JUST FOR KICKS (16): THE LANGUAGE LOVERS CORNER

(Notes for language teachers and advanced students of the English language)

By Oriel E. Villagarcia, at TOOLS FOR TEACHERS, newtoolsforteachers@yahoo.com.ar

 

 

I. FURTHER MEANINGS OF FAMILIAR WORDS

 

Today’s word is BOMB.

 

The meaning we teach elementary student is a device meant to explode and kill/injure people or things. This word can be used as a noun or as a verb.

Notice the following, however:

 

  1. The play was a bomb (failure, flop, used about plays, films or events in general. Am. Engl. usage).
  2. Their latest CD is the bomb (excellent. Mostly, Am. Engl., infml).
  3. The party went down/like a bomb (it was a success. UK. infml.).
  4. Iran announced that they now have the bomb (nuclear weapon).
  5. That new car must have cost you a bomb (a lot of money. UK infml)
  6. If a vehicle goes like a bomb, it goes very fast (UK infml).
  7. If you drop a/the bomb, you say or do something which is shocking or unexpected.
  8. In Am. Engl., when talking about sports, a bomb is a long pass (football), a long shot (basketball) or a long home-run (baseball).
  9. If a car is bombing down the road, it is moving very fast (mostly UK)
  10. If you bomb your exam, you fail (Am. Engl., infml).
  11. A plan, a book, a play or a movie may bomb, i.e. be a failure (mostly, Am. Engl. infml).
  12. If you are bombed, you are experiencing the effects of alcohol or drugs.

 

II. WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS

 

Match the words on the left with the prompts on the right. Remember, the words on the right are not definitions. They are prompts that will help you do the matching.

 

  1. ravenous                          a. fastidious
  2. brazen                              b. unyielding
  3. obsequious                       c. changeable, unpredictable
  4. adamant                           d. very hungry
  5. steadfast                          e.  shameless, impudent
  6. miscreant                         f.  subservient
  7. finicky                              g. firm, not wavering

 

Find the answers at the bottom of this issue. Please remember to check these words in more than one dictionary if possible.

 

III. TO CUDGEL YOUR BRAIN

 

 

 

Consider the following words and make groups showing how they are related. For example, cat and kitten go together since a kitten is a young cat.

 

COW              STALLION               GANDER                  HEN               HEIFER

DRAKE         CALF                         FILLY                       GELDING       OX

DUCK            MARE                       EWE                           RAM              GOOSE

BULL             LAMB                       FOAL                         PULLET         HORSE

SHEEP           GOSLING                 COLT

 

Find the answers at the bottom, as usual.

 

IV. A VERY SPECIAL “UP”

 

All of the following words begin with the letters UP. On the basis of the clues provided, name the word in question.

 

Example: UP......... worried --------UPSET

 

Please remember once more that we are dealing with clues, not definitions.

 

  1. UP.........direct, not hiding, honest
  2. UP.........loud complaint by angry people, commotion.
  3. UP.........result, outcome.
  4. UP.........appealing to the rich, upmarket
  5. UP.........haughty, arrogant, snobbish
  6. UP.........getting attention in detriment of another who is more

               important.

  1. UP.........worried, nervous, opposite of relaxed

 

Answers way down below.

 

ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS ABOVE

 

 

Answers to WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS

 

            ravenous                    very hungry

            brazen                        shameless, impudent

            obsequious                 subservient

            adamant                     unyielding

            steadfast                    firm, not wavering

            mercurial                    changeable, unpredictable

            finicky                        fastidious

 

Answers to TO CUDGEL YOUR BRAIN

 

The groups are as follows:

 

  1. cow, heifer, calf, bull, ox
  2. horse, stallion, filly, colt, foal, gelding, mare
  3. goose, gander, gosling
  4. duck, drake
  5. sheep, ewe, ram, lamb
  6. hen, pullet

 

It is now up to you to find out how the different words in a group are related and how they differ. If you are not familiar with some of the words, please look them up in your dictionaries.

 

ANSWERS TO A VERY SPECIAL “UP”

 

  1. upfront
  2. uproar
  3. upshot
  4. upscale
  5. uppity
  6. upstage
  7. uptight

 

TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

 

We hope you have enjoyed this, our sixteenth issue of JUST FOR KICKS. Your feedback and comments are appreciated. Please refer to the TOOLS FOR TEACHERS workshops announcement for the month of March, elsewhere in this e-bulletin.

 

We would like to announce our forthcoming EASTER COURSE, which will be focussing on CONTEMPORARY COLLOQUIAL and USEFUL TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR TEACHING PRACTICE. We would love to meet some of the readers of JUST FOR KICKS. Details of the EASTER COURSE will be published in the next issue of WELCOME TO ENGLISH AND FUN.

 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank ENGLISH AND FUN for having invited us to contribute this section, and to wish them and you, our readers, a fantastic academic year!

 

Oriel E. Villagarcía holds and M.A. in Linguistics for English Language Teaching from the University of Lancaster, and was on the Advisory Panel for the MACMILLAN ENGLISH DICTIONARY (MED), First Edition. He is a British Council and a Fulbright Scholar, and he did graduate work at the University of Texas. He is available for workshops on language or methods throughout the country and abroad. He can be reached at newtoolsforteachers@yahoo.com.ar