Tuesday, July 15, 2014

ECUBED #43: Steal my thunder

Xin chào các bạn. Có khi nào bạn đang tận hưởng những phút giây tuyệt vời của mình, thì có ai đó chen ngang vào, lấy đi khoảnh khắc đó của bạn, thu hút hết sự chú ý của mọi người, khiến bạn không thể tiếp tục "nổ" nữa? Lúc đó bạn có thể sử dụng thành ngữ trong bài học hôm nay: "ĐÁNH CẮP TIẾNG SẤM CỦA TÔI"



TRANSCRIPT
Hello everybody. Welcome to Ecubed. Today we’ve got a great expression, to steal someone’s thunder. Well, you know what to steal means, to take something, to burgle something, to be a thief. Okay? But, what about thunder? Thunder is that noise in the sky, and then there’s a lighting, and then there’s a rain or even snow. So, to steal someone’s thunder means to steal their big day, their big moment. So, if I have a very important day, or a very important moment or event. And then someone else comes, and takes the glory, takes the spotlight, becomes the star, tries to become the prince, or the princess, or the king, or the queen. They are stealing my thunder.
So for example. It’s my birthday, and I’m having a party. But one of the guests, he says, today I got a promotion and I will pay for everything. So everybody says congratulations, congratulations to him. It’s my birthday. It’s my day. It’s not your day. Don’t steal my thunder. He’s stealing my thunder. He’s stealing my day, my moment. He’s a bad guy. Do you know anybody that has stolen your thunder? Who? Who? Listen to the dialogue.
A: Aren’t you inviting Amanda to the wedding?
B: No way. She always tries to steal my thunder.
A: How. Because she always tries to be the queen?
B: That’s right. That’s my day and I’m not gonna let anyone steal my thunder.
That’s right. Amanda is a bad woman and she will not be invited to the wedding because she will try to steal the thunder, try to look more pretty, try to wear a nice dress, being so nice and ladylike. Get out of here, Amanda. We don’t like you, Amanda because you try to steal everybody else’s thunder. Don’t steal someone else’s thunder. Control yourself. That’s today’s Ecubed and I will see you again tomorrow. Practice.
CHÚ Ý BÀI HỌC 
Thành ngữ “to steal someone’s thunder” có nghĩa là ăn cắp công lao của ai đó, phổng tay trên công lao của ai đó, cướp lấy ngày trọng đại/khoảnh khắc vinh quang tuyệt vời của một người nào đó, giành hết sự chú ý của mọi người cho người nào đó (giống như “to steal someone’s spotlight”).