ESL Pod(111-120)
"Advent wreathes and Midnight Mass."
"Advent" (Advent) - is the four week period before Christmas, which in some Christian churches, is celebrated as a special time of preparation. "Advent" means the coming or to come and "wreathes" are circular, round pieces of usually, some sort of parts of a tree or branches - green and the wreath has a place in it for four different candles, each candle representing one of the weeks before Christmas. * It was the last Sunday before Christmas, so Breanne lit the final candle on her Advent wreath. wreath [riːθ] 1. N.(애도의 표시로 바치는) 화환 2. N. (크리스마스 때 문에 장식으로 거는) 화환 3. N. 화관
Christy says, "Hey, heads up. Here she comes."
"Heads up" - two words - is an expression, an exclamation really, we use when we're trying to warn someone. If somebody says, "Heads up!" they mean that there is something dangerous or something that they need to be aware of, they need to look around. At a baseball game, if somebody hits a ball and it's going in to where the people are sitting, you may say, "Heads up!" meaning look out, you may get hit by a ball. You have to be watching. And that's the use of the expression.
"Sunset Strip." - Strip
"The Strip" (strip) just means - when we talk about a strip on a street we mean a part of the street usually where there are lots of businesses, restaurants, entertainment, bars, that sort of thing. * Ryan hoped to have fun and see some actors during his visit to the Sunset Strip.
that "I had to brave the crowds out doing their last minute shopping."
"To brave the crowds" - "to brave" (brave) - means to have to put up with or tolerate the crowds of people. A "crowd," of course, is many people. So "to brave the crowds" means that I have to go out with - or go out to a store with many people and I have to be able to put up with that - to tolerate it, to not let it bother me.
"burst out laughing."
"To burst out" or "bust out laughing" - means to start laughing very hard suddenly, usually because of something that someone else has said or done.
being laid up with pneumonia really caught me off-guard." - caught me off-guard
"To catch someone" or "to catch you off-guard" - and "off-guard" is hyphenated - (off)-(guard) - "to be caught off guard" - means that you weren't expecting it and that usually it's something that causes you a problem. So, for example, I was driving today on the freeway here in Los Angeles, and suddenly, it started to rain and I didn't have a coat. I was caught off-guard. I was surprised and was not prepared. * Dewayne thought the building was empty, so Marquitta caught him off-guard when she walked into the room.
people often make resolutions about is getting into shape. - get into shape
"To get into shape" (shape) means that you are going to do some exercise so that your body is as good physically as it can be. So that you can breathe easily when you run, that your muscles are strong - this is all part of "getting into shape."
He doesn't get lost - get lost
"To get lost" here means - informal expression - it means to leave. But it usually means that the other person doesn't want you there. So, if you say to someone "Get lost," what you're saying is I want you to leave right away. I don't like you. * Nestor did not want his younger brother to be in his room, so he told his brother to get lost.
He also keeps her company. " Keep someone company
"To keep someone company" means that you stay with someone who may be lonely and you talk to them. So, the boy sees the girl sitting by herself and crying. He goes over and he "keeps her company." * Felicia needed to stay late so that she could clean up, and Josiah decided to keep her company instead of leaving to go to the party.
Tanya looked at her friend and "rolled her eyes." - roll your eyes
"To roll (roll) your eyes" means that you look up and look around - usually looking up, showing that you think that this person is not very intelligent or that you don't believe something or that you disagree with someone those are all times where you would roll your eyes.
people take stock of their lives and decide to make some changes. - take stock
"To take stock" means to think about, to examine, usually some important point of your life or in this case, for the New Year. 잘살펴보다, 회고하다, 재고하다 * Annemarie took stock of the work she still needed to finish before deciding if she could go home yet or if she should stay for another couple of hours.
being laid up with pneumonia really caught me off-guard." - laid up
"to be laid-up" means that you are usually in your bed, you're sick or maybe you broke your leg and you say, "Yeah, I'm laid-up" - means I can't get out of my bed. pneumonia - 폐렴 * Rodrigo was laid up for two months after the car accident and had difficulty getting out of bed.
People feel a need then to "cut back and shed some extra pounds." - shed some extra pounds
"to shed" (shed) means to lose here - Another expression we use is "to drop some pounds" (drop) - "to drop some pounds" - same thing, to lose weight. * Terrence got home, took off his shoes, and shed his coat before saying hello to his family.
There is a new holiday - relatively new holiday that is celebrated in some parts of the United States, and that is called "Kwanzaa."
(Kwanzaa) is celebrated by many, or at least some, African Americans. And "African Americans" or blacks - the more common term now is African American - have a celebration that begins the day after Christmas, December 26th, and continues on until - for one week.
One of the things that some families use to celebrate Christmas is "eggnog."
(eggnog) is a drink that's made of eggs and cream and usually a little alcohol, although, you can have non-alcoholic eggnog - eggnog without alcohol - as well. * Heidi was allergic to eggs and could not drink eggnog when it was served at the Christmas dinner.
they have gained weight by "overindulging" at holiday meals. - overindulging - indulge
(indulge) means to enjoy something. And to "overindulge" means to enjoy something too much. 1. Verb (특히 좋지 않다고 여겨지는 것을) 마음껏 하다 2. Verb (특정한 욕구·관심 등을) 채우다[충족시키다] Indulgence n. 하고 싶은것 마음대로함, 사치 * The family overindulged in heavy, unhealthy food when they went on vacation, and returning to their normal way of eating when they got home was difficult.
I tell myself that I won't procrastinate in doing my holiday shopping. - procrastinate
(procrastinate) means to wait until the last minute. Another expression we'd say is "to put it off." "To put something off" means to say, "Oh, I'll do it later, not right now, maybe later" - that's procrastinating. Students, for example, who wait until the night before a big exam to start studying, are procrastinating. * Natasha had time to do her chores in the afternoon but she procrastinated, so she had to wash her clothes and clean her room late at night.
"resolution"
(resolution) is basically a promise that you make, usually to yourself.
It never fails.
- It always happens.; a statement one makes about a situation or event that one does not like, but that happens often or frequently * When Ricky saw that it was raining, he said, "It never fails! Every time I want to go to the beach, the weather is bad."
end-of-the-year review
- a meeting or talk one has with one's boss at the end of each year, when the boss talks about the good and bad things about one's work * Leonia did not do a good job at work last year, and her boss made sure to tell her at Leonia's end-of-the-year review.
constructive criticism
- advice or suggestions meant to help someone do better; something said to someone to help him or her fix a mistake or do better work * The professor gave her students constructive criticism so that they could improve their grades before the end of the semester.
is L.A. all it's cracked up to be? - all it's Cracked up to be
- as good as one would expect something to be based on stories and ideas heard before actually seeing the thing * The new restaurant was praised by many people, so Barbara wanted to find out if the restaurant is all it's cracked up to be.
- Keep up the good work keep up
- continue; a phrase one uses to tell someone else to do an action that he or she has already been doing * Devin's mother told him to keep up the good work he had been doing at school.
No, I don't. Either I shape up or my job is on the line. - on the line
- in danger of being lost; at risk of no longer having something * Mario's reputation for being the best was on the line when a new athlete started to score more points.
initiative
- leadership or motivation; the skill to think of ideas, make choices, and do tasks without needing to be told how to do things by someone else * Lance showed initiative when he took control of the project without his boss telling him to do so.
Don: Did he actually say that? Becky: Well, not in so many words. - not in so many words
- not directly; without saying the exact words just spoken * When asked if Alejandro told Kristina that he was angry at her, Kristina said, "Not in so many words, but Alejandro did act like he was angry."
I guess, in the back of my mind, that's what I expected.
- that expression means that you have thought about it, that you have it in your memory, but you weren't thinking about it actively. You weren't - it's something that you may have forgotten or could only remember a little bit about. Another use of this expression or another example of this expression would be "I was talking to my friend and he was telling me about his mother. And in the back of my mind, I was thinking this is the fourth time he has complained to me about his mother," meaning I start to remember something that I might have forgotten - "in the back of my mind." * In the back of her mind, Noelle was worried about the exam, but she did not think about it seriously and did not study.
"You're truly one in a million."
- the idea here is that you're very rare. That people who are so nice and so generous with their time, that's very unusual. So, the expression "one in a million" means it's very rare. It doesn't happen very often. * Betsy is truly one in a million, and her friends all say that they have never met anyone who is as happy or kind as she is.
Luckily, several people took her up on the offer and the rest of us boarded. - take (someone) up on the offer
- to agree to a deal that someone makes; to make a trade suggested by someone else * Franklin told his father that he would wash the car if his father drove him to the beach tomorow, so Franklin's father took him up on the offer.
ask around
- to ask other people; to get opinions from more than one person * Sierra asked around and learned that other workers in the office building had the same complaints she had.
the experience I had last week really takes the cake.
- to be the best example of; to be the best or worst of a pattern, idea, action, or event - used informally to describe something the speaker finds very annoying * Jeremiah knew that college exams would be difficult, but Dr. Morrison's exams were almost impossible to pass and really took the cake.
shape up
- to get better; to fix mistakes and do better work * Alicia knew that her cooking needed to shape up because she would not be able to impress her boyfriend if her cooking skills remained that bad.
If she didn't get enough volunteers, she would have to bump people from the flight. - Bump
- to move someone from one flight to a later flight because not enough seats are available on the first flight. if you don't have enough people giving up their seat then the airplane - the airline - has to "bump people." "To bump someone from a flight" * Denise paid for a flight that left at 1:30 in the afternoon, but the flight had too many people on it and the airline bumped Denise to a later flight that would not leave until 8:15 at night.
Are you sure you're not reading too much into what he said? - Read too much into
- to think that someone else's action or speech had a meaning that it did not have * Parker was only having a bad day, but Jamika read too much into his behavior and thought that he was angry at her.
The gate agent was looking for people to voluntarily give up their seats for a later flight in exchange for a $100 travel voucher. - in exchange for
- traded for; giving one item away so one might get a different item instead * Cody did his sister's chores in exchange for his sister's share of dessert.
I saw that the security line was out the door - out the door
- when a line or group of people is too large to fit inside the room it begins in and uses extra space through the door and outside the room * The rock band was so popular that the crowd of people wanting to see it perform at the concert was out the door.
We ended up striking up conversations with some out-of-towners from Cleveland.
." "To strike up a conversation" - the verb "to strike up" here means to begin, to start conversations. And it's a verb that we use - "to strike up" - particularly for that idea of conversation, usually, with someone that you don't know. So, I was standing on the bus, waiting for the bus and I struck up a conversation with the person standing next to me - starting a conversation with a stranger. In this case, the strangers were "out-of-towners." And "out-of-towners" - that's three words hyphenated - "out-of-towners" are people that live - that don't live, rather - that do not live in your town, in your city, and are visiting from another city. * Shauna is a friendly person who likes talking to new people and strikes up conversations with people she meets on the bus.
the floats I saw were pretty amazing. - Float
A "float" is usually a big car or truck and it's decorated. In the Rose Bowl, all of the floats are decorated with flowers. And that's what you see going down the street, and sometimes, the float will have a big balloon on it or something very fancy. * The department store had a colorful float in the parade to advertise the store.
Our custom is to celebrate Christmas as a religious observance. - religious observance.
A "religious observance" means that we celebrate it as a religious holiday. So, a "religious observance" could be a holiday. * Easter is a religious observance celebrated by Christians throughout the world. observance 1. Noun (법률·규칙 등의) 준수, (축제·생일 등의) 축하[기념] (↔non-observance) 2. Noun (종교·전통) 의식 Observation 1. N. 관찰, 관측, 감시, 주시 2. Noun (자신의 관찰에 따른) 논평[의견] (=remark)
120 Employee Performance Review Don: So how did your end-of-the-year review go? Becky: Oh, it was okay. I had my meeting with Mitch this morning and his bottom line is that he thinks I need to show more initiative. He thinks that I need to start being more creative. Don: Did he actually say that? Becky: Well, not in so many words. But I know that productivity is a big issue for him. Oh, he said the usual things like "Keep up the good work" and "Thanks for your hard work," but he also said that he's thinking about bringing some employees into my department. That, to me, means he's not satisfied with what I've been doing.
Don: Are you sure you're not reading too much into what he said? Becky: No, I don't. Either I shape up or my job is on the line. Don: Well, I think you may be overreacting. Mitch likes to give everybody constructive criticism and I think that's what he was doing. Becky: Do you really think so? Don: Yes, I do. If you ask around, other people will tell you the same thing. Becky: Maybe you're right. Thanks, Don. I feel better. Don: I'm glad to hear it.
I don't blame her.
I don't blame (someome) - I can understand why he or she thinks that way; a statement one uses to show understanding, agreement, or a shared way of thinking * Chantell did say some very hurtful things to her boyfriend, and I don't blame him for ending their relationship.
118 Small talk at a business Lunch James: Hello, are you Muriel Douglas? Muriel: Yes, and you must be James. It's nice to meet you at long last. James: Yes, you too. Thanks for agreeing to meet with us about the new account. My associate, Susan Kim, should be here any minute. Would you like something to drink while we're waiting? Muriel: No, thanks. I'm fine. Did you have a nice holiday? James: Yes, I did. My family and I went to Tahoe to ski and the weather was great. How about you? Muriel: I stayed in L.A. and it was sunny the entire weekend. We spent most of the time at home, but we did go see King Kong on Christmas day.
James: How did you like it? Muriel: It was better than I expected. But, you know, I think I would have enjoyed skiing in Tahoe even better. Do you go there often? James: No, not much. My wife doesn't like to ski. She prefers vacationing where it's warmer, like Hawaii. Muriel: I don't blame her. I really enjoyed it there when we went a few years ago. I'd like to go back sometime soon. James: Yes, me too. Oh, here's Susan now. Let me introduce you.
115 New Year's Resolution This is the time of year when people make their New Year's resolutions. At the beginning of a new year, people take stock of their lives and decide to make some changes. A lot of people want to get into shape. They vow to go to the health club and work out every day. Many people also decide to go on a diet. After overindulging at holiday meals, people feel the need to cut back and to shed some extra pounds.
Many people also promise to quit smoking or drinking to live healthier lives. Whatever resolution you make, don't forget the most important one: Promise not to have to make the same resolution next year.
112 Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa The holidays in my family are very diverse. Our custom is to celebrate Christmas every year as a religious observance, complete with Advent wreathes and Midnight Mass. Most of my in-laws observe Christmas purely as a secular holiday, with the focus on exchanging gifts, stockings, a Christmas tree, and other traditional customs. There is a lot of listening to Christmas music‚ my favorites are the carols sung by Nat King Cole ‚ and sometimes even some eggnog. My nieces and nephews enjoy the day the most, especially when they get to open the gifts under the tree from Santa Claus. One of my brother-in-laws is Jewish, and so he celebrates Hanukkah, the festival of lights, when he lights a candle each of the eight nights on the menorah.
My niece gets a small gift each night of Hanukkah, and, of course, spins the dreidel. With both celebrations in the same family, we sometimes call it Chrismukkah. But the holidays are no longer just Christmas and Hanukkah in the United States. More recently, there are some people who celebrate a new holiday, Kwanzaa. This is a mostly African- American event, with parades and other parties to highlight African-American heritage. Started here in Los Angeles, this celebration runs for 1 week after Christmas, and is a mostly secular celebration. Whatever tradition you celebrate, December is always a festive time of year.
117 Impression of LA I was talking to my new friend Nicole about the differences between New York City and Los Angeles. Nicole just relocated from New York, where she lived all her life, and I'm a native of L.A. Dan: So, is L.A. all it's cracked up to be? Nicole: Well, the stereotype in the movies is that L.A. is a frivolous town with a lot of flaky people. I guess, in the back of my mind, that's what I expected. Dan: And, is it what you found?
Nicole: Well, it is and it's not. The city of L.A. is much bigger and more diverse than I had expected. There are people here from all over the country and all over world, like New York. I've heard people say that in L.A., everyone is from somewhere else. That's partly true. So, I've met all kinds of people here. What I'm realizing is that the picture of L.A. that's in movies only represents a small segment of the city. Dan: You're right. Life isn't always like the movies.
113 New Year's Party I walked into the office and saw Rob with his head down on his desk. I tapped him on the shoulder. Christy: You look like you had a good New Year's. Rob: Yeah, too good. I'm trying to catch up on sleep. Christy: Oh yeah? What did you do? Rob: I went to a New Year's party at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip with a few buddies of mine. The fireworks at midnight were great. I met this great girl there, too. Champagne was flowing everywhere and I had a great time. Christy: Sounds like fun. What was the girl's name? Rob: Uh, it was Rosa or Rebecca, or something. Christy: I see you really got to know her well. But, I thought you and Vince were going to the Rose Bowl Parade.
Rob: Yeah, we did. After we left the Key Club, we changed and took our stuff down to the parade route. We managed to find a place to camp out. There were tons of people there already. We ended up striking up conversations with some out-of-towners from Cleveland, and a couple who knew the grand marshal for this year's parade. Christy: How was the parade itself? Rob: It was great, I think. I fell asleep half way through it, but the floats I saw were pretty amazing. Christy: It sounds like you need a few days to recover. Rob: Yeah, definitely. Wake me up when the boss comes in, will you? Christy: Yeah, right. Hey, heads up. Here she comes.
"above and beyond" in taking care of me. - above and beyond
The expression "above and beyond" is actually a short form of a longer expression "above and beyond" the call of duty (duty). "Above and beyond the call of duty" or simply, "above and beyond" means that you did more than what one would reasonably expect. So, you helped me more than you had to or more than I could have expected you to. * His mother asked Ricardo to clean his room, but Ricardo went above and beyond by cleaning the rest of the house
that I "end up with a shopping list as long as your arm" every year. - end up
The expression "to end up with" means that as a result of or because of something. For example, here because I procrastinate, I end up with a long shopping list. * The meeting ended up being more fun than Lorenzo thought it would be. * Shaquana did not feel well and her list of symptoms and pains was as long as your arm.
"pulled out all the stops"
The expression "to pull out all the stops" means to help someone, do everything you can to help someone. * The team pulled out all the stops to finish their project on time.
when I called you, you came running. - come running
They mean that you came to my assistance - you came to help me very quickly. I saw a woman trying to open a door with her young baby. And I came running and opened the door because I'm such a gentleman. Well, that's what happened here - Jake came running. * When Elsa called her brother after her car stopped working, her brother came running to help her.
he's trying to "catch up on sleep." - catch up on (something)
To catch up on sleep" means that you didn't get enough sleep and now you're trying to make up or catch up - you're trying to get that sleep back, if you will. "To catch up to someone" or "to catch up on something" means that you are behind where you should be and you are trying to get further along to a certain place - here means, just to get more sleep. * Geraldine missed work on Thursday, so she had many tasks and assignments to catch up on when she came back on Friday.
Unfortunately, the man "did not take the hint." - take the hint
To take the hint" means to understand what the other person is saying. Usually, the other person isn't being direct, or is trying to give them the message in a very nice, indirect, polite way. And sometimes, this doesn't always work. People don't quite understand. And this is what this man in the story - "he doesn't take the hint." * Leila was angry and would not speak to her boyfriend, so he took the hint and left her alone.
119 Bad Pickup Lines My friend and I were at a restaurant waiting for our dates to arrive. We sat at the bar and tried to get the bartender's attention to order a couple of drinks. My friend, Tanya, is very pretty. She is always being hit on by men. So, it was no surprise that five minutes after we sat down, a guy got up from the other side of the bar and walked over to us. He sat down next to Tanya. He looked at both of us and said, "Hi, I saw you two beautiful ladies sitting by yourselves over here. Could I buy you two a drink?" Tanya looked at me and rolled her eyes and said, "No, thanks. We're waiting for our boyfriends."
We both thought that he would take the hint and get lost, but he didn't. Instead, he looked at Tanya and said, "Do you come here often?" Tanya tried to ignore him, but he wouldn't give up. He said, "You look like an angel. Does heaven know you've escaped?" That pickup line was so lame that we almost burst out laughing. Luckily, we didn't need to keep a straight face for long. Our dates walked in and the guy left. Charlie, my date, apologized for keeping us waiting. I told him that it was no big deal. We had plenty of entertainment.
"I often feel like scrooge. Ba humbug!"
Well, "scrooge" (scrooge) is a fictional person. He is a symbol for someone who doesn't like Christmas or who doesn't like the holidays. The expression "Ba humbug" - and that's two words - "ba" (ba) and "humbug" (humbug) - was something from the story that Scrooge would say. Someone would say, "Merry Christmas!" and he'd say, "Oh, ba humbug!" - means I don't like it. I don't believe in it. * Melissa hated traveling to her parents' house before and after Christmas, and the busy traffic and long trip made her feel like Scrooge. * When Shawn teased Ladonna about her dislike for buying Christmas gifts, Ladonna shouted, "Ba humbug!"
116. Holiday Travel It's hard to avoid traveling over the holidays, but the experience I had last week really takes the cake. I flew back to Tucson, Arizona to be with my wife's family, as we do every Christmas. I got to the airport an hour and a half before my flight, which I thought would be plenty of time. When I got there, though, I saw that the security line was out the door. Because it was the holidays, people were traveling with a lot of extra packages. It took twice as long as it normally would to get to the front of the line.
When I finally got to the gate, I found out that my flight had been oversold. The gate agent was looking for people to voluntarily give up their seats for a later flight in exchange for a $100 travel voucher. If she didn't get enough volunteers, she would have to bump people from the flight. Luckily, several people took her up on the offer and the rest of us boarded. What a hassle! I love the holidays, but I don't love holiday travel.
111 Last Minute Holiday Shopping Every year, I tell myself that I won't procrastinate in doing my holiday shopping. And, every year, I end up with a shopping list as long as your arm and about 24 hours to get it all done. Waiting until the last minute means that I have to brave the crowds out doing their last minute shopping. First, I have to find a place to park in the parking lot, which is always packed. Then, I have to fight off the bargain hunters who are there for the holiday markdowns. With so many shoppers, the shelves are usually a mess and a lot of items are out of stock.
When I've finally picked out what I want to buy, there are usually long lines at the register. Just when I'm about to check out, I always remember that I've forgotten one last thing. It never fails! When I get home with the presents, I have to wrap them. Hopefully, I haven't forgotten to get gift wrap, ribbons and bows, and holiday cards. By the time I'm finished, I'm exhausted and I feel like Scrooge. Ba humbug! Why do I do this to myself every year? Next year, I'm starting my holiday shopping in September. Then again, I said that last year.
114 Writing a Thank You Note Dear Jake, I wanted to thank you for all of the help you've given me over the past several weeks. Being laid up with pneumonia really caught me off-guard, but you went above and beyond in taking care of me. Before I got sick, we had only known each other as neighbors and only for a short time. That's why it's so amazing that when I called you, you came running.
You pulled out all the stops to help me in every way. You ran my errands, kept me company, and made sure I had everything I needed. Being on my own in L.A., I'm so grateful to have a good friend like you. You're truly one in a million. Have a wonderful holiday and I'll see you when you get back. Kate
a pickup line
a pickup line is something that a man says to a woman when he's trying to ask her out on a date, to show he's romantically interested. - Tanya, is rolling her eyes because the man's pickup line - remember "pickup line" is the sentence or the phrase that a man uses to show a woman he's interested 꼬시는 말 * Hector's pickup lines never worked well and no woman ever had a good reaction to them.
they didn't need to keep a straight face for long. - keep a straight face
a straight face means not to smile, not to laugh. Usually means not to laugh. So, someone is telling you something that you don't believe and you think is very funny, but you keep a straight face - means you don't laugh because that might bother the other person or that might hurt the other person and so, "to keep a straight face" means to not laugh when you want to laugh. * The mother needed to scold her children for behaving poorly, but the situation was so funny that she had difficulty keeping a straight face.
My associate, Susan Kim, should be here any minute. - any minute
any minute - very soon; arriving or happening within a short time * The clouds were very dark, and it looked like it might rain any minute.
It's nice to meet you at long last. - at long last
at long last - finally; after waiting for a long time or for what seems like a long time * It was a difficult week at work for Susanna, and she was happy that Saturday was here at long last.
Flaky people
flaky - not reliable; not able to be relied upon - when they said they would - that would be someone who is flaky - the adjective. Or as a noun, we could say, "This person is a flake" (flake). "Don't be a flake," means keep your promises. If you say you are going to meet someone, then you should go and be there. * Allen's girlfriend ended their relationship because Allen was too flaky. He was always late or didn't do what he said he would.
L.A. is a frivolous town with a lot of flaky people. Frivolous
frivolous - wasteful; only concerned with selfish and unimportant things 낭비하는, 경솔한, 바보같은, 시시한 * Myra was a frivolous person who never saved any of her money and spent it all on things she did not need.
she is always being "hit on" by men. - hit on by men
it means that men come up to her and ask her out on a date to show their romantic interest - this is "to be hit on." * Tyrell hit on the beautiful girl at the party, but she was not interested in him and walked away without even telling him her name.
Well, the women think that that pickup line was "very lame." - lame
it's an informal expression - slang expression. It means to be really bad, to be very weak, to be very unoriginal. - Well, this is a "lame" pickup line.
she is "on her own," on your own
meaning she's by herself, she doesn't have probably very many families - or I'm sorry, many friends or family with her in Los Angeles. "To be on your own" just means to be by yourself - to be alone. * Addie was on her own for the first time, and she worried about who she could ask for help in an emergency.
"it's no big deal"
means it's not important - not something that you should worry about. * Dinner took a long time to make but it was no big deal because the family was not very hungry.
segment
segment - a part; a small piece of a larger object or idea that has multiple pieces * The first segment of the television program talked about the weather and the second segment talked about news.
stereotype
stereotype - a description of an entire group of people based on false ideas; an idea about a group of people that is often too simple or inaccurate *Warner heard that students at the all-boys boarding school were unfriendly, but he learned that the stereotype was false and that students there were very nice.
run errands
the expression we use is to "run errands." So, in the story, Jake "runs errands" for Kate. * Tanner wanted to do something nice for his girlfriend, so he ran her errands for her, like going to the bank and the grocery store, and told her to spend the day relaxing.
It's traditional to put Christmas gifts underneath the Christmas tree and then either on Christmas.
underneath 1. Preposition, Adverb ...의 밑[아래/안]에(특히 다른 것에 가려지거나 덮이는 경우에 씀) 2. Preposition, Adverb (겉으로 보이는 감정성격과 달리) 속으로[내심] 3. Noun 밑면, 하부