Vocabulary: "The Itchy and Scratchy and Poochie Show"

--We didn't watch this on Tuesday because of DVD player problems. We didn't watch this on Thursday because it would have lasted past the end of the class and I had already made you stay late in the first two hours.

Bungee jump: A sport in which you jump off a bridge with a cord around your waist. The cord stops you from hitting the ground. It's supposed to be fun, but I've never done it.

"stinking up...": Doing a bad job. "His acting stunk up the theater."

crash-land: ending badly. "His paper crash-landed because he didn't put enough effort into writing the conclusion."

focus group: This a a group of people recruited by businessmen. The focus group watches a new movie or television show or product and shares their feelings about the movie or show or product.

poison: Something bad. "Box office poison," for example, would be a person who would make a movie not make money if he appears in it. "Keanu Reeves is box office poison: none of his movies makes money." "He is classroom poison: anytime he is in class, the class is bad."

creaky: something that doesn't work well; it might also be old. "I can't job because I have a creaky knee." "The movie is bad because the plot is creaky."

acclaimed: considered very good, usually by critics. "Jay Chou is an acclaimed singer."

speedo: A small swimsuit worn by men.

"real-life problems": problems that most people experience. "I like movies that look at real-life problems."

"Far-out situations": unusual experiences or actions.

realistic: Something that might happen like it happens in real life. "The violence in this movie is realistic: it is scary to watch and not cool."

"down to Earth": Relaxed and not arrogant. "Even though Jolin is very famous, she is down to Earth and nice to her fans."

"off the wall": Unusual or silly. "This television show has an off the wall sense of humor."

"swarming with": There is a lot of something in a place or thing. "The night market is swarming with customers."

"You saved....": You found a way to make something better, or you helped prevent something bad from happening. "You saved my life. Thank you."

egghead: A nerd. A person who is smart but doesn't communicate with people well.

dramaturgical: Related to drama (acting, theater, etc.)

dyad: A relationship between two things.

pretentious: Overly intellectual. "His taste in movies is pretentious: He only likes slow movies and can't enjoy a good, fun, stupid movie."

gangster: Slang meaning that something is cool. Usually pronounced "gangsta". It's hard to use this word without sounding silly.

predictable: You can tell what will happen next. "This movie is so predictable. It's obvious that Jim is Todd's father."

Cerberus: A wolf in Greek mythology that guards the gates of Hades (Hell).

in-your-face: Something or someone is loud and confrontational. "Not everyone likes her in-your-face teaching style."

edgy: Unusually challenging or shocking. "This is an edgy television show. It was the first show to have characters curse on television."

proactive: Always doing something. "To succeed in business, you have to be proactive: you can't wait for people to come to you."

paradigm: A way of thinking, or a way of seeing the world. "Most of the Western world looks at global trade from a free market paradigm."

buzzwords: Popular words that people use in certain industries: business, politics, entertaining, etc.

context: The situation in which something takes place. "This movie looks at love from the context of third-world childhood experience."

schmear: A Yiddish (European Jewish language) expression meaning "a small amount of." Similar to "smear".

open casting: When a movie or TV show or advertisement lets anyone try out for a role in the show or movie or ad. "She wants her daughter to be famous, so she takes her to every open casting call."

"What are you smoking?": "Why are you acting so stupid?" (The idea is that someone is being so strange that he must be on drugs.)

Perfection: When something is made excellent through a lot of effort and practice. Also the verb form, "perfect." "She wanted to perfect her hot and sour soup. After she added some more salt, her soup reached perfection."

tongue twister: A sentence that is very hard to say. People use it to practice speech or to "warm up" before speaking. A popular tongue twister is on the episode: "She sell sea shells down by the seashore." Try to say this very fast. Homer screws it up badly.

experience: Having worked at something for a long time. "He has twenty years of experience teaching."

strain: Something that causes physical or mental stress or pain. "Finals' Week is a great strain on students. They often can't sleep because of the stress."

withdraw: To remove oneself from something. "I had to withdraw from school because I was sick."

stoked: Excited. "I was stoked when I heard the new Indiana Jones movie was coming out."

"to the extreme": With great intensity. Not a term people use much.

"worst...ever": A sarcastic way to say that you don't like something. The opposite is "best...ever." "That was the worst class ever."

rest assured: You can be certain of something. "Rest assured, I will work hard for your company if you hire me."

What right do you have...?: Why do you think you have the authority to do something? "What right do you have to tell me what to do?"

Fundamental shifts: A change that affects the nature of something. "With fundamental shifts in car production, people drive less often and use smaller cars."

key demographic: An important group for something. "Children are a key demographic for the movie Kung Fu Panda."

"Put a sock in it": Be quiet.

"Grow old together": Stay with each other for the rest of our lives. "Marry me. I want us to grow old together."

"I learned my lesson": I've had an experience and I know something knew because of that experience. I am smarter now because of what has happened. "I yelled at a small man and he beat me up. I learned my lesson: now I know that even small people can be good fighters."

"creative control": The ability of an artist to not let other people change his work. "I write movie scripts, but I don't have creative control: often other people change my words before the movie is made."

"Thank your lucky stars": Be fortunate of something. "You should think your lucky stars that the test is postponed until next week. Now you can study more."

"What else is on?": What someone says when they don't like the TV show they are watching. People can use it as a joke to talk about things other than TV.

Cultural Misunderstandings

This evening, I went to Taichung to visit a former student. She was my student at UC Davis three years ago. When I told my Taiwanese friends about this visit, they all said something to the effect of, "Ohh! A girl!," which I found rather immature.

I figured I would have dinner with my friend, then stay at a hotel or in a spare room, then walk around Taichung tomorrow. I had thought that my friend was staying with a relative, but it seems the whole family is there: she, two brothers, mom and dad. Mom and dad are recently retired and are settling in Taichung after many years in Southern California in the U.S. My friend, one brother, and her father picked me up at the High Speed Rail station. I talked to my friend about her dental school and my job at TaiDa.

We went to the apartment complex in which my friend's parents live. There's a small restaurant in the complex. I ate dinner with my friend and her brothers. She said that the family had plans the next day. I said that was fine and that I could get a hotel room and just explore Taichung by myself tomorrow.

My friend said it was okay if I stayed in the extra room. She would take me to the Sogo bus station in the morning, so I would know how to get the the High Speed Rail station tomorrow. My friend, her brothers, and I play a Japanese copy of a Nintendo Wii. I am terrible at Mario Cart, Bowling, and Tennis.

My friend's mother comes to the apartment. She's friendly. We all sit down and eat fruit. My friend tells me that she is sorry that she wasn't clear about the situation. She says that her parents want to take me back to the High Speed Rail station tonight and have me go back to Taipei. I said if they were busy tomorrow I could just leave and see the city by myself, but they insist that I go back to Taipei. I am 32 years old, not 12, so I don't understand why I'm being told that I have to go home. My friend seems upset because the situation is so confusing. She tells me that I can't stay because only she knows me; to her parents, I am a stranger. I understand. But she says that the family doesn't know Taichung well, so they can't recommend a good hotel. My friend says that Taichung can be dangerous and the reason her family wants me to go back home is because they feel they are responsible for me, so if I stay by myself and get hurt, they will feel a great deal of guilt and shame.

I agree to go back to Taipei because I don't want to embarrass my friend. If I didn't think that it would have hurt my friend, I would have just left the apartment and asked someone at the front of the apartment for directions to a good hotel. The father drives me back to the station; the mother sits in the front with him. My friend and I are in the back. The talk more, the same type of conversation we were having before (about the city of Davis, school, Taiwan, etc.). When we get to the High Speed Rail, I think about telling my friend that I will just wait at the station for awhile, then go back to town by myself. (I'm glad that I saw my friend, but I feel that I've wasted NT1400 if all I do is eat dinner and go home.) But her mom comes with us. They change my ticket from tomorrow to ten minutes from then, and they both walk me to the track entrance. My friend says, "Nice to meet you," even though we already know each other. She changes it to, "Thanks for coming to see me" when she realizes her mistake. Her mom says, "Be safe."

On the ride home, I am a little upset about wasting money and not being able to see Taichung, but I also have plenty of work to do in Taipei, so it isn't the worst thing. I also think that I should see a friend from half a world away if she is only an hour from me, even if it is only for a few hours. Still, I don't really understand what happened. I don't mind respecting the wishes of a respectable group of people, but it seemed that, to respect them, I had to let them disrespect me, for it's not dignifying to be forced to leave town when you are an adult.

What interesting and confusing cultural misunderstandings have you had in your life?

Misused Phrases in English

Think of phrases in your language that people use incorrectly. These "incorrect" uses often become common. Does this reflect a loss or language skills in contemporary life?

Here are some of my favorite English examples:

"That's okay."

When should you use, "That's okay"?

Example: "Hey, I borrowed your CD without asking. I'm sorry."
"That's okay. Don't worry about it."

How is it commonly misused?

Kids misuse "That's okay" in a very cute way.
"Son, make sure to finish eating your vegetables."
"No, that's okay. I don't want them."
--This "that's okay" makes no sense. It's not okay for the child to refuse the order to eat all of his vegetables, but it is kind of cute how they try to refuse to do something in a polite way.

"Don't Worry About It"

Example: Same as above. It's a way to say, "It's not important," and "I accept your apology."
"Hey, I broke your cup. I'm sorry." "Don't worry about it. I have plenty of cups."

How is it commonly misused?

Yesterday:
"Hey, I hear you are moving out of your apartment. Can my friend live in your room for a month?"
"Okay. She can pay the rent for a month and I will look for a new tenant for the next month as a favor to your friend."

Today:
"Hey, my friend says, 'Don't worry about it' about living here. She wants a place with air conditioning."

--As you see above, "Don't worry about it" is a way to forgive someone who has apologized. This common misuse is very annoying because the person is making you feel like you are inconveniencing them by offering to help them. It seems they are refusing to thank you because they don't need or want your help after all. Of course, you should say something like, "Hey, thank you for offering to let me stay here, but I think I should live somewhere else." "Don't worry about it" is rude here because now I have to worry about finding a new tenant to replace me: I thought I had already found someone to take my room, but now I don't have anyone.


So, what phrases in your language are commonly misused? How are they misused? Why do you think they are misused?

Vocabulary and Expressions from "Homer's Phobia"

force majeure: An "act of God." This is a legal term used to determine insurance liability. Often insurance will have a special set of rules for what to do when something is damaged or destroyed in an unusual way. Bart argues that the gambling game in his dryer was ended by an act of God or "force majeure," so he doesn't have to return the money to the kids who paid to enter the game.

retirement fund: Money saved to help pay for your life after you have stopped working.

heirloom: Some thing that has been in a family for a long time and has special meaning (also called "sentimental value") to the people in the family.

cockamamie: Nonsense. "I don't want to listen to your cockamamie ideas."

Non-Partisan: Doesn't belong to any political group.

Midget: A very short person with proportionate limbs. (A short person with very small limbs is a "dwarf".)

"Oh, Boo-hoo": This phrase mocks someone for being upset about something unimportant. "The teacher is mad at me because I don't come to class." "Oh, boo-hoo."

construe: interpret

lad: A young man.

passed down: Given from an older member in the family to a younger member in the family.

figurine: A small artwork that looks like a person.

graphics: The visual design and color scheme of something. They don't necessarily have to be animated. (John talks about the "graphics" on the toy box.)

discombobulate: To make confusing. More common is the adjective "discombobulated."

camp: "Camp" is an appreciation of something that is unusally weird. If a movie has "camp" value, it means people like to watch it because it is a very bad movie, but for some reason it is fun to watch and make fun of.

boy-howdy: Not a common phrase. It means, "that's really true," more or less.

palpitating: Beating quickly in excitement. "My heart's palpitating."

Geez Louise: This phrase is used to express that you are annoyed or upset. It replaces a curse word.

"big fat party animal": This is a type of guy who is very friendly, like to drink a lot of alcohol, and is fun in informal social settings (like parties). This is a popular "type" of person in American culture, especially in a college environment.

"cuffs and collar don't match": This means that someone has dyed the hair on his/her head. It's a pretty shocking reference (i.e. the phrase says the hair on your head and your body hair are not the same color), but for some reason it doesn't upset people too much.

"Classic": This phrase can mean something like "traditional" or "well-known." We now use the word to refer to things from the recent past, not just the distant past. You might hear someone say, "Lord of the Rings is a classic movie." Often English speakers here say, "classical," but "classic" is more common and more easily understood. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a camp classic."

"I'll be just a minute.": This is an informal way to excuse yourself when you are talking to someone.

"worth a bundle": Worth a lot of money. Banks bundle large amounts of bills.

"quite a charmer": "He is quite a charmer" would mean, "He can make people like him easily." This can refer both to someone's ability to flirt and someone's ability to make friends although it's probably more commonly used to refer to flirting.

"You are the living end": You are a fun and unusual person; you are weird in a good way. You might say this to someone who has just said or done something that is both entertaining and strange.

festive (adjective): Full of energy and always ready to have fun. This is also a "code word" for "gay" because the stereotype is that gay men are always very social and friendly.

"You're being ridiculous": This means someone is acting in an immaturing way or saying something stupid.

mince: To move with an exaggerated motion. This term refers to the stereotype of how people think all gay men walk.

flaming (adjective): This is a term--usually perjorative, but sometimes not among friends--that refers to a man who is "obviously" gay because his behavior fulfills all of the stereotypes of how gay men act. Homer is mad at John because he thinks John acts "too straight," so he says he wants his homosexuals to be flaming. The joke is that John does not act very straight. In fact, his horn plays "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," which is a famous song sung by Judy Garland, who is a "gay icon" (a celebrity popular with homosexuals). (Also, the rainbow is a symbol of gay pride and solidarity.)

zap: A sound kids make when they play with laser guns.

annual: Once per year.

humiliate yourself: To do something that makes you look foolish or stupid.

"sick mother": This is a common lie to tell someone when you don't want to see him or her anymore. "I'm sorry, but I have a sick mother, so I don't have time to date you."

"Come out of the closet": To publicly acknowledge that you are a homosexual. Used as a joke in this episode. "Bart, where did you get that shirt?" "I don't know; it just came out of the closet."

cross-dressing: When one dresses as a member of the opposite sex.

teensy: Very small. It's a "cute," informal way of saying very small.

queer: Generally, it means "strange" or "unusual." It's also a prejorative term for homosexual, and it is a term that some homosexuals call each other. Homer tells John that it's "our word for making fun of you guys," so he's angry that the word is also used by homosexuals.

tenderized: To make something softer by striking it repeatedly. Usually a term for meat preparation in cooking.

"Be nice!": A "classic" way for a gay man to respond to someone's prejudicial remark. Homer says at the steel mill, "You're all sick!" One worker responds, "Oh, be nice!"

gay anthem: A song that is known for being famous among gay people. This differs from time to time and country to country. The song played during the episode was a popular song in the late 1980s. After some time, and maybe because of this episode, it became considered a "gay anthem."

swishifying: To make something more "swishy". A "swish" describes the stereotypically "gay" walk.

"It ain't no mystery": An informal way to say, "The answer is obvious."

hideous: Very disturbing or very ugly.

Immature: To act like a child, or to act disrespectfully, when one is an adult.

Buck: A male deer.

Astroturf: An artificial grass once popular at sports stadiums (for baseball, American football and soccer games). The joke is that Springfield's park is made with astroturf, so there's nothing for deer to eat.

"Be a sport": Be respectful and follow the suggestion of the people around you; a suggestion to fulfill the request of the people around you.

waterworks: Slang for "crying heavily." Technically it's a term for the underground sewage and water systems.

"It's a miracle!": An exclamation used when something very good and/or unexpected has happened.

Ultrasuede: An unusal fabric used to make clothes. John calls ultrasuede "a miracle," a joke that relies on the stereotype that gay men are very interested in fashion.

"Good timing": To do something when it needs to be done. If you have a party, and you finish cooking right as the first guest knocks on the door, you might say, "That was good timing."

sissy: A common pejorative term for gay man. It is occasionally used as an adjective, and it is used as "a sissy" in noun form. The term refers to the idea that gay men "act like women": they are physically weak, emotion, etc. So the term reflects prejudice both against men and women.

fruit: A pejorative term for gay.

Meeting Famous People

How do you respond when you see a famous person? Why are people so interested in famous people as "real" people?

Yesterday (Sat., June 7) during my language exchange, an older man sat down near my exchange partners and me. His grandson ordered some drinks and brought them to the older man's table. I thought the older man looked familiar, based on some pictures that I had seen on the internet.

Eventually, one of my language exchange partners looked at me and said, "Do you know who that is?"

I said, "That's not Lee Ao, is it?"

She said, "Yes, it is."

Now I know who Lee Ao is about as well as I could, given that I don't know much about Taiwanese culture or language and don't watch TV. I was interested in his novel from decades ago (in which a mother and daughter fall in love with the same man--clearly Edward Yang read that), but it doesn't seem ever to have been translated into English.

I would just look over at him from time to time. One of my language exchange partners held up her phone camera, making an odd pose. It seemed that she wanted to surreptitiously photograph Lee Ao. He paid us no mind, and no one else seemed to care that he was here, at this Starbucks.

I have never had a close encounter with a celebrity. The most interesting experience was meeting Kurt Rambis at a basketball camp. Kurt Rambis was a famous player for the LA Lakers in the 1980s. He was a white guy with long hair and thick glasses. He did the "dirty work": he did things like play defense, rebound, set screens, etc., while the more famous players did more exciting things. Rambis looked very small when he played; in person, he was huge. It was obvious now how much taller than average he was, and his muscles were amazing. I couldn't imagine what a really big player must look like in person if this "little guy" looked so big in front of me.

Meeting musicians is very strange. I don't even know how to describe it. Here is a regular person standing next to me, yet I've listened to him or her on my I-pod and seen him or her in a music video. I've been to small concerts with musicians who had been very famous a few years before. The common is belief is that sometimes musicians are better people than other celebrities, and sometimes worse people.

I've heard other interesting ideas of what "famous people" look like in real life. First, I've heard that some celebrities that just look okay (cute, but not gorgeous) on TV or in movies are very beautiful in real life, even "stop what you are doing and stare" beautiful. I've heard this said about the actress Dana Delaney, who is not unattractive but who just looks rather like a normal person in movies and on TV. Also, whereas I was amazed at how big the sports person was, many people are amazed at how small some celebrities are (e.g. Tom Cruise).

Second, though, I've heard that some people look worse in person. This is certainly true with models. They often look too thin in person, and the make-up that looks good in pictures looks weird in person.

ATM Trouble

Lately at the Post Office ATM there is an on-screen announcement to be careful of people who might try to look at your PIN number as you enter it. The ATM also tells you not to give money from your account to other people near the ATM.

I think there are a few problems with this announcement. First, this announcement is about ninety seconds long. It gives someone a long time to get ready to copy your PIN number, and it gives someone a long time to get ready to steal money from you. I have to wait for the announcement to end; if I could just get my money right away, I would have less to worry about people copying my PIN number or demanding money from me.

Second, this idea of the ATM announcing that I shouldn't give money to someone else doesn't seem very useful. Let's say at the ATM a man puts a knife to my throat and tells me to give him money. If I point to the ATM announcement and say, "Sorry, the ATM says that I can't give you money," do you think the man will relent and leave? Probably not.

Sunny's Yi Yi Questions

Here are Sunny's questions about Yi Yi, with a transcription of Yang-Yang's speech to his grandmother.

1. The last scene, in which Yang-yang reads out loud what he wants to tell his grandma.

「婆婆，對不起，不是我不喜歡跟妳講話，只是我覺得我能跟妳講的，妳一定老早就知道了。不然，妳就不會每次都叫我聽話。就像他們都說妳走了，妳也沒有告訴我，妳去了哪裡。所以，我覺得，那一定是我們都知道的地方。婆婆，我不知道的事情太多了，所以，妳知道我以後想作什麼嗎？我要去告訴別人他們不知道的事情，給別人看他們看不到的東西，我想，這樣一定天天都很好玩。說不定，有一天，我會發現妳到底去了哪裡。到時候，我可不可以跟大家講，叫大家一起過來看妳呢？婆婆，我好想妳...尤其是我看到那個還沒有名字的小表弟，就會想起妳常跟我說，妳老了。我很想跟他說，我覺得，我也老了。」

1. Why does Yang-yang think that he's also become old?
2. Yang-yang says that he wants to tell others what they don't know; that way, life must be very interesting. Yet earlier in the film his mother, Min-min, had complained about "having so little" and living much the same way every day. What might cause this difference in their attitudes toward life?

2. When we hear Taiwanese in this film, it's sometimes when someone's cursing or, more often than not, when NJ and Sherry are talking. Why do you think the two specially use Taiwanese to chat (when they would choose to speak Chinese to other people)? What might it mean? Does the use of Taiwanese create a different atmosphere in their scenes?

3. The title of this film is "Yiyi: a one and a two". What does this title mean? How does it associate with the contents of the film?