Funny Video: Esurance TV Commercial – $522 Bucks (and other slang terms for money!)

Here’s another TV commercial I saw airing on American television while I’m home this Christmas.

Unlike the French, Americans like to talk about money so it’s no surprise we have a lot of slang and idiomatic terms for it!

http://www.esurance.com/Welcome/home/home/ErinsWorld.aspx

• THE SAVER: 522 bucks (= dollars. Derived from the word ‘buckskin.’ In colonial America, the English wanted fur and they traded goods with the Native Americans for buckskin.) -- that's what people save, on average, when they call me to switch to Esurance.
• FIRST GIRL: If they switch to Esurance online, they could save 522 clams (= dollars. Native Americans on the west coast of North America strung clamshells [des coquilles de palourde] into strings of money).
• THE SAVER: I could save 'em 522 smackers. (= dollars. Sometimes said ‘smackeroo.’ Dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and comes from the notion of something being ‘smacked’ into the palm of the hand; the sound made as the dollar is slapped into the hand.)
• FIRST GIRL:You talkin' dough? (= money. Bread is a necessity of life and we earn money to be able to buy it. Dough, pronounced ‘doh,’ is what bread is before it is baked. A breadwinner is the individual who earns the money to support a family.)
• THE SAVER: Bread. (see above note)
• FIRST GIRL: Benjamins? (= $100 banknote. Benjamin Franklin is on the $100 bill. Sometimes called in street talk as a ‘Benji’)
• THE SAVER: Scratch (= money. Dates to beginning of the 20th century though its origins are unknown. Probably from the term ‘to scratch/scrape a living’ which means to earn just enough money to live). Greenbacks (= dollar. Since the Civil War, the back of US banknotes were printed in green ink). Moolah (= money. The origins are a mystery. Some say it comes from the Fijian language others say it comes from the French word ‘le moulin’ since mills were a primary source of wealth.) . Cheddar. (= money. This is a street term for money used often in African-American slang and rap music. I’m guessing that cheddar cheese probably was at some point in history an expensive item to buy and came to represent wealth or riches.) Simoleons. (= dollar. US slang term that is probably a blend of the 18th century British six pence coin called a ‘simon’ and the French gold ‘Napoleon’ coins.) Don't try to out-save me.

• SECOND GIRL: He’s the Saver.
• FIRST GIRL: (SAID WITH FRUSTRATION) I know he’s the Saver.
• VOICEOVER : You could save 522 bucks. See for yourself at Esurance. Technology when you want it. People when you don’t.
   

Funny Video : Progressive Insurance TV Commercial –Revised Language

This funny TV commercial is currently on American television at the moment. Most of the expressions the man is using are common!! Watch and see if you understand. The video uses what is known as Reduplicated or Ricochet Words which are word combinations and sounds designed to intensify their force. The transcript with explanations follows the video.

http://www.progressive.com/commercials/language.aspx

• FLO: Hi.
• MAN: I’m looking to save on insurance… don’t want to deal with a lot of flibbity flab (sometimes said as ‘flippity flam’ = used to describe something you don’t understand, such as someone speaking a foreign language) or mumbo jumbo (=a confusing or meaningless subject).
• FLO: (NODS AT WHAT HE IS SAYING) Sounds like you need to ‘Name Your Price.’
• MAN: No gobbledy gook (= containing a lot of jargon or very complicated language making it difficult to understand or incomprehensible)…
• FLO: Never.
• MAN: Do I still get all the dagnabbit (= expresses frustration, sometimes used instead of ‘dammit’.It is derived from the expression ‘God damn it’ which is considered rude language.) coverage I need?
• FLO: Sure, we give you a quote and you can adjust your price up and down to find something that works for you.
• MAN: This thing is okie McSmokie skittly doo (= very good, very cool. Probably derived from the expression ‘okidokey’ which means ‘ok.’).
• FLO: Great…I think.
• MAN: Diggedy (= no doubt).
• FLO: Oh! Still not sure.
• VOICE OVER: The ‘Name Your Price’ tool. Only from Progressive. Call or click today.

Funny Video : Geico Commercial – Woodchucks Chucking Wood

This funny television commercial by Geico is adapted from an old tongue twister: ‘How much could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood.’ Now say that 10 times real fast! A woodchuck is another name for a groundhog which in French translates to une marmotte.

As you can probably deduce from the video, to chuck is an informal verb meaning ‘to throw.’ It also has the meaning of throwing something away you no longer want. In British English, if you chuck someone such as a boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse (un époux, une épouse) , you end the relationship.

Funny Video : Geico Commercial – Drill Sergeant as Therapist

to switch to	-	to change from one thing to another
a drill sergeant / a drill instructor	-	someone in the army responsible for training soldiers to march and other basic military exercises Learn more at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drill_sergeant
to chug on over (slang)	-	to go
mamby-pamby (slang)	-	cowardly
a jackwagon	-	an insult probably invented for this television advertisement to avoid saying “jackass,” an insulting term for a stupid person.
a crybaby (slang)	-	a person such as a child who frequently cries, like a baby

Funny Video : Feeding Fluffy (Mitsubishi TV commercial)

a squirrel	-	un écureuil
a racoon	-	un raton laveur
wounded (adj.)	-	blessé
to feed	-	nourir, donner à manger à

Funny Beer Commercials

This week seems to have taken on a beer theme though I personally don’t imbibe. However, for all you brewski lovers, here are a few funny TV commercials.

Humor Spot: Super Bowl Commercials 2009

Some of the best TV commercials (publicités) in the United States are shown during the Super Bowl! For those of you tired of your jobs or are looking for a new one, this commercial is for you. It's probably time!

For those men who think diet soft drinks are only for women! Another funny TV commercial for Super Bowl 2009!