Category Archives: From media

13 Oct

stone fox

Who taught: Sears

 

Today, I have wonderful news for you. What would you say when you misspoke to your girlfriend or wife and you are looking for a word to make up for it? I have one perfect word for you that can solve the problem right away.

Recently, I have seen this Sears Optical commercial many times. But, it was yesterday that I really paid attention to what a guy says. Did you catch it? He said, “How did I get a fox like you?” The fact is that he said that after he cut his wife’s hair, not just the price tag. What a mistake! He failed because he did not wear glasses.

Anyway, as soon as I heard him saying, “fox,” I was surprised because we, Koreans, also use the same word to describe a woman. A woman who is attractive and sexy.

So, you can say to your wife or girlfriend, “You are a fox!” But, then what is a stone fox? If your wife or girlfriend is a stone fox, then you should probably be proud of yourself.

Why? Here  is the thing. Stone is so hard and strong to break, right? So, if a lady is not only a fox but also a stone fox, then she is sexy but at the same time is not easily attainable.

Oh, man.. I am going to say this to Jessy today, “Jessy! How did I get a stone fox like you? I must be very foxy, right?” 🙂

04 Oct

step on it

Who taught: PetSmart and Jessy

Step on it (source: http://labelle-et-lebadboy.blogspot.com/)

There is one expression that I would not say to Jessy. That is “Step on it.” But, I might use this to some cab drivers when they drive too slowly. Well, it wouldn’t be the case in New York City though. As you can imagine, the definition of this expression is simple, “To accelerate.”

Now, you know why I would not use this to Jessy? If not, you may want to read this post about heavy foot. She has a lead foot. Many times, I need to ask her to slow down. Maybe, I can say, “Don’t step on it!” ??

I did not know what this means until I heard it from a TV commercial. PetSmart TV commercial talks about their sale event and asks to people to come and, at that time, it says, “Step on it!” Not surprisingly, Jessy knew the meaning of the expression and explained it to me. What the…. I was like… Don’t even think about because you step on it all the time.

28 Sep

literally

Who taught: Many friends, The Big Bang Theory and Alex

If you were in the U.S., one of the words you would hear very often is this word, “literally.”

The definition of literal is

Taking words in their usual or most basic sense without metaphor or allegory

Another definition is “free from exaggeration or distortion.”

A few days ago, Alex commented on my last post. He mentioned that there is a difference between literal speech and figurative speech. As I read his comment, the first word that came to my mind is this word, literally. You know why? It’s because of this TV show, The Big Bang Theory. In an episode where Penny was seeing this guy who is not as smart as the other guys in the show like Sheldon. I mean who can be even considered to be as smart as those guys, especially Sheldon. Anyway, this guy who is literally dumb says, “I haven’t been to a comic book store in literally a million years.”  And, Sheldon who is a PhD, of course, reacts like this guy does not have any clue what he is talking about, saying ‘Literally… Literally A MILLION YEARS?”

Can you get it? I am sure you can because you are smarter than Penny’s boy friend. Oh man! You should see this show. This show literally makes me laugh all the time.

So, the point here is that you will hear many people using this word, literally, not to mean something literal, but to exaggerate something that is not literal at all. If you think about it more, it is a very strong exaggeration. To me, it’s a figurative speech using the word, literal. How ironic! So, it is not bad and you can totally use it.

One tip! If someone says literally for something that is not really literal at all, don’t act like Sheldon in the show. That is not cool. If one of your close friends did, well you could be his/her Sheldon. It would be fun. 🙂 That is something I am going to try next time my friend says literally.

30 Aug

gullible

Who taught: Dexter and Jake

Gulls (source: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/)

I believe in people, especially my friends. How about you?

One of the caveats of believing friends too much is that they can trick me so easily. One time Jake and I hang out, he pointed out a part of the ceiling of the restaurant with his finger, saying “Look! There is some letter written on the ceiling.” I looked at it but could not find it. He continued to say it again and again and I still tried to find the letter.

After a few tries, I realized that something must be wrong, looking back at him. He started to smile, saying “Oh, T-bone! I like you. You are so gullible.”

What is gullible? Here is the definition.

Easily deceived of cheated.

Looking at the word, gullible, you might be able to guess that this is from another word, “gull,” right?

What is gull, then? Gull mainly means two things. First, it means any aquatic bird of the genus Larus  and related genera, such asL. canus. For your reference, I inserted a photo of it. I am not sure about the U.S. but, in Korea, people believe that gulls are kind of representative of cheating. Having this impression, let me tell you another definition of gull. Gull, as a verb, means “deceive or cheat.” Perfect, right?

Why don’t you try this? Gulls are almost everywhere these days, especially where there is a river or beach. So, when you see them next time, why don’t you try to trick your friends and, as you got them, say this, “Oh man! You are so gullible.”

Good luck! Hope they are as gullible as I am!

11 Aug

pick-up lines

Who taught: Kyle

Are you on twitter? Well, I am and my username is terryeslee. You can follow me. So, on twitter, people follow each other and talk about things in the world. Some are very useful but not all. Anyway, a few days ago, Kyle started to follow me and I found an interesting expression on his bio information. He said, “No more sleazy pick-up lines!”

Let’s divide this in two parts.

1. sleazy : Something shabby, dirty, vulgar or perverted.

2. pick-up lines : For this one, I have a perfect example to explain. Have you ever watched Friends TV show? If not, you should try. It is pretty fun to watch. Especially, Joey is so funny. Do you know what he says a lot in the show? He says, “How you doin?” to women. For what purpose? To pick up girls for the night. Therefore, “How you doin?” is Joey’s pick-up lines.

Well, I guess many of guys’ pick-up lines are not that good and fancy and, as a result, they are considered to be sleazy by girls.

Here’s a pick-up line you can use here in the U.S.

Are you from Tennessee? Cause you are the only ten I see.

Can you get it? So, next time when you are in a bar and see a beautiful girl, you should walk slowly toward her, bringing her a glass of wine, and say this pick-up line. I cannot guarantee that it will work or not. Hope it is not that sleazy for her.

So did you figure out why this is a pick-up line? Tennessee and ten I see sound similar and scale of 1 – 10 (10 being the best.), you are saying that the girl you are talking to is the best in a place. FYI, that is not my pick-up line.

One question! : Do girls or women have their pick-up lines too?