You really have to watch this movie! It will make you appreciate all the beautiful gifts you already have and will make you wish to have the ones you don’t! For more info about this movie, please check: www.theultimategift.com

Okay, now, two phrases caught my attention.

BRACE YOURSELF!

To “Brace (someone or oneself)” is a way to say “prepare for something difficult or unpleasant”. In other words, if you hear “Brace yourself!” it means“Prepare yourself! (something bad is coming).” Could be used as a threat.

UPSET THE APPLECART

This other expression was mentioned by Jason’s mother. She said, “I’m not going to upset the whole apple cart just because you’re facing a few challenges. I’m sorry.” To “upset the applecart” means to spoil a plan or disturb the status quo^[1]. The “applecart” is a plan, system, situation, or undertaking that may be disrupted or terminated (used mainly with this expression).

Until next time!

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Inglês em Filmes: Brace yourself / Upset the applecart.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

STEAL SOMEONE’S THUNDER
On the third episode of the fifth season (The One Hundredth also known as The One With the Triplets), Phoebe is in the hospital, about to deliver her brother’s triplets, whom she is carrying as a surrogate mom. Suddenly, Joey doubles over in pain. Phoebe thought at first that it was nice that Joey had “sympathy pains”, but then she became upset because he was trying to “steal her thunder”. In this case, to “steal someone’s thunder” means to do something that takes attention away from what someone else has done. Depending on the context, this phrase can also mean that someone is taking the credit and praise for something you did or winning praise for themselves by preempting your attempt to impress.

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Inglês em filmes: Go Commando / Steal Someone’s Thunder.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

When Dick finds himself unemployed, he starts a competition with his ex-workmate to be the first to arrive at a job interview. But, when both arrive, they found a very large line of people waiting to be interviewed. Disappointed, they decide to go for a cup of coffee. But right when they’re about to leave, someone recognizes Dick and tells him he doesn’t need to wait in line. With an I-won look, Dick turns to his friend and says “Rain check?”.

A rain check is a ticket given for later use when a sports event or other outdoor event is interrupted or postponed by rain. It’s also a coupon (or some kind of agreement) issued to a customer by a store, guaranteeing that a sale item that is out of stock may be purchased by that customer at a later date at the same reduced price. The expression has migrated from its original context and it is most often used casually, either when declining politely an invitation with the implication that one may accept it at a later date or to suggest continuing at a later time an activity which has been interrupted.

Another example: On the forth episode of the fifth season (The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS), Ross forgets he had told Rachel they were going to go to the movies because he is sad and upset trying to fix his marriage with Emily. When Rachel arrives, he says that he’s going to have to “take a rain check“.

I hope you learned something. Have a great day!

Karin from Guatemala

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Inglês em filmes: Take a rain check.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

In this movie, Izzy Daniels, a star boxer, is challenged by his friend Mary to join her double-dutch (a sport in which one or more people jumping simultaneously with two ropes) team. He agrees to be part of their team, as long as they practice where no one’s going to watch. Tammy, a girl boxer, watches him practicing. When Izzy finds out, he tells her he wants to “keep it on the DL”.

“The Down Low” or “DL” or “on the DL” is an urban phrase used in the United States for “secret information,” as in “Keep it on the down-low” (meaning “Do not make it known”). It can be used between two people, as in “let’s keep this between the two of us.” More commonly, however, it is used in a group context – as in to hide information from a public, authoritative, management, or establishment group by those that are considered “trustworthy,” “on the inside,” or “in the know.”

So, moving on to the next phrase, Izzy and his time –the hot chili stepper – go to the city finals. While they watch other teams performing their routines, he starts feeling a bit nervous. “Why are you sweating other teams?” one of his teammates asks him.

“To sweat (something)” it’s an informal way to say “to worry about something”. In other words, the question was “Why are you worrying about other teams? (Our team is the best)”.

Well, I’m not telling you the rest of the movie, but if you hadn’t seen it, you should. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Have a great week!

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Inglês em filmes: keep it on the DL and sweat something.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

During New Year’s Eve vacation, Troy (captain of the basketball team) and Gabriella (a shy transfer student who excels in math and science) discover their love for singing. After vacations they decide to audition for the upcoming high school musical. However, their friends discourage them from moving forward with their plans by singing, “Stick to the status quo”. So now, what’s the “status quo”?

Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present, current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are. Note that the phrase is usually preceded by the definite article “the”.

In other words, Gabriella and Troy’s friends are telling them they should continue being the smart student and the basketball player, instead of trying to be singers.

This phrase was also used in the movie “National Treasure”. Patrick says: “The status quo has changed, son.” And also “Look, cooperation only lasts as long as the status quo remains unchanged.”

Karin from Guatemala

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Inglês em filmes: status quo.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

This phrase leads us to another one: “I’m in”. To be “in” or “out” means you decided you are going to be part of a certain situation. You’re not asking for permission (as in “I want in”), you’re just telling the people what you’ve already decided.

For example, a group of friends are planning to get into some kind of mischief. Before they start, the leader says, “If anyone wants out, there’s the door.” One of them decides he doesn’t want to be part of it, so he says “I’m out, sorry guys”.

Well, that’s for this week.

Hope you learned something!

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Aprenda Inglês assistindo filmes – Terceira Temporada.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

That said, let’s learn a couple of idioms: in the loop & out of the loop.

To be in the loop means to be provided with information (usually known to only a privileged few) and included in a decision-making process.

For example, “Hurley then says he’d be more help if Jack kept him in the loop.”
http://www.tvrules.net/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=9905

This expression uses loop in the sense of “a circle of individuals among whom information or responsibility circulates.” The antonym is to be out of the loop, meaning “left out of such a circle”.

For example, “…and poor Sun and Jin are so out of the loop that they didn’t seem to know that Michael had returned, much less that Libby and Ana-Lucia were dead.”
http://televisionary.blogspot.com/2006/05/messages-in-bottle-lost-thoughts-10.html
This statement means Sun and Jin are not part of the privileged group that knows everything that’s going on in the island.

Now, let’s check examples from other sources:

Alias – Season 3
“Sydney tries to manipulate the CIA to stay in the loop of the organization (they don’t trust her because of her absence).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Bristow

24 – Season 2 (3:00 P.M.- 4:00 P.M.)
“Sherry reveals that Ron refused her deal. She then asks her ex-husband if she can stay in the loop.”
http://www.tv.com/24/day-2-300-p.m.-400-p.m./episode/191810/recap.html

Friends
“Feeling a little out of the loop for never having attended college, Phoebe comes up with a fake story involving a sorority named ‘Thigh-Mega-Tampon, which was shut down after Regina Phalange died of alcohol poisoning’.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoebe_Buffay

Finally…if you are out of the loop, and you want to become fully informed or up to date, you can say: “Bring me up to speed”.

Karin,
From Guatemala

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Aprenda Inglês assistindo filmes – Segunda Temporada.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.

Hi friends! I believe that watching movies in English is one of the best ways to learn vocabulary and improve your listening skills if you don’t live in an English-speaking country. So, I will be writing regularly about new idioms, phrases or expressions from movies or TV series.

Today, I would like to start with “to have a twenty on something”. This is a phrase used a lot in “24” a famous TV series where Jack Bauer works for the fictional Los Angeles Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) as they try to safeguard the nation from terrorist threats.

The expression “to have a twenty on something” belongs to the “ten-codes”, properly known as “ten signals”, which are code words used to represent common phrases in voice communication, particularly in radio transmissions. “Twenty” is the short form for 10-20 (ten-twenty), which refers to the location of something or someone.

For example, in Episode 9 of Season 1, agent Hays says “I have a twenty on Bauer” meaning “I’m looking at Bauer right now”. In the previous episode, another agent says “I got a possible twenty on Bauer” meaning “I think I’m looking (or ‘I think I just saw him’) at Bauer”.

Another example, in Episode 13 of Season 2, Jack says “Unit three will await my command as soon as I’ve got a twenty on the bomb.” He means, unit three should wait for his orders, which he will give as soon as he finds the bomb.
http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/24/season2/24-213.htm

Now, let’s look at some other examples in other sources….

“Do you have a ‘twenty’ on this?” she asked referring to the location of the crime as they hurried down the hall.
Mourning Dove by Aimée and David Thurlo
http://www.aimeeanddavidthurlo.com/dove.htm

- “Do you have a twenty a shooter?”
- “Negative. The roof is bare.”
The Team by Bluejay
http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~david/derya/storys6/story8071.htm

“I’ve got a twenty on the FOB (father of the bride).”
The wedding planner
http://www.filmquipsonline.com/weddingplanner.html

For more information on the ten-codes, check this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten-code

Karin,
From Guatemala

Atenção: Para acessar os recursos de áudio, vídeo ou enviar um comentário neste post, clique no link a seguir: Aprenda Inglês assistindo filmes.

Destaques da Semana

• É correto chamar o professor de Teacher?
• Como nosso cérebro aprende inglês
• Aprenda inglês com músicas
• Livros e Dicionários indicados pelo EE
• Receba outras dicas de inglês pelo Twitter ou Facebook.