Thursday, April 30, 2015

E-cubed 750: to spruce up something



Today's E-cubed:  to spruce up something: tân trang, làm mới cái gì đó

Did you see Coach Shane's website?
Yeah. So?
The new one! He totally spruced it up~
Really? I'll have to check it out.

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to E-cubed. Today we have a really good phrasal verb. It is to spruce up something. To spruce up something. Now this is actually a very old word, very old expression. And, what it means in modern English is to refurbish something or to take something old and make it new, make it fresh, make it look better. That's the idea. So, if you have an old wooden desk. And it doesn't look that good. If you sand it down and put new stain, bring a new color to it, maybe paint that desk. It's the same desk. But you clean it up and you paint it. Then you are sprucing up your desk. Okay?

So me, I've got this old body. I'm old. It's an old body. So, I spucing up my body by exercising and by slicing over my head. It's because I'm brucing up my body. You know, it's actually very painful. Uh, I'm trying to make my body look better, feel better, be healthier and stuff like that. To spruce up something. We can talk about our bodies. But usually, we talk about something in our home like a desk, or maybe a couch, some furnitures, or maybe your car. It can mean to clean up. So you need to spruce up your room. You need to clean up your room but also add something, a little bit of color, a little bit of style. It's a very useful word, to spruce up something. Check out the dialogue.

Did you see Coach Shane's website?
Yeah. So?
The new one! He totally spruced it up~
Really? I'll have to check it out.

Yes. We did. www.letsmasterenglish.com That's our website. But, we completely spruced it up. It looks much better. It's much more useful. All of the podcasts you can listen to right there, LME - Let's Master English, LME radio. All of my videos on Youtube, you can watch them right there, LME TV. You can check it out. All of my classes you can sign up right there. Uh but, we spruced up the site. And it's looking great. We're still getting feedback from a lot of you. Really great messages. We're looking at everything. We sincerily appreciate it.

So what about you? Do you have something that needs some sprucing up? Needs some refurbishment, need some cleaning, need some extra prettiness. Maybe your résumé. Uh huh. Do you have a résumé? In the UK, they say CV. If you have a resume, you might need to update. You might need to change things. Maybe you want to change the font, change the style. That idea is to spruce up your resume. If you have some furnitures in your home, an old desk or an old table, maybe it's an antique. It's really nice but doesn't look that good. Well, maybe you could spruce it up. Maybe you could send it to a company. And they'll redo the wood, or they'll change the outside, the upholstery. They'll spruce it up for you. It's a very nice verb, to spruce something up. And remember you can spruce yourself up, too.

Right now, perhaps your English, you're sprucing up your English by listening to daily easy english expression. And I thank you very much. Okay. I need to go rest. That's today's expression. I should be back tomorrow. But I might actually take a day off so that my body can feel fresh again. And thank you very much for watching. Practice the dialogue three more times. Please go check out our website letsmasterenglish.com and I'll see you soon. Thanks you guys. Bye bye.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

E-cubed 748: the wherewithal



Today's E-cubed:  The wherewithal: khả năng (về tiền bạc), tiền cần để làm gì đó...

Why don’t you join Coach Shane’s class?
I don’t have the wherewithal!
What? You can get both for less than 30 bucks!
Really? Both?

Transcript:
Today's expression is a great word: the wherewithal. The wherewithal. What does this expression mean? This expression actually means money. And usually we say it in a negative situation. For example, I don't have the wherewithal to buy a house. I don't have the wherewithal to build the studio. You need to find the wherewithal to start your company.

So when we say the wherewithal, it usually means money. It might mean ability. It could mean genetic ability. For example, as a man I do not have the genetic wherewithal to have a baby. I can't have a baby. Okay. And, I don't want to have a baby. It looks too painful. No, thank you. Women, you guys are tough, amazing. So to have the ability, genetic ability, but especially to have the money. It really means money.

Why does wherewithal mean money? Well, in order to do all of the things you want to do here and there, you need the money. So with the money, you can go here, here, here, and do all with the money. That's definitely Coach Shane's only definition of wherewithal. But seriously, we need this money.

Tạm dịch:
Expression của ngày hôm nay là một từ rất hay: the wherewithal. The wherewithal. Từ này có nghĩa là gì? Nó thực ra có nghĩa là tiền. Và thường thì chúng tôi dùng từ này trong tình huống  tiêu cực (không có tiền hoặc không đủ tiền). Ví dụ: Tôi không có tiền để mua một ngôi nhà. Tôi không có tiền để xây dựng một phòng thu. Tôi cần phải kiếm tiền để bắt đầu công ty của mình.

Như vậy khi chúng ta nói đến "wherewithal", nó thường có nghĩa là tiền. Nó có thể có nghĩa là khả năng. Nó có thể là khả năng di truyền. Ví dụ: là một người đàn ông, tôi không có khả năng mang thai. Tôi không thể có em bé. OK không nhỉ? Và tôi cũng chẳng muốn có em bé đâu ạ. Nó có vẻ là một việc quá đau đớn. Không đâu, cảm ơn nhé. Hỡi những người phụ nữ, các bạn thật là kiên cường, thật tuyệt vời. Như vậy "wherewithal" có nghĩa là có khả năng, khả năng di truyền, nhưng đặc biệt là có tiền. Nó thực sự có nghĩa là tiền.

Tại sao wherewithal có nghĩa là tiền? Là như vậy, để có thể làm được tất cả mọi việc bạn muốn làm ở đây hay ở kia hay ở kia, bạn cần có tiền. Như vậy khi bạn có tiền, bạn có thể đi tới nơi này, nơi kia và làm được tất cả với số tiền đó. Đó chính là định nghĩa từ "wherewithal" chỉ duy nhất Coach Shane mới có. Nhưng thực sự thì chúng ta cần tiền đấy.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

E-cubed 749: on so many levels



Today's E-cubed: on so many levels: ở nhiều khía cạnh, về nhiều thứ, nhiều mặt...

I like DDM on so many levels.
Like?
It forces me to concentrate. It forces me to speak. I've met so many other great members. The learning is non-stop. The way he teaches...
Okay, okay, okay! I got it!

TRANSCRIPT

E-cubed 747: to side with someone



Today's E-cubed: to side with someone: về phe của ai đó, ủng hộ ai đó...

The boss though Peter’s idea was stupid.
It wasn’t bad. He tried.
Are you siding with Peter?
No. I’m just…
Don’t let the boss hear that.

TRANSCRIPT

Hello, everybody. Welcome back to e-cubed. Yes, it is April 23. Yes, my website is not working. I sincerely apology. Don't worry. Very soon, it will be up. I promise. And the new website hopefully will be up very soon. It will be great. Thank you for your patience. But the videos keep going, and the podcasts keep going.

Today's expression is great. It is "to side with someone". To side with someone basically means to go to somebody's side, to be on their team, to support that person. So, a simple idea would be in sports. Let's say there's a soccer game. And there're the A team and the B team. Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the A team or the B team? I'm on A team's side. I'm on B team's side. That's it. But this expression "to side with someone", we almost always use it when there's a dissagreement, or a fight, or maybe when one person criticizes the other person. For example:

A: Oh, she is so stupid.
B: Oh, she is OK.
A: Oh hoh, are you on she side.

This is usually how the conversation takes place. So, the person who says you're on somebody side usually is very angry at the other person. Does that make sense? Oh, it will. Check out this dialogue which is so true. I know. If you're married, or you have a girlfriend or boyfriend. This dialogue especially for married people is reality. Check it out.

The boss though Peter’s idea was stupid.
It wasn’t bad. He tried.
Are you siding with Peter?
No. I’m just…
Don’t let the boss hear that.

Oh, yes. Office politics.Within the office, whose side are you on? Are you on Peter's side? Are you on Tom's side? Be careful whose side you are on. It's a competition within the office. If you are on the wrong side, no vacation, no promotion, no new project, no new computer. Oh, yes. I'm serious. Office politics. Be careful. Whose side are you on. And this is not just in the office. It's in the home, too. Oh you bet. Husbands and wives. Whose side are you on? Especially when we talk about mother-in-laws and father-in-laws. Oh, boy. Be careful. Husbands and wives, they always argue. Uh, you know. I don't want to get too personal. But I remember my mom and dad always have little arguements about where to go for Christmas. Should we go to your parents' house? Should we go to your parents' house? Last time, we went here. And last time... But the food was not good. It can be a war. Be careful!

Let me give you some advice as a man who's older. If you're married, I recommend you always be on your spouce's side. If your wife says something, agree. And I mean honestly agree. You pick your wife. You know how she thinks. You know how she is. So you should agree with her. Wives, you pick your husband. You know your husband. You know how he is. If he says something that requires your side. Be on his side. You pick him. You should join him. That's my recommendation. When it comes to office politics, that's why I don't work in an office. I'm not good at politics. If I don't like somebody, if I think something is stupid, I say it. And that's why I'm here. I'll do my best. Whose side are you on? At home, are you usually on your mom's side or your dad's side? Your mom says: let's go on vacation to Disney's land. And your dad says: let's go on vacation to the mountain. Whose side are you on? Are you on mom's side or are you on dad's side? When I was young, I was always on my mom's side. Now I'm older, I'm on my dad's side. I'm sorry, mom. I love you. But to be honest, I'm sorry. But this is not true. I'm always on my mom's side. Respect your mother. Respect your mother. It's very important. Whose side are you on? Leave a message. Have a great one. Listen to the dialogue three more times, and I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye bye.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

E-cubed 746: to rile somebody up



Today's E-cubed: to rile somebody up

"To rile somebody up" means to get them excited, but usually in a negative way. For example, if you rile somebody up, they might get excited and angry at you or at something.

"To rile somebody up" có nghĩa là làm ai đó tức giận, chọc giận hay chọc tức ai đó.

What are you doing?
Rubbing Minty’s tummy.
You’re gonna rile her up~
But she’s such a cutie!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

E-cubed 745: To get the edge on someone



Today's E-cubed: to get the edge on somebody

"To have an edge on somebody" means to have an advantage. You are more skilled. You have more money. You have more experience. People know you more. You are better looking. You are stronger. You have a skill, something that's better than other people. So, you are on top. You have an edge on the other people.

"To get an edge on somebody" means you are trying to build your skill in order to be better than the other people, to have an advantage over other people.

"To have an edge on somebody" có nghĩa là có được lợi thế hơn người khác. Kỹ năng của bạn tốt hơn. Bạn có nhiều tiền hơn. Bạn có nhiều kinh nghiệm hơn. Mọi người biết đến bạn nhiều hơn. Vẻ ngoài của bạn nổi bật hơn. Bạn khỏe mạnh hơn. Bạn có một kỹ năng tốt hơn những người khác. Vì thế mà bạn đứng đầu. Bạn có lợi thế hơn người khác.

"To get an edge on somebody" có nghĩa là bạn đang cố gắng xây dựng kỹ năng cho bản thân để trở nên tốt hơn những người khác, để có được lợi thế so với những người khác.

Are you studying English?
Shh. It’s a secret.
Why? From who?
I’m trying to get the edge on Bill.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

E-cubed 743: a bunny boiler



Today's E-cubed: a bunny boiler

A bunny boiler actually refers to a woman, only a woman who gets really angry and actually goes a little bit crazy or psycho psychotic after her boyfriend or husband breaks up with her or does something you know cheats on her, divorces her.

"A bunny boiler" dùng để chỉ một người phụ nữ trở nên giận dữ, phát điên lên khi bị bạn trai hoặc chồng lừa gạt, chia tay, li hôn.

Who was that?
My ex.
She’s a real bunny boiler, huh?
Be careful if you dump a woman!

Saturday, April 11, 2015

E-cubed 740: to dole out



Today's E-cubed: to dole out

"To dole out" means to give, not necessarily a lot but a little. So, to dole out, it could be a lot but usually a little. To dole out money. To dole out candy.  To dole out advice. These are very common collocations with dole out. Dole out money, dole out food, dole out advice, dole out candy. That's the idea.

"To dole out" có nghĩa là cho đi, bố thí, phân phát, không nhất thiết phải nhiều, thường là một chút ít tiền hoặc là kẹo, thức ăn hay cho ai đó lời khuyên.

Cat pictures again?
Yes! They’re useful.
How?
They always dole out wisdom.

Friday, April 10, 2015

E-cubed 739: on the dole



Today's E-cubed: on the dole

Nếu có ai đó đang thất nghiệp và đang được hưởng trợ cấp thất nghiệp của chính quyền, chúng ta có thể nói: "He is on the dole".

How do these people do this?
Do what?
Demonstrate! Everyday!!
They’re on the dole~

Tạm dịch:
Sao mà những người này lại làm những việc như vậy nhỉ?
Làm gì cơ?
Biểu tình! Ngày nào cũng thế!!
Vì họ đang sống dựa vào tiền trợ cấp thất nghiệp đó mà~

Thursday, April 9, 2015

E-cubed 738: to fly the coop



Today's E-cubed: to fly the coop: chuồn đi, cao chạy xa bay, bỏ đi, trốn tránh trách nhiệm,...

Where’s Shane?
He flew the coop.
He knew I wanted to talk to him!
I think that’s why~

E-cubed 737: be taken for a ride



Today's E-cubed: taken for a ride: được đi nhờ xe của ai đó hoặc bị ai đó lừa gạt

Back already?
Yeah~
Did you enjoy the Skywalk?
No! I think I was taken for a ride!
How long was it?
25 bucks for 5 minutes! No cameras~ 

Giải thích: 
What does it mean? 
- to take someone for a ride
- to be taken for a ride
- They took me for a ride. 
Is it a good expression or a bad expression?

If somebody is driving and they give you a ride to work or to school or down the road, that's a nice expression. 

But, this can also be a really bad expression. You took me for a ride. That means you deceive me. You use me. Probably you took my money, at least you took my time. You make me believe in you. But you deceive me. So, to be taken for a ride is not a good thing.

That's it! Have a good time, everyone.

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Ecubed Podcast 340: to dwell on something

How are you doing? Let's listen to Daily Easy English Expression Podcast 340. I hope you enjoy it.