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Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週四 3月 30, 2017 11:08 pm
Rock
Hi, may I post my questions reading this book so JD and other good people can solve them? Many many thanks.

1. no ivories untickled.----??????
2. my cell service was spotty.-------??????
3. my breakfast nook.” ----a corner, as in a room
4. “I think I got some fudge on my lapel,”------a flap that results from a fold in the front of a coat below the neckline
5. I’m driving to work with my top down.-------???????
6. I am wearing a beret -------a small woolen cap
7. I called my credit card company and got a late fee reversed------?????
8. except that a lot of you are probably brunettes-------?????????
9. someone who has no medical background nor the authority to dole out medical advice),-------to give something bit by bit
10. addendum------- addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book)
11.

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週五 3月 31, 2017 9:43 am
Iris Wu
My understanding for some questions:

1. no ivories untickled.----??????
--> Same as "no stone unturned", she was just playing with the phrase, "tickle the ivories".
--> "Leave no stone unturned" means search all the possible places; "tickle the ivories" means playing the piano (keys were made of ivory in the past).
--> Here, Ellen just used the words in the phrases explicitly (instead of the meaning of the idioms). I think she meant she was very clear, open and nothing to hide and ready to tell all her stories.


2. my cell service was spotty.-------??????
--> The cell phone service was not good; poor cell phone reception, signal was on and off, or low quality.

3. my breakfast nook.” ----a corner, as in a room
--> For most single family houses, there are formal dinning room and "nook" area with smaller dining set for breakfast or light meals.
--> Usually a breakfast nook is right next to the kitchen or in a corner of a kitchen.


4. “I think I got some fudge on my lapel,”------a flap that results from a fold in the front of a coat below the neckline
5. I’m driving to work with my top down.-------???????
6. I am wearing a beret -------a small woolen cap

7. I called my credit card company and got a late fee reversed------?????
--> It is common that people forgot to pay the credit card in time, and they were charged with a late fee. If you are a good customer ( with good credit history), you can call your credit card company to waive the late fee for you. The credit card company usually reverses your late fee and refunds you in your next payment.

8. except that a lot of you are probably brunettes-------?????????
--> According to dictionary, Brunettes are "people with brown hair" which is very, very common. In the context of her statements, she meant she did not know all the readers, but she knew a lot of them were brunettes, because it is a common hair color, she could not be wrong. I think It's one of her types of humor.

9. someone who has no medical background nor the authority to dole out medical advice),-------to give something bit by bit
10. addendum------- addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book)

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週五 3月 31, 2017 7:00 pm
Rock
Hi, thank you Iris. You are the best.
:D

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週六 4月 01, 2017 12:08 am
Luis Ko
5. I’m driving to work with my top down.-------???????

it's supposed, according to google, to be a convertible car with it's top(roof) down lo~ 8)

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週六 4月 01, 2017 9:22 am
Iris Wu
Luis Ko 寫:5. I’m driving to work with my top down.-------???????
it's supposed, according to google, to be a convertible car with it's top(roof) down lo~ 8)
I thought so, but then, the look the more complete context:
"Like, if you want to know what I'm doing right now. I'm driving to work with my top down. The roof of my convertible is up. I am wearing a beret..."

Top down and roof up? I wasn't sure what she meant here.

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週六 4月 01, 2017 12:33 pm
Luis Ko
Iris Wu 寫:
Luis Ko 寫:5. I’m driving to work with my top down.-------???????
it's supposed, according to google, to be a convertible car with it's top(roof) down lo~ 8)
I thought so, but then, the look the more complete context:
"Like, if you want to know what I'm doing right now. I'm driving to work with my top down. The roof of my convertible is up. I am wearing a beret..."

Top down and roof up? I wasn't sure what she meant here.


if so, it simply means the writer is driving a convertible. "my top down" here means convertible car i guess, because if people drive convertible cars, normally they would keep it's top down unless the weather doesn't allow them to or what. and here the writer is wearing a beret so, that's why the roof needs being kept up lo~ 8)

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週六 4月 01, 2017 10:56 pm
Iris Wu
Maybe Luis should buy me a convertible, then, I will understand how it works! :)
My car only has sunroof and I've never driven a convertible. I thought the "top" and the "roof" are the same, so I cannot figure out how you can have "top down' and in the meantime, have the roof up? :ccry:
Do you mean for a convertible, the top is not the roof? Do you have pictures to show me what the top and the roof look like? Thank you! I wish I had a convertible! :cccry:

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週日 4月 02, 2017 9:08 pm
Luis Ko
no, i mean a convertible can also be called a "top down", and the top is the roof of course. the author just uses "top down", instead of "convertible", to mean she is driving to work with her convertible and, the top is up.



https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... agtop-left



8)

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週日 4月 02, 2017 9:12 pm
Gloria Lo
Iris,
I guess Luis meant "my top down" = " my convertible car"

But I can't find the proof on Google.

Luis,
can you show us the link? :roll:

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週日 4月 02, 2017 9:14 pm
Gloria Lo
HAHA Luis and I were almost editing at the same time. I got it. Thanks. :lol:

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週日 4月 02, 2017 10:45 pm
Iris Wu
Thanks, Luis and Gloria! OK, I got it now. Why isn't it called "topless"? It would be less confusing! Haha! :)

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週日 4月 02, 2017 11:46 pm
Rock
Yeah, cars are sexy. Topless ones are even sexier. :lol:

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週二 4月 11, 2017 9:14 am
Iris Wu
"Seriously... I am kidding" Book Reading Notes (4/11/17 - Part I):

One comment describes Ellen Degeneres very well: “Her mind leapfrogs from topic to topic”. When you don’t want to think of anything serious, it is nice to listen to her talk or follow her “talking style” of writing. Her unconstrained woolgathering seems natural and effortless and maybe that’s why she is popular.

Some of the humorous or witty remarks I highlighted:
1. No one gets to one hundred and tells people they’re only nighty-five. So I don’t know why anyone has to lie about those middle years.
2. Do you live each day as if it’s your first or your last? Either way you should probably have a diaper on.
3. Most people’s insides are disgusting. Even pretty people have very unattractive insides.
4. They made me take everything off except my socks. I guess they let you keep those on so that you don’t feel totally naked.
5. I look back on the days of doing stand-up in a basement for three friends—well, one friend and two mice. Okay, three mice.
6. I’m crying so much I have mascara running down my face. And I’m not even wearing mascara. This show is powerful.
7. Opinion polls have become incredibly popular. People love them. I know because I read that in an opinion poll.
8. ….and I assume that’s why Simon never had time to button his shirt up all the way.
9. I’ve gone ahead and made a list of the pros and cons of making a list of pros and cons.
10.How to be a supermodel?
  • o Trot! Squint! Pout! Get the straw! (Get those lips out there. Purse your lips like you’re trying to sip out of a straw that someone keeps moving away from you.)
    o The Pose: Be mysterious!
    o The Breeze: Carry a giant oscillating fan with you at all times.
I think (2), (4), (5) and (6) are quite entertaining!

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週二 4月 11, 2017 9:20 am
Iris Wu
"Seriously... I am kidding" Book Reading Notes: (4/11/17 - Part II)

As far as her mother goes, do you really believe her mother would move first and just left notes to her? I kind of feel that’s exaggeration. But it is definitely amusing that she said she stayed with a Mexican family for three months without knowing they were not her extended family!
Her mom was a collector, but was it to the level of “hoarder”, like Jeannette Wall’s mom? I guess not.

The part she described her wife, Portia’s obsession with lotion was hilarious too. How many kinds of lotion she mentioned? And the hand lotion made Portia stuck inside the bathroom for an hour because she could not turn the doorknob! Stories like this show Ellen’s playful and “mischievous” personality!

Some commonly used words/phrases:
Social Stigma:
o Stigma: a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person
o (Wiki) Social stigma refers to extreme disapproval of (or discontent with) a person or group on socially characteristic grounds that are perceived, and serve to distinguish them, from other members of a society. Stigma may then be affixed to such a person, by the greater society, who differs from their cultural norms.

Get jaded: fatigued by overwork; or cynical by having or seeing too much of something; bored

In the grand scheme of things: considering everything
In the scheme of things, having lots of money isn't as important as having friends.

Tip your (imaginary) hat:
to touch one's hat or cap or to lift it off one's head as a way of greeting or saying good-bye to someone;
used informally to say that one admires or respects someone
He tipped his hat to her as she walked past.
I really have to tip my hat to those people for all their hard work.

Re: Seriously Kidding Discussion

發表於 : 週二 4月 11, 2017 10:04 am
Iris Wu
(Sorry, my notes are too long. If I put them in one post, people will fall into sleep easily, so here is:

"Seriously... I am kidding" Book Reading Notes: 4/11/17 - Part III"...

Well, actually the truth is that Rock is counting number of post per person, and in this way, I can catch up with Master Rock and Master Kooper a bit quicker...well, I mean by the time I am 90. :) )

One last thing, since she is in entertainment business, many of her jokes related to some celebrities. Some I had to google and check the background or stories to get what she was referring to. That is the barrier we will need to overcome in order to appreciate this type of humors, but I think it is common even for native speakers. In Taiwan if I am not paying attention to entertainment industry, I may not be able to enjoy some of the talk shows either.

Example: "They told me I am related to a whole bunch of celebrities, and not just in Kevin Bacon sort of way."
--> "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" is a parlor game based on the "six degrees of separation" concept, which posits that any two people on Earth are six or fewer acquaintance links apart.