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The Bob and Rob Show Study GuideLesson 92: Hodgepodgedate: June 23, 2007file name: bobrob 06-23-07

Robs Bonus Quote"Whatever we learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, if even in thetiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust fallsto the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightlyoff its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripples in a pond; and whenever you're sad, noone anywhere can be really happy. And it's much the same thing with knowledge, for whenever you learnsomething new the whole world becomes that much richer." Norton Juster

Phrasal Verbs and Idioms"to dust something/someone/yourself off (British English = to dust something/someone/yourself down)."1) To clean something off something or someone or oneself e.g: she dusted herself off after her fall.2) To bring something out after a long absence e.g: I dusted off my old PC and it still works well.3) To start again after a difficult experience e.g: After I lost my job I just dusted myself off and got on1 with mylife.

Idioms: 1) "to crack a jokeTo tell a joke e.g: Charlie is a real jokerhes always cracking jokes.

2) The crack of dawnVery early in the morning e.g: you have to get up at the crack of dawn when climbing Mount Fuji2.

Bonus Idiom: to crack the whip".To treat someone in a strict manner so as to make them work harder, by using their power or authority e.g: Ifthose employees are late again, you should crack the whip and put them in line3.Note: the origin of this idiom comes from the time of slave drivers, who used to literally whip their slaves.

Grammar BluesOver and During are for the most part interchangeable, but one instance where they arent is when we aretalking about a short event within a period of time e.g: during the intermission, I went to the restroom. (NOTOver the intermission).

Both Sides of the PondToday we looked at differences in stress and pronunciation:(US) apricot (UK) apricot(US) fillet /fillay/ (UK) fillet /fillet/(US) herb (UK) herb(US) oregano (UK) oreganoEXTRA: (US) tomato (UK) tomato

Song"Dust" by Benny Bruce. See more at http://www.music.podshow.com

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Show transcript

BOBHi, it's the Bob and Rob Show. This is Bob

ROBAnd this is Rob.

BOBHey, hey, hey, we're back, Rob.

ROBYes, we are back indeed, Bob.

BOBSeems like we were just here a second ago.

ROBIt does, doesn't it. Incredible. Time flies4 when you're having fun.

BOBToday we're climbing without a rope.

ROBWe are free climbing5; we are soloing.

BOBFree climbing, and that means, as always, hodgepodge.

ROBYeah, and it's kind of dangerous.

BOBIs it?

ROBWell, free climbing is dangerous. What have you been up to recently, Bob?

BOBOh, I really hurt my back the other day. I was doing squats in the gym, and for some reason when I squatteddown and had the barbell on my shoulders, and then when I went to lift up I really hurt my lower back.

ROBWow. That's bad.

BOBIt's just a muscle pull6.

ROBMaybe you could explain to our listeners - what exactly is a squat.

BOBA squat is basically - when you lift weights you put a barbell - a bar with weights - on your shoulders then yousquat down. It's like you're going to sit in a chair, except there's no chair.

ROBRight. Sitting on an imaginary square - sorry, sitting on an imaginary chair.

BOBYou're just squatting down; it's probably the best exercise you can do for your legs.

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ROBIs it good for your back too?

BOBApparently not. It is if you do it right, but for some reason I just moved my back the wrong way. Again, it's justa muscle though, so it's just going to take awhile to heal. You were asking me if I wanted to go climbing withyou. There's a climbing gym in Tokyo.

ROBSure.

BOBI want to go with you, but can you give me a week?

ROBNo problem, Bob, take it easy.

BOBDo you think I should put ice on my back, or should I put a heating pad? What's the usual remedy for a pulledmuscle?

ROBI don't know if heats going to work 'cause heat - if you have a jacuzzi or hot bath, that isn't actually very goodfor it.

BOBI've been icing it.

ROBThat's good or a cold spray.

BOBYou know a lot about that because you had that climbing accident a few years ago, where you shattered yourleg.

ROBIt's all better now.

BOBDo you have nightmares? You don't wake up in a cold sweat7?

ROBNo, no, no, no.

BOBBut you're never going to climb again, are you?

ROBI am, well, I do.

BOBYou still climb?

ROBYeah, occasionally, not as often as I'd like to, but yeah.

BOBBut before, you were free climbing, right?

ROBWell, "free climbing" means "soloing, going without a rope." No, I've never done that.

BOBWell, then how did you fall and break your leg? If you'd had a rope then you wouldn't have fallen.

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ROBThe ice conditions weren't very good, and my ice screw popped out8.

BOBOh, I see.

ROBI fell the length of the rope9 and some more. By the way, Bob, how much were you lifting when you hurt yourback?

BOBOh, at least a thousand ...

ROBA thousand kilograms.

BOBAt least a thousand kilograms.

ROBThat's pretty heavy that's a ton.

BOBI'm too embarrassed to say how light it really was, but it's good exercise, and I'm going to try and get back intothe gym as quickly as possible, because I love to exercise. It's just the best way to start out10 your day. It's asetback, it's a bit of a setback11, but that's fine, I'll just be more careful next time when I lift.

ROBPlease, do so.

BOBOkay, we should probably move along here to ... well, you want to do some phrasal verbs?

ROBYes, phrasal verbs and idioms.

BOBI thought today we could do "dust," like "dust off," or "dust yourself off." So for example, "if you dust somethingoff," like dust off the coffee table, "dust the coffee table off."

ROBThat means "you clean it, you wipe it clean."

BOBAnd then there's the more idiomatic expression, "dust off."

ROBSo if you "dust something off" your bringing something out after it hasn't been used for along time.

BOBI see.

ROBFor example, after my climbing accident, three years ago now - I recently dusted off my ice axes - so, I'vetaken them out.

BOBOkay. It means to start using something again that you haven't used for a long time. Also, another idiomaticexpression is "to dust yourself off," like after a disappointment or setback. It's like you dust yourself off andstart again. It's like you've fallen down, you've had a setback so you got to stand up, you got dirt on yourself,you dust yourself off. Again, it's a metaphor ... analogy.

ROB

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Yeah, an analogy or metaphor.

BOBIt's a metaphor or analogy - it means "you've had a setback, and you're going to start again. So you get up,dust yourself off. So what's an example, Rob?

ROBOkay. For example, "I recently took a very difficult kanji test, but I failed. But you know, I just stood up, dustedmyself off, and carried on studying again. And hopefully, I'll pass it one day."

BOBGood example.

ROBAnd you can also say "dust yourself down" as well as "dust yourself off."

BOBI think we'd probably say, "off" in the US ... "dust off."

ROBAnd that's the metaphorical sense. But we can also use it literally as you said, "if you fall down, you stand up,and you dust yourself off."

BOBBaseball players, after sliding into home base, "dust themselves off."

ROBAnd some idioms.

BOBTodays idiom is "crack." What are some examples? Like I think you can "crack a joke" which means "to say ajoke." C-R-A-C-K

ROBCrack a joke, and the "crack of dawn."

BOBOkay, and what does that mean?

ROBThat means "very early in the morning," basically.

BOBI guess just as the sun comes up you see the crack - the light on the horizon - it looks like a crack.

ROBSo you say, "crack of dawn."

BOBAnd what's the bonus idiom for this week?

ROBThe bonus idiom is, "to crack the whip."

BOBI bet your wife cracks the whip. Does she crack the whip at home?

ROBIt's fifty-fifty, we both crack the whip. We share authority.

BOB"Crack the whip" will be in the study guide. Okay, we're doing the Grammar Blues. I'm feeling bad, justtreating me bad, making me mad, bringing me down.

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ROBMaking you blue. Yep, grammar is always a problem for many students of English.

BOBAnd also, native speakers, as well.

ROBDefinitely, it's very tough. In fact a lot of native speakers don't know much grammar. So today we're going tolook again at some prepositions of "time." We looked at this awhile back, and we're going to look at 'over', and'during.'

BOB"Over," and "during," like "Over the Christmas break12 I relaxed a lot."

ROBSure.

BOB"During the Christmas break I relaxed a lot. " Those are interchangeable, aren't they?

ROBGenerally they are, there are some situations where they're not interchangeable. An example of where they'renot interchangeable, is where if you're going to talk about a short event that happens within a period of time.We prefer "during."

BOB"During" - I see.

ROBSo, a short event that happens within a period of time, "during," is better. For example, "I went to see a playlast week and I coughed during the performance."

BOBYou wouldn't say, "I coughed over the performance."

ROBThat's right, and also, "During a gap in the conversation my friend left the room."

BOBIt's a short period of time.

ROBWe wouldn't say, "over a gap."

BOBThat's a good distinction13.

ROBGenerally we can use them interchangeably as you said, "over the holiday," or "during the holiday." But that'san example.

BOBGreat, good explanation.

ROBThanks, Bob.

BOBThat's been the Grammar Blues. Making me feel bad, brining me down. Both Sides of the Pond.

ROBBoth Sides of the Pond. Right.

BOB

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What do we got today, Rob?

ROBWell, we're just going to look at some pronunciation differences.

BOBYou say, potato; I say, potato. Or the other way around. I say, potato; you say, potato.

ROBYou say, potato, don't you?

BOBI say, potato, yeah. Do you say, potato? Give me some examples, what do you say in the UK ... incorrectly.

ROBFood is a good one. Apricot.

BOBWe say apricot too.

ROBOh, you do?

BOBBut sometimes I hear apricot, but usually it's apricot. I say, "apricot."

ROBWell, we never have apricot in the UK.

BOBHow about, basil?

ROBBasil, no we say, "basil." You mean like the herb?

BOBYeah, like the herb.

ROBRight, that's another one. We say, "herb"; you say, "herb."

BOBHerb is someone's name.

ROBAnd we say, "filet."

BOBAnd we say, "filet."

ROBWow.

BOBIt's like a filet of fish

ROBI think we stick more to the original French - the "et" at the end.

BOBWe're a little more independent in the US.

ROBWe like to stick to our roots, Bob.

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BOBBefore, you mentioned basil, or basil. Do you say, "oregano"?

ROBNo we don't, but I know what you mean; we say, "oregano."

BOBOregano, so is that probably the Italian? Did you use that at home.

ROBOregano is the Italian, but we don't use the "r" so strongly.

BOBOkay, so you don't say, "oregano."

ROBNo, we say, "oregano." We have the stress on the penultimate14 syllable.

BOBSay it again, please, in American.

ROBOregano. Sounds like a president.

BOBNoreago

ROBOr, Ronald Regano.

BOBYou've got a very imaginative mind, Rob.

ROBThanks, Bob.

BOBI underestimated15 you.

ROBVocabulary Expander: Farming and Ranching.

BOBI think the first thing is orchard. And an orchard is basically a lot of fruit trees where fruit is grown. Orchard.

ROBAnd the second item we have is a silo. What exactly goes in a silo, Bob?

BOBFeed. I think a lot of times corn goes into silos. They're tall cylindrical shaped buildings next to barns often, notalways, but they're a storage buildings for grain. And next we've got the pasture and a pasture is where grassor hay is grown - either it's cut there, or animals are led out into the pasture to eat.

ROBAnd then we also have livestock on the farms, and livestock basically means all the animals that exist on thefarm.

BOBAnd the livestock usually eat hay, which is a kind of grass, and you can bale the hay basically, pack it intoblocks - bale.

ROBAnd we also have a combine. A combine harvester is a big machine which churns16 up the grain or the corn,

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and it reduces the size of it, it cuts it up.

BOBYeah, big, big, machines usually.

ROBVery dangerous machines they have cutters on them.

BOBYeah, cut you up.

ROBThat's right.

BOBNext is ranch and a ranch and a farmer are quite similar but I usually think of ranch raising cattle or horses oranimals. Where framing is more growing food.

ROBAnd we also have a corral or a pen, and this is the area where the animals are kept. So for example, pigs arekept in a pen, or horses are kept in stables or the corral.

BOBAnd usually there's a trough which is a container full of water, a big container where the animals drink out of.

ROBAnd finally, we have a herd of cattle and that's basically a group of cows or livestock.

BOBThe counter, is herd, for a group. Okay, Vocabulary Expander: Farming and Ranching. Well, someannouncements for today. Just be careful when you listen to the Bob and Rob Show. I'm serious about this. Ifyou're listening to us on a train, or in a noisy environment, it's tempting to turn the volume up so that you canhear us, but you gotta17 be careful when you're using headphones or earplugs because you can damageyour hearing - especially when I talk.

ROBAnd also, it can be very annoying to other passengers on the train.

BOBYes, that's right, so especially with music, just be careful if you're listening with volume up too loud. That's justa Bob and Rob Show public service announcement for our listeners.

ROBGood one, Bob.

BOBWhat else?

ROBOkay, some other announcements. I'd like to say thanks to everybody for your donations and if enjoy ourshow and are a regular listener please consider making a donation.

BOBYes, please, and if you have any questions or comments you can always send us a voice message or email.We're at the bobandrobshow.com, and finally, if you know anyone that might be interested in our show pleasetell them about it.

ROBIf you like the show and want some more interesting and comprehensive study guides and transcripts thenplease consider becoming a Bob and Rob Show member.

BOBSince we're talking about the phrasal verb dust off today I thought we'd do a song called "Dust" by, BennyBruce.

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ROBExcellent, excellent.

BOBAnd we got the song from podshow.com and if you want to learn more about the artist go tomusic.podshow.com.

ROBYeah, this is a good song.

BOBHad a good time today, Rob?

ROBYeah, good fun.

BOBWe'll see everyone back here again next week. Bye, bye.

ROBBye, bye.

SONG: "Dust"By, Benny Bruce I walk down by the old school / They've covered all the windows up with boards / There's a playground by myold house / It has fallen down and rusted to the ground / All this is pared down to the life I've known /Everything goes away and leaves nothing there to show / And baby you should have told me / That loving mewon't take you very long / And baby you should have just told me / And saved some time and carried on / Sonow I've got to learn that forever means to end / I guess I'll start all alone again / Enjoy it now / Cause it will goaway / It will not grow / The things you do or say / Don't wast your time / On things like faith and trust / Enjoy itnow / Cause it all turns to dust / One day when life is over / I like to think my songs will carry on / But forever,I must be joking / They'll just get back you way and then they're gone / So why do we spend our lives alwaystrying to get ahead18 / So you got more than me / I guess that means you win when we're ten / Enjoy it now /Cause it will go away / It will not grow / The things you do or say / Don't waste your time / On things like faithand trust / Enjoy it now / Cause it all turns to dust / Dust, dust, dust.

Extension and Review Study*note: we encourage you to respond to the questions and readings by posting on the discussion board (Loginusing your Bob and Rob Show membership username and password)http://englishcaster.com/discussionboard/

1/ What was the last joke you cracked? Can you crack any jokes in English? When was the last time you gotup at the crack of dawn? Why did you get up so early?

2/ When was the last time you dusted yourself off? What happened? Why did you have to dust yourself off?What was the last object you dusted off and took out for use again? How long had it been unused?

Glossary 1 got on = One meaning of this phrasal verb is to proceed or make progress.2 Mount Fuji = The biggest mountain in Japan stands at 3776 meters (metres in Britain ). Many Japanesepeople climb it in the summer time and often leave at midnight in order to be at the top when its the crack ofdawn. See more here: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2172.html3 put them in line = this phrasal verb can mean to instill discipline. Think of a kindergarten teacher putting herchildren in a straight line so as to queue up in an orderly fashion.4 Time flies = this expression can be used in the short form ie 'time flies'. We have used it on a previous showtoo.5 Free climbing = this basically means 'climbing without a rope' but is used here to suggest that Bob and Robwill be ad libbing for most of the show.6 muscle pull = It's more common in British English to say 'a pulled muscle'.

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7 a cold sweat = paradoxical though it seems, this phenomenon really exists: it is a state where one is verycold but actually sweating.8 popped out = this phrasal verb can also mean to go out somewhere locally e.g: I'm just popping out to theshops for half an hour.9 length of the rope = most climbing ropes are 50 meters, and this means Rob fell about 25 meters whichwas the lenght of the pitch he was on.10 start out = the 'out' part can be ommitted here e.g: to start your day.11 Setback = an impediment to one's progress, a defeat or a reverse. We also say 'a step back'.12 Break = informal for 'holiday' or 'vacation'.13 Distinction = recognition that something is different.14 Penultimate = you can also say 'the last but one'.15 Underestimated = the opposite is oversestimate.16 Churns = similar to shredding.17 you gotta = you have got to.18 get ahead = this phrase can be positive or negative. The former is in the sense that one makesimprovements in one's life, but the latter is connected to the idea of being aggresively competitive or overlyambitious.