something as cheap as cheese at a supermarket. Not that the act of stealing should be measured by how much something costs, but it sounds weird when you put things into perespective. Next time you see something like that happening, you could say somthing like 'we shouldn't have one law for the rich and another for the poor'.
strick it rich: suppose you do not belong to a rich family, you've never been rich before, but still all of a sudden you become rich. There are some ways of making that happen actually, but one of the most famous ways is maybe by winning the lottery. If sometime in the future you come to win the lottely and become suddenlly filthy rich, you can say you've struck it rich. If you know a businesman that has suddenly become rich in a specific field, you can also say something more specific like Joey struck it rich in oil business.
a rich seam: Remember when I said in the beginning of this post being rich is a stigma for most people? If you ask people around about their opinions on what are the pros and cons of being rich, you may find out that topic provides a lot of opportunities to discuss. So we can say that topic is a rich steam because it provides a lot of controversy and discussion. We can be a little more specific with that expression. Take this as an example: Both wars have provided a rich steam of drama for playwrights and novelists alike. I hope this helps. Take care!
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