Political cartoon by Jimmy Margulies of The Record in New Jersey and published on 27 December 2010.
This political cartoon is a spoof (une parodie) on an anti-drug TV commercial from the 1980s which you’ll find below.
A nest egg is a special sum or amount of money that has been saved or invested for a specific future use such as retirement. This term comes from the practice of putting a real or an artificial egg into the nest of a chicken in order to encourage it to lay (pondre) more eggs.
The connection to saving money is a bit uncertain but possibly it’s because the nest egg wasn’t removed from the nest until the chicken had laid eggs.
Political cartoon by Cameron “Cam” Cardow of The Ottowa Citizen in Canada and published on 01 December 2010.
If you are down on your luck, you are in a long period of difficulty finding work and earning money. Unfortunately due to the current economic situation, a lot of people are down on their luck.
A bailout is an economic term that we’ve been hearing a lot these last few years. This is the money given or lent to a person or organization with financial problems in order to save them. Ireland is the latest EU country after Greece to get a bailout package. However, according to the headline, the bailout is ending inturmoil.
If something is in turmoil, it is in a state of extreme confusion, chaos or agitation. They fear that this economic turmoil is going to spread to other European countries such as Portugal or Spain. In other words, the crisis will proliferate across the EU.
The crisis is provoking political turmoil as well in Ireland. The Taoiseach, the head of the Irish government, is at bay as the ruling coalition disintegrates. If something or someone is at bay, this means that they are cornered or trapped. The Irish leader is under tremendous pressure to step down and to call for new elections.
By Frederick Deligne of Nice-Matin in Nice, France published 01 July 2010
If you canafford something, this means that you have enough money to pay for it. However, the meaning is not limited to money. Take a look at these examples:
I’m so busy, I can rarely afford the luxury of a restful weekend.
Politicians today can’t afford to ignore the power of the internet in our modern society.
As you can see, if you can afford something, you can do it without causing you problems or worry.
As an adjective, fine also has the meaning of being of very good quality. Like most people, I like to eat in fine food in fine restaurants while wearing very fine clothes. It’s even better served with fine wine while listening to someone with a fine singing voice. As you can see, I like restaurants with only the finest service. Ok, I think you get the picture now…LOL!
In Paradise Valley, Arizona’s premiere tourist destination thanks to the 12 resorts located there, special room deals and freebies are the spring-season staples. These special prices are luring back sun-seekers and golfers in droves reversing the downward trend that is a result of the sluggish economy. Full story >>
to pay off
-
if something that you do pays off, it brings you some benefit or advantage
premiere(pronounced – Pre-MEERE)
-
first, principle, most important
a room deal
-
promotions offered by hotels
a freebie
-
something given to you that you don’t have pay for
a staple
-
a regular and important part or feature of something
to lure
-
to persuade someone to do something by making it look very attractive
in droves
-
large numbers of people
sluggish(adj.)
-
not performing or reacting as usual, not moving quickly
Canadian Finance Minister James Michael "Jim" Flaherty is the target of a very unflattering image on the front page of the Toronto Sun. They are calling him a tightwad due to a the fiscal restraints in his newly proposed federal budget. A tightwad is someone who always tries to avoid spending money. A good literary example of a tightwad would the be the protagonist of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens's famous A Christmas Carol. In fact, this character is so famous that a scrooge is synonymous with tightwad.
Fiscal restraints is the term used to imply that limits or controls are being placed on the money being spent. The Harper government in Canada is trying torein in current spending. To rein in means to limit or control something that has developed too much or has continued too long. The image is that of a horse which is controlled and directed by pulling on the reins.
In one of the front page’s headlines, it states, “Fiscal restraint the order of the day in Flaherty’s ‘stay-the-course’ budget.” When we say that something the order of the day, we are saying that it is usual or common at a particular time. During economic good times, it was the order of the day for the government to spend a lot of money on various projects and social programs. Now, because of the economic downturn, cutbacks in spending will be the order of the day. The new budget is being called the ‘stay-the-course’ budget. This comes from the verbal expression ‘to stay the course’ which means to continue doing something despite the difficulties. Former President Bush used to say the United States needed to stay the course in Iraq.
The budget will cut spending across the board. This term is both an adverb and an adjective (written across-the-board) and means that it involves everything or everyone affected by a particular situation. Full story >>
- If for some unfortunate reason you run up debt on your credit card and don’t pay the bill over a period of several months, your creditor might use a collection agency to make you pay your debt. In France, this job is carried out by a court bailiff (un huissier de justice). To run up a bill means you owe someone a lot of money. In winter, we tend to run up higher gas bills in order to heat our homes.
- If your job is outsourced, this means it has been either transferred to another region or it is now being done by someone else outside your company.
- To bail someone or something out is when you help someone or an organization in financial difficulty. Various governments around the world, in an attempt to prevent the collapse of banks, bailed them out with government capital. This act is called a bailout.
- To screw up is an informal expression that means to make a serious mistake and if you want to say you made a really big mistake, you say, “I screwed up royally.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke remarked on Tuesday, “From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point.” In his political cartoon, Jimmy Margulies is commenting on the Bernanke’s comment criticizing him for seeing the current economic situation through rose-colored (US) / rose-coloured (UK) glasses. In English, when we say that you see through / look through rose-colored glasses, then you see the situation as being more pleasant or positive when in reality it isn’t! Another possible wording of the expression is ‘to wear rose-colored glasses.” Here are some example sentences taken from the net:
The magazine had a habit of looking at social issues through rose-colored glasses.
Looked at through rose-colored glasses, the story of women's role in the state's politics could be considered a success.
She's nostalgic for a past that she sees through rose-colored glasses.
When you emerge safely (out of danger) after a difficult time we say that you are "out of the woods." Example: Joe was sick two weeks ago and we were very worried, but now it looks like he is out of the woods." The "woods" can be a dark and dangerous place for those who cannot find their way out; we hope that they will return safely "out of the woods". Example: "It is true that the economy is getting stronger, but we are not out of the woods yet." When people overcome difficult challenges and arrive safely "out of" danger we say that they are "out of the woods." Example: "It is halftime and we are winning this game but let's remember that we are still not out of the woods!" (Explanation taken from GoEnglish.com)
A readable pdf format you can download can be found HERE. To access The Sydney Morning Herald, go to: http://www.smh.com.au/
- According to article in the left-hand column, Australia’s wealthy are getting walloped by the economic downturn. In other words, they are being hit hard by the economic meltdown. A meltdown is the sudden and complete failure of company, organization or system. The author of the article also says that the rich are bearing the brunt of this economic crisis. If you bear/take the brunt of a storm, you get hit by worst and strongest part of that storm. http://business.smh.com.au/business/rich-get-walloped-by-the-downturn-20090910-fjej.html
- Well, the world finally knows the truth about Semenya’s sex. The secret has been stripped bare. If you strip bare, it means you take off all your clothes until you are completely naked for the whole world to see. In this context, the truth has been uncovered about her/his (who knows what possessive pronoun to use now!) sex for everyone to know. We also can use the term in forestry, agriculture, etc... For example, there are areas of West Virginia’s mountains that have been stripped bare of trees in order to mine for coal. So, you want to know more about Semenya’s sex? Then you’ll just have to read the article! A video is also available at the link. http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/secret-of-semenyas-sex-stripped-bare/2009/09/11/1252519599453.html
- The Australian Wheat Board (AWB) is being taking to court and scrutinized (examined)for alleged kickbacks, in the form of transport fees, given to the Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq when there were sanctions in place. Kickbacks is simply money paid illegally to someone in exchange for something they have done for you. To scrutinize something is to examine it carefully. What is also underscrutiny is how much did Prime Minister Howard’s government know. http://www.smh.com.au/national/iraq-payments-were-approved-at-top-level-awb-20090910-fjek.html
NOTE! I apologize, link to image and PDF became inactive over time.
Let’s try a new way to learn vocabulary by just looking at headlines! If you’d like a more readable version of this front page(pdf format), go HERE! For the newspaper’s homepage go to: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
- A to-do list is simply a list of all the things that you need to get done! For the California Legislature, theirs is lengthy meaning they really have a lot to get accomplished. However the end of this legislative session is looming! We use this verb, to loom, to describe something that is unpleasant or difficult which could happen soon. It’s the verb used when the size of something very large seems to threaten something that is small. In this case, it is going to be very difficult for the California Legislature to complete its agenda before the end of the session. Before the current recession, some economist studying the factors stated that an economic crisis was looming if some things didn’t change. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/09/07/MN5319ILVG.DTL
- To ride out something means to get through a difficult or dangerous period or situation without any problems. Oftentimes when a hurricane warning is issued along the Gulf or Atlantic coasts, some people don’t evacuate and choose to try to ride out the storm in their homes. In California, labor union are riding out the downturn. This a situation in which there is less economic and business activity. In this case, the Unions for the moment are surviving the economic downturn in California and are gaining new members. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/09/07/MNUC19I8SL.DTL
- In California, workers are scrambling to fix a span of the workhorse Bay Bridge. If you have to scramble to do something, you have to work very fast and very hard to complete something because you are either having to compete or you don’t have a lot of time. In this case, the Bay Bridge is a workhorse which means it’s probably the most important bridge in San Francisco in terms of how many people use it. Keeping the bridge closed too long for repair is a problem for traffic which is why workers are scrambling to fix the span. Here, span is a synonym for length. We can also use it as a verb. For example, the Golden Gate Bridge spans San Francisco Bay which means it crosses over an area of water. Unfortunately, the city cannot guarantee opening the bridge for the commute Tuesday. This word is used to describe the movement of people going to and from work. This is also a verb. If you take your car or the train to go to work, you commute to work. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/07/BAQU19JGKE.DTL
- The last major front page article speaks about the resignation of President Obama’s green jobs czar (name given to appointed advisors to the President), Van Jones. The headlines states that supporters accuse the White House of caving in. If you cave in to someone, this means you stop opposing something, and finally do whatever it is the other person wanted. Van Jones had made some very controversial comments which many conservatives found unacceptable and so they called for his resignation. On Sunday, Mr. Van Jones tendered that resignation and now supporters of Obama accuse the White House of caving in to conservative criticism. Another idiomatic way of expressing this as found in the article, is to buckle. Supporters might also say that President Obama buckled under the pressure of criticism. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/09/07/MNT319JJCF.DTL
Don’t forget to use your dictionaries to find other uses and meanings of the above vocabulary. If you have any questions concerning the vocabulary, don’t hesitate to click on the comments link!
To learn more about the resignation of President Obama’s green jobs czar, you can watch the following video by www.newsy.com
Exactly thirty years ago, President Jimmy Carter gave his famous "Crisis of Confidence” speech, also know as the “Malaise” speech. At that time, the United States was also going through a major economic crisis which would also lead to Carter’s defeat for reelection to Ronald Reagan in 1980. Here in a short excerpt from that speech.
