2010年ESL之餐饮娱乐 03 Having a Wild Party

 

03 Having a Wild Party

GLOSSARYto house-sit – to take care of a home while the owner is traveling, often livingthere for a period of time while watering plants, checking the mail, and more

* The Nakamuras have asked us to house-sit for them next month while they’retraveling in South America.

blowout – a big party or another major event involving many people and a lot ofnoise

* He wants their wedding to be a private, family event, but she’s planning a bigblowout with hundreds of guests.

ignorance is bliss – a phrase meaning that it is best not to know something; aphrase meaning that not having information about something is better thanknowing about it

* - Do you know how many calories are in that doughnut?

* - No, and I don’t want to know. Ignorance is bliss.

goody two-shoes – a person who always does what he or she is supposed to,never doing anything wrong and never getting in trouble

* All through high school and college, Melissa was a goody two-shoes who neverdrank, smoke, swore, or stayed out too late with her friends.

to set up – to organize and prepare for an event, especially to put chairs, tables,and other things where they need to be

* They spent hours setting up the lighting and sound system for the concert.

out of hand – out of control; without people being able to control what ishappening

* What started as a friendly argument soon grew out of hand and now the twobrothers haven’t talked to each other in years.

to pound back a few – to have several alcoholic drinks, drinking them quickly,especially because one wants to become drunk

* The researchers asked college students whether they thought it was dangerousto pound back a few every weekend.

breakable – something that can be broken easily, usually made of glass oranother delicate material

* During the earthquake, several breakable things fell off the shelves andshattered on the floor.

to get into it – to have an argument and/or a physical fight; to fight with anotherperson

* Whenever they discuss politics and religion, we have to try to change thesubject so that they don’t get into it.

to trash – to destroy, break, or ruin something, or to make something very dirtyand disorganized by not caring for it

* Blake’s parents were very angry when he trashed their car, leaving empty cups,food containers, and candy wrappers on the seats and floor.

tough as nails – very tough; very strong; not able to be hurt by other things orpeople

* My brother is tough as nails and can beat up your brother!

to bust heads – to hurt another person with physical force; to hit another personand cause pain

* The bartender called the police when one of her customers got drunk andstarted busting heads.

to keep everybody in line – to do something to make other people follow therules or behave properly

* Do you think it’s easier to keep everybody in line by rewarding them for goodbehavior, or by punishing them for bad behavior?

to play bouncer – to work as the strong person (almost always a man) whocontrols who can and cannot enter a party, bar, or dance club, usually based onwhether one was invited or whether one is wearing the right type of clothing andhas enough money to be there

* Who’s the biggest, strongest guy you know? Let’s pay him to play bouncer forthe evening.

a disaster waiting to happen – something that is going to have very negativeresults or a negative outcome; a very bad idea

* Letting high school students play with matches near the chemistry lab is adisaster waiting to happen.

Titanic – a British ship that sank in 1912, killing 1,517 people, used to describeprojects and other things that are going to fail and have very negativeconsequences

* Yao was disappointed to find out that his new employer was just another Titanicwith serious financial problems and that it would probably go out of businesswithin the next year.

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. Why does Paula tell Mitch to “stop being such a goody two-shoes”?

a) She wants him to take off his shoes so he doesn’t get the carpet dirty.

b) She wants him to stop worrying about what the Abrams want them to do.

c) She wants him to stop showing off what a good dancer he is.

2. What does Mitch mean when he says, “things usually get out of hand whenpeople start pounding back a few”?

a) He is worried that people will hurt their hands in the party games.

b) He is worried that people will not come to the party.

c) He is worried that people will drink too much at the party.

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WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

blowout

The word “blowout,” in this podcast, means a big party or another major eventinvolving many people and a lot of noise: “If I ever win the lottery, I’m going tohave a big blowout to celebrate with all my friends.” A “blowout” is also whathappens when all the air suddenly comes out of a tire and it bursts: “Ahmed hada blowout while he was driving 65 miles per hour on the freeway, and he almostgot into an accident.” A “blackout” is the period of time when there is noelectricity because there is a problem in the supply system: “Do you have anycandles or flashlights in case there’s a blackout?” Finally, a “brownout” is aperiod of time when there is less electricity than normal in an area: “The city ishaving a brownout, so people are reducing the amount of electricity they use.”

to trash

In this podcast, the verb “to trash” means to destroy, break, or ruin something, orto make something very dirty and disorganized by not caring for it: “How is it possible for children to trash a room so quickly? They were in there for only afew minutes, but there are toys and clothes all over the floor.” The verb “to trash”

also means to say very bad things about another person: “The girls stayed up allnight, laughing as they trashed the other students at school.” The rude phrases“trailer trash” and “white trash” are used to talk about people who live in trailerparks (mobile homes) with little money and little education: “She grew up beingcalled white trash, but she studied hard, got a good job, and made a better life forherself.”

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CULTURE NOTE

A “rave” is a type of “underground party,” or a secret party that few people knowabout unless they are invited. Raves aren’t held at regular “dance clubs”

(businesses where people go to dance and drink), but instead might be at an“abandoned” (empty; no longer used) “warehouse” (a large building used to storegoods for later sale) or in an old barn. Raves are usually held in large cities andare almost always for young people in their 20s. “Anywhere from” (within therange of) a few “dozen” (a group of twelve) to thousands of people might go to arave. “At a minimum” (at least), a rave is an all-night party, but some raves lastfor several days.

At a rave, people listen and dance to loud, “electronic music” (music created withsynthesizers and computers) played by “live” (real and in real-time; not recordedearlier) “DJs” (disc jockeys; people whose job is to choose which songs to play ata party or on a radio station, sometimes speaking between songs). The dancersdance in a “free-form” (without set movements; doing whatever feels right) style.

There are also usually many “psychedelic” (with bright, strange colors like thosethat were popular in the 1960s) lights in an otherwise dark room.

The people who went to raves in the 1980s and early 1990s believed in PLUR:

peace, love, unity, and respect, and tried to “instill” (teach and share ideas) those“values” (beliefs about how one should live) at the parties. Today, however,many raves have moved away from those values. Today, many – but not all –raves are “characterized by” (commonly described as; with certain things incommon) drug use and “casual sex” (having sex with people whom one doesn’tknow well, without any expectation of a long-term, romantic relationship).

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Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 566: Having a WildParty.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 566. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

Our website is eslpod.com. You can go there to download a Learning Guide forthis episode that includes, well, everything you need to improve your English.

This episode is called “Having a Wild Party.” It’s a dialogue between Paula andMitch about someone who’s having a party that’s a little too crazy. Let’s getstarted.

[start of dialogue]

Paula: Okay, let’s get this party started!

Mitch: I really don’t think having a party is such a good idea. We’re supposed tobe house-sitting, and I’m sure the Abrams wouldn’t want their house used for abig blowout.

Paula: Ignorance is bliss. They’ll never know. Stop being such a goody twoshoesand help me set up.

Mitch: What if something gets broken or damaged? Things usually get out ofhand when people start pounding back a few.

Paula: What do you think I’m doing? I’m moving the breakables to the otherroom. Nothing will happen.

Mitch: How can you say that? At Kyle’s party last month, two guys got into it andended up trashing his parents’ house!

Paula: That’s because they didn’t have Babbit.

Mitch: What’s a Babbit?

Paula: Babbit is the name of an old high school friend of mine and he’s tough asnails. He’ll be here to bust heads and to keep everybody in line. Trust me.

Nothing bad will happen with Babbit playing bouncer. Where are you going?

Mitch: I’m getting out while I can. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

Paula: You’re not staying for the party? You’re leaving?

Mitch: Wouldn’t you, if you were on the Titanic?

[end of dialogue]

We begin with Paula saying to Mitch, “Okay, let’s get this party started!” Let’sstart our party – our celebration. Mitch says, “I really don’t think having a party issuch a good idea.” It’s not a good idea, Mitch thinks. “We’re supposed to behouse-sitting, and I’m sure the Abrams wouldn’t want their house used for a bigblowout.” “To house-sit” means to take care of someone’s home – someone’shouse when that person is gone, perhaps because they’re traveling. You mightstay at their house or apartment; you might just go over every day or every weekto check to make sure the house is okay, check the mail for example. A“blowout” is a big party, it’s something where you have many people and a lot ofnoise; it’s a loud party. Usually, we think about this adjective, “blowout,” whenwe’re talking about a party perhaps for college students who are drinking andyelling. That would be an example of a blowout. There are several words inEnglish that use “out.” “Blowout” is what we call a compound word; it’s the word“blow” plus the word “out” together as one word. For more examples of this takea look at our Learning Guide for this episode.

So Mitch says that he and Paula are house-sitting, are watching this house forperhaps friends or family, the Abrams family, and that they would not want a bigparty in their house. Paula uses next an expression that is common: “Ignoranceis bliss” (bliss). “To be ignorant” means not to know something. “Bliss” is an oldword for being very happy. The expression “ignorance is bliss” means thatsometimes it’s better not to know. If you know, then you’ll feel worse; but if youdon’t know, well then, it’s not a problem. For example, someone says to you,“Do you know how many calories are in this doughnut?” If you eat too manydoughnuts you’ll get fat. Too many calories will make you fat – just ask theaverage American! That’s an example of a place where you could use thisexpression. Someone says, “Do you know how many calories are in thisdoughnut?” and you say, “Ignorance is bliss,” meaning I don’t want to know, I’mhappier if I don’t know.

Paula says that the Abrams will never know, they’ll never find out – unlessthey’re listening to this podcast! She says, “Stop being such a goody two-shoesand help me set up.” The expression “a goody (goody) two-shoes,” that’s “two(two) -shoes,” like what you put on your feet. I’m not sure the origin, where theexpression comes from, but “goody two-shoes” is a person who always doeswhat he or she is supposed to. It’s really sort of an insulting, negative term;you’re saying that this person is always perfect. The idea is that maybe they’re alittle boring or maybe that they don’t like to have fun because they never doanything wrong. Paula wants Mitch to help her set up. “To set up” is a two-wordphrasal verb meaning to organize and prepare an event: to put the tables up, toput the chairs by the tables, and so forth.

However, Mitch is worried, he says, “What if something gets broken ordamaged? Things (meaning the situation) usually get out of hand when peoplestart pounding back a few.” “To get out of hand” means to get out of control. If ateachers says, “My class is getting out of hand,” she means the class is gettingwild, it’s getting loud, she can’t control it. Mitch says that this situation will get outof hand – will become uncontrollable when people start pounding a few back.

The expression “to pound (pound) back a few,” or “to pound a few back,” meansto be drinking many alcoholic beverages: one beer, one glass of wine, thenanother beer, then another beer. When you’re drinking then quickly, we wouldsay that you are pounding a few back. It means to drink a lot of alcohol quickly.

Paula says, “What do you think I’m doing? I’m moving the breakables to theother room. Nothing will happen.” Something that is “breakable” is somethingthat is able to be broken, something that can break easily. They are many wordsin English that use this “able” (able) at the end, for example: “This is doable.”

That means you can do it, it is able to be done. So, something that is“breakable,” is something that you can break. Paula is moving all of thebreakables into another room, where the party will not be. She tells Mitch,“Nothing will happen,” nothing bad will happen.

Mitch says, “How can you say that (that’s not possible)? At Kyle’s party lastmonth, two guys got into it and ended up trashing his parents’ house!” When yousay two people “got into it” you mean they had a fight or an argument; often itmeans that they are hitting each other. Well, at a party last month two guys (twomen; two boys) got into it (had a fight) and ended up (as a result of their fight)trashing his parents’ house. “To trash,” here, means to destroy or to breaksomething, or to make something very dirty and disorganized. If the house is fullof dirt, and there are things that are broken, and there is glass, for example, on the floor, we might say that someone trashed the house. In this case, it was thetwo guys who were fighting.

Paula says, “That’s because they didn’t have Babbit.” The party did not haveBabbit. Mitch says, “What’s a Babbit?” Paula explains, “Babbit is the name of anold high school friend of mine and he’s tough as nails.” The expression “to betough as nails” means to be very strong; you can’t hurt this person. Usually it’s abig person, a very strong person. “Nails” are little pieces of metal we use to putinto wood, usually to connect or put something on the wood. You could also usenails on your wall to put up a picture. Paula says that her old friend, Babbit, is astough as nails. “He’ll be here to bust heads and to keep everybody in line.” “Tobust heads” means to hurt another person with physical force. So, Babbit isgoing to make sure there are no fights; he’s going to keep everybody in line. “Tokeep everybody or everyone in line” means to do something so that everyonebehaves, no one does anything badly. A good teacher has to keep her studentsin line, make sure they aren’t doing anything crazy. As your teacher, I hopeyou’re not doing anything crazy while you’re listening to this episode! Paulasays, “Trust me. Nothing bad will happen with Babbit playing bouncer.” A“bouncer” is a strong person, usually a man, who works at a bar or at a party. Hemakes sure that no one causes any problems, no one gets into a fight. “To playbouncer” means, in this case, to work as a bouncer.

Paula then says to Mitch, “Where are you going?” Mitch says, “I’m getting out(meaning I’m leaving) while I can (while I am able to). This is a disaster waitingto happen.” The expression “a disaster (a horrible thing; a bad thing) waiting tohappen” means that you know something very bad is going to happen becausewhat you are doing is a bad idea. A young child in the kitchen while you arecooking is a disaster waiting to happen; something bad is going to happenbecause the situation is dangerous.

Paula says, “You’re not staying for the party? You’re leaving?” Mitch says,“Wouldn’t you, if you were on the Titanic?” The “Titanic,” you may know, was aBritish ship that sank in 1912; it went down into the water and killed more than1,500 people. Nowadays, we often use it in English as an example of a horribledisaster – a huge disaster. Or maybe we say that because it was a terriblemovie, I’m not sure!

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Paula: Okay, let’s get this party started!

Mitch: I really don’t think having a party is such a good idea. We’re supposed tobe house-sitting, and I’m sure the Abrams wouldn’t want their house used for abig blowout.

Paula: Ignorance is bliss. They’ll never know. Stop being such a goody twoshoesand help me set up.

Mitch: What if something gets broken or damaged? Things usually get out ofhand when people start pounding back a few.

Paula: What do you think I’m doing? I’m moving the breakables to the otherroom. Nothing will happen.

Mitch: How can you say that? At Kyle’s party last month, two guys got into it andended up trashing his parents’ house!

Paula: That’s because they didn’t have Babbit.

Mitch: What’s a Babbit?

Paula: Babbit is the name of an old high school friend of mine and he’s tough asnails. He’ll be here to bust heads and to keep everybody in line. Trust me.

Nothing bad will happen with Babbit playing bouncer. Where are you going?

Mitch: I’m getting out while I can. This is a disaster waiting to happen.

Paula: You’re not staying for the party? You’re leaving?

Mitch: Wouldn’t you, if you were on the Titanic?

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse. What would happen if Istarted writing scripts, you may ask. That would be a disaster waiting to happen!

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.