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#2
«One for the road» is a saying that basically means «one more before you go».
The reception is the ability to pick up tv/radio signals. So good reception means good tv/radio quality.
Last edited: Oct 27, 2010
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#7
Years ago, people in the UK travelling on horseback or in open carriages would have no protection from the weather except what they were wearing, so could easily become very cold. They might well stop at an inn during their journey, and if so, they might use the opportunity to have an extra (alcoholic) drink to fortify themselves against the elements just before they left. This drink wouldn’t be for thirst or even for socialising, but would be referred to as «one for the road». The need has long since disappeared, but the idiom lives on. The first joke is simply manufacturing an absurd situation (a man with a lot of tarmac — used for covering roads) to make a pun on the phrase possible.
As has already been mentioned, an ariel is an antenna for picking up television or radio signals, and if it is placed correctly so as to be doing this job well (i.e. giving a clear picture on the television with no interference), we would say the reception is good. Reception is also the term used for a party directly after a wedding, where the new couple «receive» their guests for a celebration. Once again, the second joke is manufacturing an absurd situation to allow «reception» to be ambiguous and so make a pun possible.
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#8
The reference to two aerials getting married is the actual installation. In many cases you have Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Very High Frequency (VHF) TV transmissions. One antenna alone cannot receive both types of signals. Two aerials, one for UHF and the other for VHF, are then installed on one «pole» and a combiner is used to put both signals onto one cable which goes down to the TV. The combiner is the case of the signals get «married» (combined) and thus become one, because of the married (combined) signal the TV picture (Reception) for either transmissions ( UHF and VHF) is very good. With only one aerial the reception for that frequency range would be good but for the other frequency range it will be poor.
Cable TV does not use aerials. Satellite TV uses «dishes», parabolic reflectors as an «aerial».
I am trying not to be technical so hopefully I am not confusing the issue. But maybe saying a «yagi antenna» instead of an aerial could have more meaning for you.
The way this joke is put, it sounds as if the installation is rather messy, but it works quite well.
Last edited: Oct 27, 2010
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Having just recently moved to the United States from Japan with her family Miyo has been working hard trying to understand the English language. Miyo’s parents encourage her to focus on reading and writing but she prefers to learn by listening to oral conversations.
One of her favorite places to learn is a construction site not far from her home. One week ago Miyo hears the foreman use a word and from how the construction workers respond she is confident that she understands its meaning.
Today Miyo hears the foreman use what sounds like the exact same word (this time he sounds slightly upset) and the construction workers proceed to do the opposite of what they did the week before.
Assume that Miyo has great hearing and the word she heard today really did sound the same as the word the heard the week before.
What can explain the construction workers responding in a seemingly opposite manner to an instruction that included a word that sounded the same as what she heard one week earlier?
Deusovi♦
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asked Jun 11, 2016 at 10:15
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Possibly
Miyo heard the word
raise one week — meaning to move something up
and the word
raze on the other week — meaning to level to the ground
JBentley
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answered Jun 11, 2016 at 10:48
TomTom
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The first day, the foreman said to:
stand fast. And the workers all stood around waiting.
The second day, the foreman said to:
do something fast. And the workers all started moving quickly.
What Miyo didn’t hear was that on the third day, the foreman said to:
fast. And the workers all stopped eating.
Which is good because it would probably only have confused her further.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 18:27
KevinKevin
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Oh no don’t worry about its looks — just carry on building and it’ll all be fine.
Oh no… guys, remember last week when we were talking about how the structural steel looked like cheap plastic? Turns out it was cheap plastic…
JMP
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answered Jun 11, 2016 at 11:22
niemironiemiro
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There are several possibilities. Here’s a suggestion:
One week ago …
Foreman: … and we’re off. Bob, buckle up! Can we fix it? Yes we can!
Today …
Foreman: … now we’re in a fix, but it wasn’t our fault that the span buckled. And just like that, we’re off.
Here are the senses of the words used:
- Off: start (of work), dismissed
- Buckle: fasten, bent (buckled)
- Fix: repair, trouble.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 10:52
LawrenceLawrence
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One of my favorite examples of a completely counterintuitive word is restive.
Definition according to a quick google search:
(of a person) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, especially because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom.
Yet, with the qualifying definition:
(of a horse) refusing to advance, stubbornly standing still or moving backward or sideways.
The reason for this is because originally the term was applied to a rebellious horse. A miffed horse will refuse to move according to a handler’s command, staying at rest. Hence, «restive». However, by applying that disobedience to a different subject, such as a child, their disobedience manifests in being fidgety and over-active.
Part of why language can be so confusing. By preserving the spirituality of how a word is used, it gains wildly different implementations.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 14:27
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Perhaps the word she heard is simply:
Opposite
Yesterday, she heard the foreman say that:
The equipment should be moved to the opposite side, and they moved it to the back.
Today, she heard the foreman say:
The equipment should be moved to the opposite side, and they moved it to the front (they did the opposite the opposite direction).
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 13:57
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Perhaps the foreman had the workers re-sign their contracts.
Or perhaps the foreman employed an American workforce one day and a British workforce the next. The Americans heard his command, waited a few seconds, and then began work. The next day, the Brits heard the same command, worked for a few seconds and then stopped for the rest of the day. The foreman’s sadness was because he knew this was coming but didn’t know how else to express himself…
To both teams the foreman said:
«We’ll commence work momentarily»
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 23:14
StrawberryStrawberry
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She might have heard
Joe, Scaffolding!
The first day would be putting it up (before doing something), the second taking it down (after something had been done). The worker would understand which from the context of the job they were doing.
It actually could be
any noun used as an order — for example, ‘Tools!’ at the beginning of a job to bring them out, at the end to pack them away. Or any order which assumes the worker will act on a context which changed between the two instants.
I picked the example because the ‘ing’ ending might have helped her to mistake it for a verb.
Another alternative might be
Break, which might mean to pick up a tool to break something, or take a break, which would be to put down the tool and walk away.
It’s perhaps a more reasonable answer, but less amusing.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 20:52
MeghaMegha
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Literally doesn’t literally mean «literally!»
In fact the word means two things:
- Really, actually, etc. («Don’t worry, we are literally 10 minutes late»)
- Figuratively («Hurry up! We are literally 900 million years late!»)
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 0:43
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Day 1 — The door lock is tight and does not open.
Day 2 — The door lock is tight. Its the shit….
Miyo: Wait, its the shit?…But I thought you liked it. We just loosened it and it finally works.
answered Jun 12, 2016 at 2:55
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Being an Indian, we are more inclined to British English than American. Often when visiting one of the non-European western countries, I had often been in situation that was either amusing or embarrassing.
Incident 1:
The company I used to work for supported geographical diversity at work-space, and during lunch breaks, we used to eat together. I would often bring my lunch and was eager to share it with other fellow American colleagues referring to it as homely food. I never understood, why my utterance of homely made everyone bemused until I realized, what we mean from our home was rather perceived as unattractive. I bless my stars as how often I wanted to complement someone as homely but nevertheless that never happened. I wonder how things would have turned up then.
Incident 2:
Every week, we used to send a pager report, which had a short snippet of the causal-analysis along with any cross team interaction details. In one of the reports, I remember mentioning that so-and-so had intimated me based on which I had taken some action.
Within minutes of sending it, I received a call from higher up who wanted me to explain how the person from his team intimidated me. That definitely could have been perceived as a workplace harassment, if not a false allegation to the least. I had to explain how the two words are so different. Later I realized, most Americans have never ever intimated anyone in their life, rather they prefer to inform. I was saved the second time again.
answered Jun 14, 2016 at 3:40
AbhijitAbhijit
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Some English words mean one thing and its opposite. Sometimes this occurs because a group of people use the word incorrectly, i.e. «nonplussed.» Until sometime in the 80s or 90s, nonplussed meant confused or perplexed. Whereas, now «informally» throughout North America, it means unconcerned or unperturbed.
Another word that can mean its opposite is «sanction,» whether used as a verb or a noun. Here are examples using the verb: «His parents cannot sanction him marrying a man.» versus, «The government will sanction any nation giving sanctuary to terrorists.»
I doubt, however, construction workers admit to feeling nonplussed using either meaning. Likewise, sanction.
answered Jun 11, 2016 at 18:31
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3
PRESENT MUMMY MIGHT FOX
HUMBLE GRAM BAG BOX CRANE COUNTER
PRESENT (Adj./N/V)
Meanings-
Known
| existing or happening now
| present situation
Hidden:
a thing that you give to somebody as a gift
MUMMY (N)
Meanings-
Known
| word for a mother
Hidden:
a dried and embalmed body (in ancient Egypt)
MIGHT (Modal V./N)
Meanings-
Known
| past tense of may (Modal V.)
Hidden:
energy, power, great strength
FOX (N/V)
Meanings-
Known
| a wild animal of the dog family
Hidden:
a very attractive woman
deceive somebody
HUMBLE (Adj./V)
Meaning-
Known
| modest, kind
| showing that you are not important as other people
Hidden
to easily defeat an opponent, especially a strong or powerful one
GRAM
Meanings-
Known
| a unit for measuring things
Hidden:
several beans used as a food for people and cattle
BAG (N/V)
Meanings-
Known
| a container made from cloth, plastic, leather, etc, used to carry things in
Hidden:
an ugly or ill-tempered woman
hunting of birds and animals
to claim something as yours before somebody else claims it
BOX (N/V)
Meanings-
Known
| a container for holding things
Hidden:
evergreen shrubs or small trees
CRANE (N/V)
Meanings-
Known
| a tall machine with a long arm
Hidden:
a large bird with long legs and a long neck
to lean or stretch over something in order to see something better
COUNTER (N/V/Adv.)
Meanings-
Known
| a long flat surface over which goods are sold or business is done in a shop
Hidden:
a small disc used for playing or scoring in some board games
to reply to somebody by trying to prove that what they said is not true
a machine for counting
I have read some fantastic books on English language that really helped me
improve my writing. You can buy my recommended books on
Amazon. Here is the
lists below:
Books on Grammar:
| Books | Buy Links | Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
The Elephants Of Style |
4.5/5 | |
|
English Grammar in Use Book |
4.5/5 | |
|
Practical English Usage |
|
4.5/5 |
|
The Elements of Style |
4.5/5 | |
|
Essentials of English |
4.5/5 | |
|
Handbook of English Grammar and Usage |
4.5/5 | |
|
Woe Is I |
4.5/5 | |
|
Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing |
4.5/5 | |
|
It was the best of sentences, it was the worst of sentences. |
4.5/5 | |
If you want more books on English language, click the link
|
В потоке английской речи мы точно распознаем только те слова, которые мы не только неоднократно слышали или читали, но и неоднократно произнесли сами вслух, так как голосовой аппарат – это орган памяти, как и рука музыканта.
Какой из этого мы сделаем вывод?
Правильно: слышим – понимаем — произносим – читаем – пишем — говорим.
Что можно исключить из этого ряда?
НИЧЕГО!
Сегодня мы продолжим знакомство с темой
«One word – two meanings»
http://at-english.ru/mp3files/hsay15.mp3
«One word – two meanings»
Listen!
He wrote her a note before he left.
He wrote her a note before he left.
She found the top note difficult to sing.
She found the top note difficult to sing.
После того как вы осознанно произнесете слово note в этих предложениях, вы легко узнаете его в любой звучащей речи.
Конечно, тренированный слух сразу услышит всем знакомое в нашем языке слово нота, как в слове attractive (привлекательный, притягательный, заманчивый) он сразу услышит слово аттракцион.
Слушайте, повторяйте — желаем вам успеха!
———————————————————-
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Обучающий Эффективному и Легкому
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Слова Зубрить Не Надо!
— За три недели увлекательнейших занятий Вы пополните свой словарный запас не менее, чем на 287 слов;
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http://at-english.ru/3week.htm
Читайте о Программе Подробнее и Резервируйте Свою Копию Программы!!!
Конечно, отсутствие языковой среды тормозит изучение языка:
Слова можно рано или поздно выучить. Но слова — это одно, а фразы совсем другое!
У всех, кто осваивает английский язык самостоятельно, возникают проблемы с восприятием речи на слух и выражением своих мыслей в потоке свободной речи.
Уверена, что многие из Вас испытывают подобные затруднения.
Для тренировки осмысленного произнесения слов и выражений и активизации памяти,
эффективного пополнения словарного и фразового запаса,
специально разработан курс
«Speak English Every Day!»:
Продолжаем тренировать Ловкость языка, Восприятие и распознавание звучащей речи, набираем Речевой Опыт.
«Speak English Every Day!» — Слова Зубрить Не Надо!
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One Word… Two Meanings
One word… Two Meanings
As a student in college or school in general there are many things that one has to learn first before one can comprehend the subject. One of the main assignments for any student would be to learn the definition of a word that they don’t comprehend. To me it’s a natural thing when it comes to learning a new word and what really helps me in college is Dicionary.com on my phone rather than having to pull out an actual dictionary to look for it. It is amazing how technology has advanced and helped many students in college.
Phones now in days have applications which you can install in your phone for a faster use rather than having to get on the internet on your phone and having to wait for loading times etc… with technology so advanced now in days Android, iPhones, and many other phones that are capable of downloading such applications for ones benefit. Lucky me I have one of these magnificent devices.
On my phone I have an application that is called dictionary.com and in that application there is usually a word that they give you to learn each and every day. The word of the day as they call it. On one of my daily routines while at work I came across a word that had me puzzled and wasn’t sure what it meant until I looked up in dictionary.com. In it the definition of the word came out to be one word that has a two different meanings. Then I started to think of words that had a double meaning to me but I could not come across any. It bugged me all day.
After that day I then went online and did a quick search for Homographs as what the word is described as. I found plenty of words that had double meanings and then that’s when I understood the actual definition of Homograph. I also started to realize that in my second native tongue Spanish, which I can think of many Homographs I could incorporate to English. An example could be aguas, which means waters in English, but if I were to use it in Spanish it means watch out or be careful. So in a way it is interesting how one word can have two meanings at once even if its in English, Spanish, French etc.… So one word doesn’t have to actually mean one thing in one language because it can mean something else in the other language. So ever since that day I have been searching for words with two different meanings to try and expand my vocabulary and knowledge. Daily I still look at the word of the day in my phone application to try and learn new words even though they might not have two different meanings because who knows later on I might see it. When I do I will know what the meaning of it is.
Who would have ever thought of it like that either way? One word two different meanings. It never hit me until this word was presented to me.
With that in mind I tried to apply it to architecture since it’s my passion but did not come out to many a very good examples. I did however come across an interpretation of what one can tell us from just a simple building. The architect could have tried to convey a message when designing the building but others saw the message as something else than its usual meaning. One good example could also be one building two different purposes for its use. A Stadium can be used for football or just simply concerts. It is like they say with pictures. One picture is worth a thousand words. Different people have different thoughts on it so it can be interpreted differently. This however does change a bit to the subject matter of a homograph. So how many homographs can you think of out of your head right now that this just got presented to you?
Works Cited
“Homograph.” Dictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 June 2011. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homograph>.
“Aguas.” Urban Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2011. <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=aguas>.