Posts tagged That’s the thing
Canadian myths
04/28/2013
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Many cultures around the world have traditional stories that have been told for many years. We were recently asked whether Canada has any interesting myths, so here’s an episode all about our some of our stories. We talk about Canada’s Bigfoot, a flaming ghost ship, and our lost mines. You’ll have to judge for yourself whether you think these myths are true or not. Thanks to our listeners for suggesting such great topics!
| Maura: | So Canadians have their own Bigfoot. Interesting. Now, are there any other myths that you heard out West? |
| Harp: | Yes. The other one—I love this one because I love his name—the Ogopogo. |
| Maura: | OK. The Ogopogo. I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. What is it? |
| Harp: | You’ve never heard of the Ogopogo? |
| Maura: | No, tell me about it. |
| Harp: | Well, the Ogopogo is a lake monster, and he exists in the Okanogan Lake. |
| Maura: | OK. So, I have heard of the Loch Ness Monster, which is a really famous kind of thing—monster—that lives in Scotland. It’s the same idea then, right? |
| Harp: | Exactly. The Ogopogo is similar to the Loch Ness Monster. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To see something through another person’s eyes | Word of mouth |
| That’s just a myth | Long-standing |
| Do tell | Bigfoot/sasquatc |
| That’s the thing | A hoax |
| The Ogopogo and other Canadian lake monsters | To give someone the benefit of the doubt |
| The Ghost Ship of Northumberland Strait | Lost mines |
| Fishy | To lose track of something |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo Canada Post
Never look a gift horse in the mouth
10/7/2012
by Culips
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You can’t always get what you want, but you should appreciate what is given to you. This episode is about accepting what people give you and not being critical, even if it is not exactly what you wanted. We have some very old expressions in English to remind people to be grateful, like never look a gift horse in the mouth. But nowadays, with gift receipts, do you think this proverbs still holds true?
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| Maura: | So at that time, when a person looked their gift horse in the mouth, they were checking it to see if it was a good gift. And that’s not really a nice thing to do. You know, imagine you give someone a gift and they’re just evaluating it to see if it’s a very good gift. That’s not really nice. |
| Harp: | Yeah. They’re trying to see how expensive it is or if there’s a price tag on it. |
| Maura: | Yeah. Nowadays, it would be like giving someone a shirt and that person would then try to check the name brand to see if it was really expensive or not. |
| Harp: | Yeah. It’s just not very polite. You should appreciate the gift that you’re given. |
| Maura: | I agree. So, let’s give an example with this proverb, to never look a gift horse in the mouth. |
| Harp: | OK. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| Never look a gift horse in the mouth | The other day |
| Him or ‘im | To be fed up |
| A bonus | A gift receipt |
| A delicate balance | When in doubt |
| Beggars can’t be choosers | To be picky |
| That’s the thing | To be set on something |
| It’s better than nothing |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image: Thomas Solberg Andersen©
