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eslpod 01-Apr-2008
The key to understanding this joke is knowing that "toast" can have two meanings. A toast can be something you say to someone else, usually with a drink in your hand, to congratulate them or honor them. A common toast in English is "Cheers!"Toast is also a type of cooked bread that you eat for breakfast or with a sandwich. link »
jokes.jamesandcarolanne.com/
2008/ 03/ 27/ an-irish-t · Original page -
eslpod 18-Mar-2008
door-to-door link »
get-togethers link »
swap link »
host link »
lingerie link »
gadget link »
stun link »
o subdue link »
t link »
send forth link »
jolt link »
eager link »
gown link »
pockets link »
metallic link »
zapped link »
positively link »
Background:
Most Americans know about (and many own) Tupperware, which are small plastic containers like the ones you see in the photograph here. I remember my mother going to Tupperware parties at her friends' houses back in the 1960s and 1970s. (I never went to one myself.) They were a very popular way of selling things for the company. They have become less popular in the past 20 years as more women have moved into jobs outside the home, but I guess they are still around (still exist).
As the article states, there have recently been other types of "parties" to sell things to women, including taser guns. Many Americans think that they need to protect themselves, especially in big cities, and since we have an (unfortunate) culture of guns in the US, this is the next logical step. link »ESLPod.com's Vocabulary Helper
door-to-door = when someone walks to each house to sell something or give information to people about something
get-togethers = meetings, parties, gatherings
to swap = to exchange, to give something to someone who gives you something else
host = the person who lives at the house where the party is held
lingerie = underwear that women wear to look more sexy (well, that's what I am told...)
gadget = device, usually a mechanical or electrical machine
stun = to shock, to make someone suddenly unable to move or think; stun guns send out an electric charge that is very painful and "stuns" you
to subdue = to control someone by violence or force
to send forth = to discharge, to shoot
jolt = powerful force that is painful, like when someone pushes you
eager = willing, very interested in doing something
gown = a dress
to pocket = to keep money, to earn money
metallic = made of metal
zapped = to get hit by an electric charge
positively = very, completely
link »voanews.com/
english/ AmericanLife/ 2008-03-06-voa20 · Original page -
eslpod 13-Mar-2008
ring link »
at his side link »
deeply link »
ive up link »
failings link »
disrupt link »
effective link »
wiretap link »
tryst link »
earned link »
to wipe out link »
sector link »
ring = group of people usually involved in something illegal, working together
at his side = next to him
deeply = very much
live up to = meet the expectations, do what people thought he would do
failings = mistakes, faults
disrupt = interfere with
effective = will take place, will happen
wiretap = when someone listens to your conversations on the phone without you knowing it
tryst = sexual encounter or meeting
earned = received, usually because you deserve it
to wipe out = to eliminate
sector = type of business link »www.voanews.com/
english/ 2008-03-12-voa39.cfm · Original page
by eslpod
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