I went driving with my two cousins this summer.
We were going to a mall to do a little shopping. I had heard that my cousin, Delilah, had some bad luck since she had started driving 2 years earlier. She had been in a few accidents and had "totaled" one vehicle entirely.
I was not afraid of her luck so we got into the car. As she backed out of the driveway, I felt perfectly comfortable. That was soon to change. She got onto the highway and we "headed" into town. Her speed continued to increase until we were going 20 km over the limit. She was a real "lead foot". I did ask her why she had her "pedal to the metal" but she just laughed. I told her she could continue if she wanted but should a police car "pull her over", I would not "have her back". She laughed again and we continued on to the mall. We arrived safely, "no thanks to" her driving.
1) "totaled" - We understand that the word "total" means complete or entire. "What did your groceries total?" means "What was the final amount of money you paid for your groceries?". However, it is very common to discuss things that have been severely damaged as "totaled". A car that was in an accident and is either not able to be driven or is unsafe to drive will be called "totaled". So, in this case, we can equate the word "totaled" to the word demolished.
In the figurative sense, we use the word "totaled" to describe anything that we have "destroyed" or left in a state of disrepair. This can be an emotional, physical or suggested destruction. For example, we can say that we "totaled" a buffet at lunch if we ate a large amount of food. We can say that we were "totaled" after a long day of meetings at work if we are very tired or emotionally drained. And we can also say we got "totaled" at the party. The last example is suggesting that we lost all control due to alcohol consumption.
2) "headed" into - We've discussed to "head" before. This is discussing direction. We can "head" towards the office or the mall or home. The idea is that the direction we are going is the direction or where we are "heading".
A footballer will "head" the ball by hitting the ball with his head. This move is often called a "header". Sometimes we will use an extremely similar sounding expression when we tell someone we have to leave. You might hear someone say they have to "head 'er" as they are getting up to leave. This means they have to "head" home (go in the direction of home).
3) a "lead foot" - "Lead foot" is a term we use for someone who drives very fast. The suggestion is that they have actual lead in their driving shoe or foot and so they apply more pressure to the accelerator of the vehicle. There isn't any other use of this term that I can think of unless you want to use the term figuratively. You might want to suggest great speed relating to some other event or action. If you want to suggest that your assistant hurries to finish their work on Friday afternoons, you might say you assistant is a real "lead foot" when it comes to working on Friday afternoons. I wouldn't say that this is a very common expression outside of driving.
4) "pedal to the metal" - This is another expression for driving very fast. The suggestion is that you are pressing the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor of the vehicle or to the metal frame on the bottom of the vehicle. This phrase can be used more commonly outside of a driving incident. Any time you want to suggest someone move or work quickly you can tell them to "put the pedal to the metal". You can tell your daughter to "put the pedal to the metal" when she is washing the dishes. You can also tell you boss that you will "put the pedal to the metal" when you want them to understand you are going to do your assignment as quickly as possible to meet the deadline.
5) to "pull her over" - Police "pull cars over" when the driver has done something wrong. For example, if you are driving along and the car in front of you is speeding, when you pass a police car you should not be surprised when the car in front of you is "pulled over". The action of "pulling someone over" is to indicate to them that you want them to stop driving and move to the side of the road.
We can use this phrase figuratively too. If you want to make sure that someone stops talking or whatever they are doing so that they will listen and pay attention to you, you can tell them to "pull over". This clearly suggests that you want them to stop. Because this is a power move, you can only use this phrase to someone you have power over. You cannot use this phrase with a superior because it would be considered rude. I think it is generally rude unless you are in a joking situation with someone. Maybe you are with your friends and you are discussing a subject, but then one of your friends makes a statement about his recent night out with his ex. You can say to the group of people talking, "OK, everybody pull over" so that you can make everyone stop talking and you can focus attention on the person you want everyone to hear from - the guy who went out with his ex and wants to talk about it.
6) to "have someone's back" - Always an expression used in a difficult situation where someone needs or could use assistance to win. The literal idea is that if your friend is in a physical fight, then you as their friend will watch or "have their back" meaning that you will make sure no one can attack your friend from behind (the back) while they are fighting face-to-face with another attacker. In general, this expression is used whenever someone wants to suggest that they support their friend. You can say to a friend going into an exam, going to court to fight a traffic ticket, getting a divorce or just preparing to talk to the boss about a pay raise that you "have their back" to tell them you support what they are doing. If any question arrises to put your friend's actions or words into question/doubt, then you would have to show your support by talking to whomever is questioning your friend to prove you have their back.
7) "no thanks to" something/someone - If you say "thanks to" someone/something you are giving them credit for something. Your mother could tell you how nice your new haircut looks and you could say, "My hair looks this good thanks to my friend Tom who is a stylist". So "no thanks to" someone/something is the opposite expression. Again, if your mother tells you your hair looks good you could say "Yes, no thanks to Jennifer who used to cut my hair. Tom helped me with this style".
The example in the above story, "We arrived safely, no thanks to her driving.", indicates that I give no credit to the driving abilities of my cousin but some other factor when referring to our safe arrival. Perhaps a guardian angel. At the office, your boss might tell you what a great job your team did on a project. You could say, "The project is finished no thanks to our team member, Joshua." if you wanted to make clear to your boss that Joshua did not work well on the project. Joshua doesn't deserve any credit for the work, in your opinion, and so he deserves "no thanks".
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Hot or Not? What is the question?
I'm reading a book and one of the characters just said "You don't look so hot." to the main character. Is that good or bad? Sometimes I don't feel so hot, so what should I do? Should I heat something up or cool something down?
You could go to a good salon and get a makeover. Then you would look and feel hot. Maybe that good-looking someone you have been trying to "catch the eye of" will come up to you with a big smile and say, "Wow, you look hot". Is that good?
Can coffee or soup look hot? Yes. Can a car look hot? Yes. Does it mean the same thing when you say soup looks hot compared to a car looking hot? No. Not usually.
And what if someone yells out their car window, "Hey, Hot Stuff!", is that the same as someone carrying a bowl of steaming food yelling "Look out! I'm carrying hot stuff"?
---- Hot has two main meanings in English today. 1) It can be literal, suggesting high temperature as in, "It is 30 degrees Celsius outside. The temperature outside is hot". 2) It can be used figuratively suggesting sexiness/attractiveness or excitement of some kind. That is how a new, shiny car can look "hot". This means the car's appearance is exciting to the viewer. It is similar to actual high temperature "hot" because when we get very excited about something our physical temperature usually raises.
Sometimes English is very confusing, especially when colloquialisms (words or phrases used in casual conversation) are involved.
1) "You don't look so hot." - This is said to someone who looks ill or very unhappy about something. If your hair is a mess and your nose is red because you are sick, then someone can tell you that you "don't look so hot". You do need the word "so" in the statement. Otherwise, your statement would be "you don't look hot" which could be understood as temperature "hot" or attractiveness "hot".
If you are feeling sick after eating a meal, you could say "I don't feel so hot". This suggests that you are ill.
2) "I feel hot." OR "You look hot."- Depending on the circumstances, this can suggest either temperature or attractiveness. English frequently depends on the situation in which it is being spoken and who is listening to the speaker.
If you say that you are feeling "hot" when you are outside in a park, it seems obvious that you are describing your feeling of high temperature.
However, if you say you feel "hot" when you are wearing your best nightclub clothes, then you mean that you feel sexy or very attractive in those clothes. If you tell your friend that their new hairstyle looks "hot", you again are talking about attractiveness.
3) "Hot Stuff" OR "hot stuff" - "Hot Stuff" is an expression from the seventies. You would use it to describe anyone looking very attractive.
If you are talking about carrying some "hot stuff" into the dining room, you are talking about something that has a high temperature. For example, if you tell your child to not touch the oven door because it is "hot stuff", you mean the temperature is high and therefore dangerous.
4) to "catch the eye of" someone - This is an expression based on a literal movement. If you are trying to attract someone by wearing sexy clothing or if you are trying to attract someone's attention by waving your arms in the air, you are trying to catch their eye. The physical movement of someone turning their head or moving their eye so that they can focus on you (or something else interesting) is termed "catching their eye" because their mind and focus are held (caught). You could ask your friend where they bought their new hat. Your friend might say, "I was walking to the train and while I was passing a shop, the hat caught my eye". This means that your friend's focus was shifted, not by any specific action taken by the hat, but by its appearance (colour, style, shape, etc.).
Saturday, November 6, 2010
How to Get Rich Quick
Last Wednesday I was kidnapped by my father. Not really. I went with him to a town situated between the two large towns in our province so we could go watch a seminar series on building wealth.
Someone's wealth was built that day but it wasn't mine. The seminar started at 6pm and by 5:30pm there were a good-sized group of "pigeons" waiting at the door. I know this because we were also there early. What the seminar would describe to us was supposed to "blow you away" and we would definitely want to "pick up whatever they would be laying down".
Since we had a little time before the seminar, we went to have supper at the hotel's restaurant. Lucky for us we did. When we returned to the seminar room, it was "standing room only". The speaker began telling stories of how he built his own wealth and how we could purchase a class to find out how to do the same. They only had 9 places in the class so we had to act quick. The class, at this one time only offer, was discounted from $6,000.00 to $2,000.00. Wow, what a bargain! At the break (2 hours+ later) we were offered a granola bar for a snack. Unbelievable! These people were talking about all the million dollar deals they were making daily and then we were offered a granola bar for supper.
In the end, they sold all 9 seats in their first class for $2,000.00 and the 9 seats in the second class at $1,250.00 each, for a grand total of $29,250.00. The cost for the room we were in was maybe $500.00 and if you add in the cost of the water (available at the back of the room), $0.00, and the cost of the snacks, maybe $20.00, you get a final intake of about $28, 730.00. Even if the classes offered cost them $2,000.00, they still "come out ahead" at $26,730.00. So whose wealth was built that night?
1) a "pigeon" OR a "sucker" OR a "mark"- "There is a pigeon born every minute" OR "There is a sucker born every minute". This is an expression that isn't discussing actual flying pigeons. The suggestion is that pigeons are not very smart and they like to be in groups, i.e. do what the other pigeons are doing. So if you are someone who wants to convince someone to give you money or to purchase something above the actual worth of the product, you must look for a "pigeon". A "pigeon" is someone who wants to believe that they have knowledge that they do not and so they will pretend to understand what the salesperson is saying just to belong. This "pigeon" will purchase a car that is broken for full price. They will buy a new sweater for ten times the regular retail price because they believe the salesperson when they tell the "pigeon" that the sweater has magical powers. Essentially a pigeon, a sucker and a mark are all very gullible people who will buy whatever you tell them to. A disreputable salesperson will always want to talk to the pigeons before they try talking to the informed shopper.
2) to "blow you away" OR to be "blown away" - This expression suggests a bomb exploding or a very strong wind that would physically move your body and therefore mind. We use this expression anytime we want to suggest that the information we have to share is amazing and will shock the listener. Usually, this is a good thing. If you have gone on a buying trip for work, and your boss asks you what you paid for your samples, you can say "You will be blown away be the prices". When you read a mystery book and it reveals the reason for the killer's actions, you could say you were "blown away" by that information.
You can also say that something can "blow your mind". Again, this suggests amazement. The expression does have a drug-related connotation because some drugs (not alcohol) can change your perception and therefore what your mind perceives. You can use this expression at work if you are sure that what you are about to demonstrate will be new and surprising information for your audience. You could tell the client at your advertising firm that the new ad campaign will "blow her mind" because it is so revolutionary.
3) to "pick up what someone is laying down" - A slightly dated expression that can refer to a dog that follows a scent to a lost object. We use this to describe the idea that everything that is about to be said is important or exciting information that needs to be understood and considered valuable. It can be used at least 2 ways. 1) You can ask someone, like a subordinate at work, if they are "picking up what you are putting (OR laying) down" because they do not seem to be listening to you. The idea is that because of your greater experience at the job, you have good information to share. You can also tell someone to make sure they "pick up what you lay down" because you are offering a gift of your knowledge and the listener would be wise to take the valuable information and learn it. 2) If you are at work and the boss is questioning whether you are listening, you can say "I am picking up what you are laying down" to assure the boss that not only are you listening but that the information being given is also being valued.
4) "standing room only" - This term is literal but can be used figuratively. If a room has a limited number of chairs and every chair is full, then any other individuals in the room would have to stand. Hence, the room was "standing room only". Figuratively, the expression suggests an unexpected number of participants in any activity. For example, if you expect about 20 workers to attend your talk on workplace safety, but 40 people come to your talk, then you can describe the talk as "It was standing room only" thereby suggesting great success. The number of chairs in a room are not really relevant in the figurative use of the expression, only a successful number of participants.
5) to "come out ahead" - To "come out" is a phrasal verb usually equivalent to "result". "Ahead" here is referring to a gain, not a loss or balanced result. You can "come out ahead" financially or in product or valuable information. So, if you go to a conference that cost you $800.00 to attend and none of the information you get is useful to you, then you did not come out ahead. However, if at that same conference you made 3 new contacts that lead to sales for your company, then you could say that you "came out ahead" at that conference.
To "come out" also has some other meanings. One meaning is to move from one enclosed space into an open space. A cat hiding under the table could be convinced to "come out" by the offer of a special cat treat. Another meaning is very similar but used more figuratively. It refers to homosexual individuals that hide their sexual orientation from others (sometimes from themselves). An individual hiding their orientation can be referred to as "in the closet". This is a very common expression. When this person discovers or decides to tell the truth about their orientation to their family and friends then they are considered to be "out of the closet" or to have "come out".
Someone's wealth was built that day but it wasn't mine. The seminar started at 6pm and by 5:30pm there were a good-sized group of "pigeons" waiting at the door. I know this because we were also there early. What the seminar would describe to us was supposed to "blow you away" and we would definitely want to "pick up whatever they would be laying down".
Since we had a little time before the seminar, we went to have supper at the hotel's restaurant. Lucky for us we did. When we returned to the seminar room, it was "standing room only". The speaker began telling stories of how he built his own wealth and how we could purchase a class to find out how to do the same. They only had 9 places in the class so we had to act quick. The class, at this one time only offer, was discounted from $6,000.00 to $2,000.00. Wow, what a bargain! At the break (2 hours+ later) we were offered a granola bar for a snack. Unbelievable! These people were talking about all the million dollar deals they were making daily and then we were offered a granola bar for supper.
In the end, they sold all 9 seats in their first class for $2,000.00 and the 9 seats in the second class at $1,250.00 each, for a grand total of $29,250.00. The cost for the room we were in was maybe $500.00 and if you add in the cost of the water (available at the back of the room), $0.00, and the cost of the snacks, maybe $20.00, you get a final intake of about $28, 730.00. Even if the classes offered cost them $2,000.00, they still "come out ahead" at $26,730.00. So whose wealth was built that night?
1) a "pigeon" OR a "sucker" OR a "mark"- "There is a pigeon born every minute" OR "There is a sucker born every minute". This is an expression that isn't discussing actual flying pigeons. The suggestion is that pigeons are not very smart and they like to be in groups, i.e. do what the other pigeons are doing. So if you are someone who wants to convince someone to give you money or to purchase something above the actual worth of the product, you must look for a "pigeon". A "pigeon" is someone who wants to believe that they have knowledge that they do not and so they will pretend to understand what the salesperson is saying just to belong. This "pigeon" will purchase a car that is broken for full price. They will buy a new sweater for ten times the regular retail price because they believe the salesperson when they tell the "pigeon" that the sweater has magical powers. Essentially a pigeon, a sucker and a mark are all very gullible people who will buy whatever you tell them to. A disreputable salesperson will always want to talk to the pigeons before they try talking to the informed shopper.
2) to "blow you away" OR to be "blown away" - This expression suggests a bomb exploding or a very strong wind that would physically move your body and therefore mind. We use this expression anytime we want to suggest that the information we have to share is amazing and will shock the listener. Usually, this is a good thing. If you have gone on a buying trip for work, and your boss asks you what you paid for your samples, you can say "You will be blown away be the prices". When you read a mystery book and it reveals the reason for the killer's actions, you could say you were "blown away" by that information.
You can also say that something can "blow your mind". Again, this suggests amazement. The expression does have a drug-related connotation because some drugs (not alcohol) can change your perception and therefore what your mind perceives. You can use this expression at work if you are sure that what you are about to demonstrate will be new and surprising information for your audience. You could tell the client at your advertising firm that the new ad campaign will "blow her mind" because it is so revolutionary.
3) to "pick up what someone is laying down" - A slightly dated expression that can refer to a dog that follows a scent to a lost object. We use this to describe the idea that everything that is about to be said is important or exciting information that needs to be understood and considered valuable. It can be used at least 2 ways. 1) You can ask someone, like a subordinate at work, if they are "picking up what you are putting (OR laying) down" because they do not seem to be listening to you. The idea is that because of your greater experience at the job, you have good information to share. You can also tell someone to make sure they "pick up what you lay down" because you are offering a gift of your knowledge and the listener would be wise to take the valuable information and learn it. 2) If you are at work and the boss is questioning whether you are listening, you can say "I am picking up what you are laying down" to assure the boss that not only are you listening but that the information being given is also being valued.
4) "standing room only" - This term is literal but can be used figuratively. If a room has a limited number of chairs and every chair is full, then any other individuals in the room would have to stand. Hence, the room was "standing room only". Figuratively, the expression suggests an unexpected number of participants in any activity. For example, if you expect about 20 workers to attend your talk on workplace safety, but 40 people come to your talk, then you can describe the talk as "It was standing room only" thereby suggesting great success. The number of chairs in a room are not really relevant in the figurative use of the expression, only a successful number of participants.
5) to "come out ahead" - To "come out" is a phrasal verb usually equivalent to "result". "Ahead" here is referring to a gain, not a loss or balanced result. You can "come out ahead" financially or in product or valuable information. So, if you go to a conference that cost you $800.00 to attend and none of the information you get is useful to you, then you did not come out ahead. However, if at that same conference you made 3 new contacts that lead to sales for your company, then you could say that you "came out ahead" at that conference.
To "come out" also has some other meanings. One meaning is to move from one enclosed space into an open space. A cat hiding under the table could be convinced to "come out" by the offer of a special cat treat. Another meaning is very similar but used more figuratively. It refers to homosexual individuals that hide their sexual orientation from others (sometimes from themselves). An individual hiding their orientation can be referred to as "in the closet". This is a very common expression. When this person discovers or decides to tell the truth about their orientation to their family and friends then they are considered to be "out of the closet" or to have "come out".
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