Slang: To bug someone
Feb 8th
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Many of you have probably heard of the word bug. Most people know it as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb, like to bug a person. Do you think that bugging a person would be good or bad? Do you think someone would like to be bugged? Check out this episode to find out!
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 What is Member? |
Harp: Yeah, a bug is an insect.
Maura: Yeah it’s a small little insect. Sometimes it has legs and wings and sometimes they fly around like zzzz.
Harp: Exactly. Some examples of bugs are mosquitoes …
Maura: Yup.
Harp: Beetles … or cockroaches …
Maura: Yup, it could also be a fly or a ladybug.
Harp: A ladybug.
Maura: That one even has the word bug in it.
Harp: Yeah, so a ladybug is red with little black dots on it.
Maura: Yeah most people … they don’t mind ladybugs.
Harp: A ladybug is the only bug I like.
Maura: Yeah, sometimes bugs can be annoying.
Harp: Exactly, which brings us to the slang definition of bug.
Maura: Yeah it’s a small little insect. Sometimes it has legs and wings and sometimes they fly around like zzzz.
Harp: Exactly. Some examples of bugs are mosquitoes …
Maura: Yup.
Harp: Beetles … or cockroaches …
Maura: Yup, it could also be a fly or a ladybug.
Harp: A ladybug.
Maura: That one even has the word bug in it.
Harp: Yeah, so a ladybug is red with little black dots on it.
Maura: Yeah most people … they don’t mind ladybugs.
Harp: A ladybug is the only bug I like.
Maura: Yeah, sometimes bugs can be annoying.
Harp: Exactly, which brings us to the slang definition of bug.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Movie: This Hour has 22 Minutes Cough Etiquette
Slang: Chicken!
Jan 31st
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Are you a chicken? In this episode we look at a familiar word but show you how it can be used in another way. Most of you probably know that a chicken is a kind of bird. And you can also probably imagine a chicken dinner. There is another funny way that we use chicken in English. Check it out here…or are you a chicken?
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What is Member? |
Maura: Bawk, bawk, bawk, Chicken!
Harp: Yes, our Catchword today is chicken.
Maura: Which for many of you listening out there…I’m sure you are thinking, “I already know the word chicken. It’s an animal.” But we do use it in another way.
Harp: Exactly, there is slang use for chicken.
Maura: Exactly. So you already know the original meaning of the word, which is the animal, but in English sometimes we use chicken to describe a person who is very afraid of something.
Harp: Yeah, someone who is scared of things.
Harp: Yes, our Catchword today is chicken.
Maura: Which for many of you listening out there…I’m sure you are thinking, “I already know the word chicken. It’s an animal.” But we do use it in another way.
Harp: Exactly, there is slang use for chicken.
Maura: Exactly. So you already know the original meaning of the word, which is the animal, but in English sometimes we use chicken to describe a person who is very afraid of something.
Harp: Yeah, someone who is scared of things.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Stephen Woods
Slang: Dude!
Jan 24th
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| Dude! This word is very popular nowadays, especially with young people. You can often hear this word in movies and television shows, or with your Native English speaker friends. It has been around for awhile but young people are using the word dude, more and more. So…dude, what does it mean? |
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Maura: You want to use dude with your friends in a casual environment like a party or something like that.
Harp: Yeah, so dude is an old word.
Maura: Yeah, and it has had a lot of different meanings that generally refer to a man.
Harp: Yeah exactly. And dude became popular in the 60s and the 70s in surfer culture and then it made its way into mainstream.
Maura: Yeah, so dude was really first used in a popular way by surfers, I guess maybe in California, somewhere where they surf in the USA.
Harp: Exactly, but we’ll talk about dude in the surfer culture in the Lipservice.
Harp: Yeah, so dude is an old word.
Maura: Yeah, and it has had a lot of different meanings that generally refer to a man.
Harp: Yeah exactly. And dude became popular in the 60s and the 70s in surfer culture and then it made its way into mainstream.
Maura: Yeah, so dude was really first used in a popular way by surfers, I guess maybe in California, somewhere where they surf in the USA.
Harp: Exactly, but we’ll talk about dude in the surfer culture in the Lipservice.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Video: Dude – Bud Light
Canadian Food, Comfort Food and Potlucks
Jan 17th
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Everyone eats, but we all have different habits and favorite foods. The food you eat is often cultural. In this episode Harp and Maura try to explain what Canadian food is. They also talk about comfort food and what typical North American comfort food is. Potlucks are also a popular way to have a meal in a group. Harp and Maura love potlucks so they share their experiences with you. Are you feeling hungry yet?
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What is Member? |
Harp: Yeah, and we’re also going to talk about comfort food.
Maura: Yeah, so potlucks and comfort food, but first we’re going to talk about Canadian food.
Harp: Exactly, but that’s kind of weird because what kind of food is Canadian food?
Maura: Yeah, it’s a really hard topic actually. I remember I was in France, maybe five years ago, and someone there asked me “what is a typical Canadian dish?” And honestly Harp, I couldn’t think of anything.
Harp: Yeah, I’ve been in the exact same situation. The answer that I would give would be poutine…
Maura: Yeah, so potlucks and comfort food, but first we’re going to talk about Canadian food.
Harp: Exactly, but that’s kind of weird because what kind of food is Canadian food?
Maura: Yeah, it’s a really hard topic actually. I remember I was in France, maybe five years ago, and someone there asked me “what is a typical Canadian dish?” And honestly Harp, I couldn’t think of anything.
Harp: Yeah, I’ve been in the exact same situation. The answer that I would give would be poutine…
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: meddygarnet / Morgan
Pet Peeves
Jan 10th
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Everyone has personal pet peeves that bother you. Someone’s pet peeves are usually cultural. Pet peeves are usually small, day-to-day things. Are you curious about what pet peeves are now? Listen to this episode to find out what they are. All of the Culips members share their personal pet peeves too!
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What is Member? |
Robin: What are some common pet peeves?
Maura: Well, a friend of mine really hates when people chew and eat with their mouth open.
Robin: OK.
Maura: …when they are eating but their mouth is open and you can hear what is going on in there and maybe they are talking at the same time.
Robin: That’s definitely one of my pet peeves too.
Maura: Yeah, so some pet peeves are really common and they bother or annoy a lot of people but pet peeves are kind of individual, like some thing that is my pet peeve that really bothers me, maybe is something that doesn’t bother you Robin, right?
Robin: Absolutely, it all depends on the person.
Maura: Well, a friend of mine really hates when people chew and eat with their mouth open.
Robin: OK.
Maura: …when they are eating but their mouth is open and you can hear what is going on in there and maybe they are talking at the same time.
Robin: That’s definitely one of my pet peeves too.
Maura: Yeah, so some pet peeves are really common and they bother or annoy a lot of people but pet peeves are kind of individual, like some thing that is my pet peeve that really bothers me, maybe is something that doesn’t bother you Robin, right?
Robin: Absolutely, it all depends on the person.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Rennett Stowe
Top 1: Tip of the iceberg
Dec 26th
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We, in Montreal, hope this snowy weather is not just the tip of the iceberg! This expression, the tip of the iceberg can be used to talk about many other things than the weather. We often use the expression when there is some kind of problem. Do you know this expression? If not, check out this episode.
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Jessie : So we almost always use this to talk about something negative, like a problem but sometimes people use it as positive or neutral. An example of a way we might use tip of the iceberg as a negative is to say something like, the layoffs at the company were just the tip of the iceberg, but soon the entire business went bankrupt.
Harp : So when we look at this example, the layoffs are the tip of the iceberg, they are just the small part of the problem.
Jessie : Right maybe only one or two people lost their jobs.
Harp : Exactly but when the business goes bankrupt, that’s the whole iceberg, the whole problem is that everyone loses their jobs.
Harp : So when we look at this example, the layoffs are the tip of the iceberg, they are just the small part of the problem.
Jessie : Right maybe only one or two people lost their jobs.
Harp : Exactly but when the business goes bankrupt, that’s the whole iceberg, the whole problem is that everyone loses their jobs.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: Jeffmcneill
Top 2: Pig out!
Dec 20th
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Everyone likes to pig out sometimes! We usually pig out at parties or on special occasions. But sometimes we don’t need a special excuse to pig out. To pig out is related to food and eating. To understand exactly when and how to use listen to the expression pig out you have to check out this episode. (We suggest eating chips, chocolate bars and cake while listening!) Enjoy!
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Jessie: So if I was talking to my friend and I noticed that they were eating a lot, should I say “hey, you’re really pigging out”?
Maura: No, definitely not! It’s very rude to say it to someone.
Jessie: Really! Well, when could I say it then?
Maura: Well you would just use it to talk about yourself because you can say what you want about yourself. If you are eating a lot of chips or popcorn at a party, you could say “look at me, I’m pigging out!”
Maura: No, definitely not! It’s very rude to say it to someone.
Jessie: Really! Well, when could I say it then?
Maura: Well you would just use it to talk about yourself because you can say what you want about yourself. If you are eating a lot of chips or popcorn at a party, you could say “look at me, I’m pigging out!”
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: This year’s love
Top 3: Have you had a crush on someone?
Dec 13th
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Have you ever had a crush? At some time in your life, you have probably had a crush, someone who you liked in a special way. This week, Maura and Robin are talking about the expression, “to have a crush on someone”. They also look at other ways that you can say that you are thinking about someone romantically.**This could be important for you if you have a crush on an English speaker.**
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Maura : It sounds like you have had some crushes!
Robin: Me? I don’t know actually I can remember one when I was young, when I was, I think, 5 years old.
Maura : Tell us.
Robin: I was in Kindergarten and I had this wonderful teacher named Mrs. Carter and she was married, so it wouldn’t have worked out between us but I remember we went out to see some fireworks, my family and I and we bumped into her at Ontario place, a place in Ontario, and I remember that my heart was jumping in my chest because I ran into her but she was a really wonderful teacher, really wonderful person and because of that I got excited when I thought about her.
Maura : Yeah for sure, so a crush isn’t usually very serious so it can be between like Robin’s case, a kid, a child and maybe even an adult. It is innocent, not serious.
Robin: Me? I don’t know actually I can remember one when I was young, when I was, I think, 5 years old.
Maura : Tell us.
Robin: I was in Kindergarten and I had this wonderful teacher named Mrs. Carter and she was married, so it wouldn’t have worked out between us but I remember we went out to see some fireworks, my family and I and we bumped into her at Ontario place, a place in Ontario, and I remember that my heart was jumping in my chest because I ran into her but she was a really wonderful teacher, really wonderful person and because of that I got excited when I thought about her.
Maura : Yeah for sure, so a crush isn’t usually very serious so it can be between like Robin’s case, a kid, a child and maybe even an adult. It is innocent, not serious.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Illust: sarahracha
Top 4 episode: Once in a blue moon
Dec 6th
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How often do you go to the beach? Everyday? Sometimes? Once in a blue moon? We use the expression once in a blue moon to talk about the frequency of something or how often you do a certain activity. We hope you listen to Culips more than once in a blue moon!
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Robin: Since she moved away you don’t see her as often or you rarely see her
Jessie: Exactly, I only see her once in a blue moon.
Robin: Do you have any other examples?
Jessie: Yeah, you could say, I usually drink tea. Once in a blue moon I like to have a cup of coffee.
Robin: Ok, so you drink tea every day but once in a while or every now and then you drink coffee.
Jessie: Exactly.
Jessie: Exactly, I only see her once in a blue moon.
Robin: Do you have any other examples?
Jessie: Yeah, you could say, I usually drink tea. Once in a blue moon I like to have a cup of coffee.
Robin: Ok, so you drink tea every day but once in a while or every now and then you drink coffee.
Jessie: Exactly.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: different2une
Expression: Corny
Nov 29th
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Sometimes movies are corny, or music is corny. It is a fun adjective that can describe just about anything. A synonym for corny is cheesy, and it has nothing to do with cheese! Check out this episode to hear our corny examples.
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Harp: Corny.
Jessie: I like it.
Harp: I like it as well.
Jessie: So, does that mean having to do with corn?
Harp: Um, no, not at all.
Jessie: What does it mean?
Harp: Something that is corny is something that is cliché, unoriginal; it’s oldfashioned.
Jessie: OK, so corny is an adjective describing something that’s not very sophisticated, maybe kind of sentimental.
Harp: Yeah, exactly.
Jessie: Not original.
Jessie: I like it.
Harp: I like it as well.
Jessie: So, does that mean having to do with corn?
Harp: Um, no, not at all.
Jessie: What does it mean?
Harp: Something that is corny is something that is cliché, unoriginal; it’s oldfashioned.
Jessie: OK, so corny is an adjective describing something that’s not very sophisticated, maybe kind of sentimental.
Harp: Yeah, exactly.
Jessie: Not original.
Podcast/ Lipservice: Culips ESL Podcast, Photo: flydime
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