Category Archives: From friends

As a non-native English speaker, it is fun to learn new English expressions from friends. I am not afraid of asking questions to my friends. Luckily, my friends are so nice that they always do their bests to explain to me. Thank you, all!

22 Sep

shit or get off the pot

Who taught: Phil

Shit or get off the pot (source: http://www.someecards.com/)

Winter indoor soccer season has come. Every Monday night from now to the end of March is soccer time for me and Phil.

Last Monday, Phil and I were on the way to the sports complex and we talked about relationship between men and women. In this context, Phil used this expression, “shit or get off the pot.”

Now, let me be very clear upfront here. In general, pot means a container, typically rounded or cylindrical and of ceramic ware or metal, used for storage or cooking. But, pot in this expression means something else. Do you know what else has rounded or cylindrical ceramic ware? It is a toilet.

Now, if you are in a toilet in a public bathroom too long, there are so many people waiting for you to come out. While they are waiting for you outside of the toilet, what would they keep saying? They would say like this, “Come on, dude, shit or get off the pot. People are dying here outside.”

With this feeling, you can use the same expression to a couple who have been engaged for a long time but not really sure about marriage. I mean if they are happy with it, you would not use this expression to them. But, in a case that a guy is your friend and ask your help about what to do with the engagement and not sure whether he needs to marry her or not, then you can try to help him as much as you can, then finally you could say, “OK, I think it is the time to shit or get off the spot,” meaning that it is the time to make a decision.

I believe you can use this expression when you see someone is indecisive to do something. Am I right, my American friends?

15 Sep

phone it in

Who taught: Carol

the middle (source: http://en.wikipedia.org)

What a coincidence! Yesterday, I could not believe my ears. Watching an episode of TV show, Middle, I heard the expression that I learned from Carol a few days ago.

The explanation Carol gave me was very good but I wasn’t totally sure how and when I can use the expression.

Here is the conversation that Brick’s mother, Frankie, and Brick’s teacher had on the show.

Teacher: “So, are you saying you are over-parenting?”

Frankie: “Oh no no! We are under-parenting. In fact, we just phone it in.”

So, let me guess! You are little confused now, aren’t you? I mean, honestly, we all know what phone is, like iPhone, right? Then, what is phone it in? Of course, it originally means to make a phone call into a conference call, or something. Carol said, in the context of calling into a conference call, we can say, “I am phoning in now.”

Now, here is what American people have in their mind, when they hear “phone it in.” (Be careful! There is ‘it’ in the middle.)

Someone really need to be physically in a meeting because it is important but he/she did not. Instead, he/she phones in using a telephone. Now, what do you think? That is not a good attitude, right? You can imagine that he/she does not do a good job, can’t you? That’s what it means.

To sum it up, ‘phone it in’ means doing a bad job, which makes the conversation above perfectly sense.

Here is a good usage you can try whenever people you manage do not do a good job.

“Hey stop phoning it in! Work harder!”

12 Sep

doghouse

Who taught: Tami, Brad, Jonathan and Jessy

Doghouse (source: http://www.thecoolist.com/)

Today, it is pretty chilly here in Pittsburgh. Feels like winter is coming. Hope we get to enjoy fall a little longer before we see the first snow.

Last week, there was a welcome dinner for my students organized by the Program. Jessy and I sat around a table with Brad and his wife, Tami and Jonathan. Jonathan is a student from Taiwan. We talked about how hard to go abroad to study, especially due to language barrier and culture.

Interestingly but not surprisingly, we get to learn a few new English expressions.

At some point, Jessy gave me a sour look because of what I said and Brad caught it. In that context, Tami asked us, “Do you know what does ‘I am in the doghouse’ mean?”

Other than the basic question, ‘Why in the world is a person in the place where a dog lives?’, in my mind, I had no clue about its meaning.

Can you guess what it is? I mean…It just sounds awful. You know what is sadder? This expression is mostly used by husbands whenever they have a trouble with their wives. When your wife gets angry and you have to be careful and feel uncomfortable in the house, then you go to where? That’s right.  The doghouse.

For example, you just fought with your wife and I called you, then you can say to me, “Dude! I am in the doghouse now. Can you save me?” Isn’t it sad?

Tami told me that there were small shelters for dogs in most homes in the past and, when there was a trouble between husband and wife, the husband usually took a refuge to the doghouse.

I am glad that I do not have a dog and thus there is no doghouse. Now, my question is where can I go? Also, where the dog goes if I take his house over?

06 Sep

table it vs shelve it

Who taught: Jeff

table (source: http://www.everyfinehome.com/)

Yesterday was Labor Day in the U.S. In most countries including South Korea, May 1 is Labor Day. Do you know why the U.S. chose a day in September to be Labor Day instead of May 1? It was because President Cleveland was concerned that observance of May 1 would be associated with the nascent Communist, Syndicalist and Anarchist movements.

If this one would show up on the U.S. Citizenship exam, I could get a point, right?

Speaking of the U.S. being different from other countries, I have a very shocking expression to share today.

Last week, I had a meeting with my friend, Jeff. Talking about English expressions, he asked me a question, “Hey, Terry! Can you guess what ‘table it’ means?”

I thought it should be very easy. So, without hesitation, I said, “That should mean to put something on the table so that people can see what it is and start to discuss it.”

What do you think, my non-native English speaker friends? Don’t you think I got it correct?

Here is the very strange result! If I were in any other English-speaking countries than the U.S., my answer  was totally right. But, it is not in the U.S. In the U.S., a motion to lay something on the table means motion to postpone consideration of a pending motion.

Here is a good example. If your wife wants to talk about having a baby and you think you are not ready, then you can say to your wife, “Honey! Can we table it?”

Sounds awkward, right? But, that is what it means in the U.S.

Now, if you look around your office, what do you see above or beside the table? I bet you have a few shelves. Suppose you put something on one of the shelves, what does it mean? Usually, you do not see or consider it for a while till you grab it from the shelf. Hence, “shelve it” means to postpone consideration of a pending motion. This one means the same in all of the English-speaking countries including the U.S.

So, you may want to stick with ‘shelve it’ instead of using ‘table it’, especially if you are on a trip to the U.K. or Australia, etc.

But, you’d better be able to distinguish ‘table it’ and ‘shelve it’ in the U.S. They are totally opposite.

It is still not very intuitive to think ‘table it’ to mean to postpone something. But, I am in the U.S. and When in Rome!

02 Sep

makeup

Who taught: Francesmary

makeup exam (source: http://www.docstoc.com/)

I am a man. Why do I say that? Well, today’s expression is related with gender. When women say makeup, that would most likely to mean cosmetics such as lipstick or powder applied to the face, used to enhance or alter the appearance.

Yesterday, I was at Mike’s place where many of my colleagues got together to celebrate Patty’s promotion. I finally had a chance to meet Jeff’s wife, Francis. As Jeff introduced me to her, he mentioned my blog. As soon as she heard about what the blog is about, she remembered her own experience. She used to know this lady who is a non-native English speaker to whom she mentioned a makeup exam.

When she mentioned a makeup exam, the non-native English speaker’s response was, “What do you mean by the makeup exam? Do you mean there is an exam about how to apply cosmetics?”

Now, can I assume that you all know what a makeup exam is? To have a common ground between you and me, let me explicitly put the definition of it here.

A special examination for a student who has been absent from or has failed a previous examination.

An interesting thing is that, since I know what a makeup exam is, I have never thought that it would be hard for other non-native English speakers to understand what it is. I guess this is exactly the feeling that my native English friends would have when they speak English with me, especially when I ask questions about expressions they use.

P.S: If you are a student, you do not want to take a makeup exam. Usually, that is not a good sign.

By the way, is there really a makeup exam to mean a test about how to apply cosmetics? If so, would a makeup exam make sense?