Monthly Archives: October 2009

“I Owe Him My Life” & “To Make an Honest Woman of Her”

Posted on Tuesday - October 27, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Zoltán from Hungary wants to know what these two expressions mean: “to owe my life to him” and “to make an honest woman of her.” ANSWER: When you owe something to someone, it means that you are indebted to … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 18 Comments

Balloon Boy and Reality TV

Posted on Tuesday - October 20, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

Over the weekend, one of the major news stories was about “balloon boy,” a six-year-old boy who was believed to have gone up in a giant hot-air balloon shaped like a UFO (unidentified flying object; spaceship) that his father had … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Current Events | 25 Comments

Nice Guys Finish Last

Posted on Wednesday - October 14, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

QUESTION: Jing Li from New Zealand had the following questions: “In (the TV show) Prison Break in the first season, Michael and Sara had a conversation: Michael: I thought you were a nice girl. Sara: Oh Michael, we all know … Continue reading →

Posted in Language & Terms | 38 Comments

Reminder About No-Links Policy

Posted on Tuesday - October 13, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

When we started the ESL Podcast Blog over two years ago, we decided on a policy not to allow links in the comments sections.  The following is an excerpt (section) from our original post about this: … We have received … Continue reading →

Posted in Announcements | 18 Comments

Is Columbus Day Here to Stay?

Posted on Monday - October 12, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

Today we celebrate in the United States Columbus Day, remembering the day that the Italian explorer (someone who looks for “new” or undiscovered places) Christopher Columbus first “discovered” the Americas. Of course, when we say “discover,” we mean for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States | 21 Comments

Black Eyed Peas and a Flash Mob

Posted on Tuesday - October 6, 2009 by Dr. Lucy Tse

As you probably know, Oprah Winfrey has a very popular talk show on American TV called “Oprah,” and to kick off (start) the show’s 24th season, the group Black Eyed Peas perform a special live (not recorded beforehand) version of … Continue reading →

Posted in Karaoke English | 18 Comments

Potpourri

Posted on Thursday - October 1, 2009 by Dr. Jeff McQuillan

First, I want to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday last week. I appreciate all the kind comments.  Some people asked if I was “really” 29.  The answer is yes.  I am 29 mentally, but 46 physically.   Actually, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in the United States, News and Current Events | 24 Comments