Leigh's Lingua #6: "Split"

To "split" is to cut something.  If you "split" a piece of wood, you can put it on the fire.

A slang word that means "leave" is "split."   If you have to leave a group, you might say, "I have to split now."  Use it with friends and co-workers or family.  Not with your boss or teacher.

To say "split" must assume we like being together!  If we go away, we are "cutting" something away from the group by "splitting."

When was the last time you had to "split" from a group you enjoyed?  What were they doing?  Why did you have to leave?

Leigh's Lingua #5: "It's so cold out..."

Americans like to joke about the cold.  As I write this, it is nearly -10F. 

One joke is:  "It's so cold, I saw a chicken crossing the road with a capon."  The joke is that a "capon" is special kind of male chicken.   But the speaker wants you to hear "cape on."   A "cape" is a piece of clothing.  It has no sleeves and no legs.  You wear it around your neck and arms to keep warm.  "Superman" has a red cape.

Another joke is:  "It's so cold, the snow is asking to come inside." 

Another joke is "It's colder than a witch's behind."   A witch is an evil woman who does magic.  In the famous book Dante's Inferno, the center of hell is very, very cold indeed.  Just right for witches.  But not for us.  Or for chickens, either!  :-)

Leigh's Lingua #4 - "Under the Weather"

Have you had the flu this year?  The Vermont Department of Health says that flu is happening fast all across Vermont right now. (Burlington Free Presss, 1/22/11)    If you have the flu, you may feel "under the weather."

If you were a new sailor, you might get seasick.  I used to live in Maine, where new riders on lobster boats, sometimes got seasick. 

If they got sick, people told them to go beneath the decks -- or "under the weather."   If sea-sick people went under the decks, they did not feel the wind or waves so much.  (I Didn't Know That; K. Evins).

I hope you are not "under the weather."  But if you are -- I hope you get well soon.  If you let me know, I will send you a get-well card! 

When was the last time you felt sick?  What or Who helped you when you were sick, or "under the weather"?

Leigh's Lingua #3 - "Stool" steals more than one meaning.....

What do you like to sit on?  A chair, in German, is a "Stuhl" ---- the word that we get "stool" from.

But a "stool" in American English can have several meanings....

The first is related to a chair.    It is usually a chair without any back or sides.  It can sit high or low.  We can stand on it to reach things high up.  Or we can sit on a stool at a "counter" to eat things.  When someone goes to the bathroom, he or she also uses a "stool."

The second meaning is a medical term from the bathroom object.  If a doctor or nurse asks you for a "stool sample," he or she is not asking about your chairs.  He or she wants you to provide a sample -- a little bit -- of something that comes from your body naturally, every day.  

There is also an American slang term called a "stool pigeon."  But that is for another day.....

Leigh's Lingua #2 - "Baptized by Fire"

The word "baptism" comes from the Greek word meaning "to dip" -- like, to dip under water.

The practice of baptism is associated with the Christian faith.  Followers of Jesus Christ, or Christians, are "baptized".   The act is a symbol for the believers: Going down into the water symbolizes Jesus's death and burial; and coming up out of the water symbolizes His resurrection on Easter Day. 

Jesus Himself was baptized by his cousin, John (known as John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer).  John said in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 3, verse 11, that he (John) baptized "with water for repentance" but he added something curious about Jesus:  "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

To be "baptized by fire" has become a saying meaning, "to be tested severely" --- "to be tried with no other helps at all."  It can also mean "to have a very difficult start at something."  Some might say that arriving in a new country and a new culture without knowing the language, without having a single friend, is a kind of "baptism by fire."

Have you ever felt "baptized by fire"?

Leigh's Lingua #1 - "Hardware Store"

This is the first of a "blog" post for Upper Beginner ESL students at Vermont Adult Learning.  Welcome all, as it evolves!  I hope to explore the meanings of words, slang terms, and idioms over time.  I welcome your comments!

#1  Hardware Store:  Until New Year's weekend, I thought this was just a place like Home Depot and Aubuchon's, where you bought things like pipes and paint and..... [What do YOU buy at a hardware store?]

It is also a slang expression, however, for "losing all your equipment" when you ski or snowboard down a hill.  If your boots and poles fly off when you fall --- there's a "hardware store" to pick up.