February 24-26 2009
(Or you may try to locate this on the website that has the complete show in a single unit.) Discussion questions based on the film's vocabulary follow.
1. working order: What is the first thing you might do if you find your television is not in working order?
2. broken down: Where are you likely to find a broken down automobile?
3. subroutine: A term in computer technology. Discuss your understanding of the word.
4. debugging: How would you try to debug your computer?
5. beep: From which instrument are you likely to hear a beep?
6. take over: Have you ever had a friend or relative try to take over your life or home?
7. out of one's mind. Although this phrase can be used literally, it can also be used figurately to mean someone has just said something you find strange: "Call her up and ask her for a date? Are you out of your mind?" Has anyone ever asked you to do something that made you think they were out of their mind?
8. press: You can press an office intercom button to speak to someone or you can press someone to answer your question. You can also be under pressure to do something, as in the recent youtube video called "bus uncle." Do you feel (or have you felt) under pressure?
9. prime number: This is a mathematical term, but "prime" appears in variations meaning "first": primary school, prime cuts of beef, the primary reason, the election primaries, primitive, etc. What was the primary reason you went to college?
10. root: Used as a noun in the film (the square root of a number), but also used as a verb in English: Which ball teams do you root for?
11. congratulations: When are you likely to congratulate someone?
12. femme fatale: French, meaning "fatal (dangerous) woman," but now part of English. Famous in film noir movies. How do you think a femme fatale would look or behave? To hear the song, "Femme Fatale," by the Velvet Underground, go here.
13. master programmer: Can be used in many combined forms, "master carpenter," "master craftsman," etc. The Italian is "maestro," usually used for a music conductor (pronounced, MY-stro). When Mickey Mouse conducted music in Fantasia, he was called the "Mouse-tro." Do you know anyone who's a master at what they do? (Sexism in English is revealed by the fact that the female equivalent of "master" is "mistress," which has a specifically sexual meaning: a kept woman.)
14. in charge of: Describe a situation when you were in charge of something or someone.
15. most advanced: Discuss the most advanced video game you know.
16. ingenuity: Explain some time when you acted with great ingenuity in meeting a challenge.
17. imagination: The Romantics valued the imagination higher than we moderns, who value cognition (thinking) more. Yet the imagination is a great faculty of the mind. If we could imagine the consequences of many of our actions adequately, we would make fewer foolish decisions. For example, if the owner of a chimp could imagine (not merely "know") the strength of it and the consequences if it used that strength, that unfortunate mauling of a woman in the US would never have happened. Of course, our imaginations can run wild and ruin us too, such as imagining what a romantic life you'll have with that woman or man, though neither of you has a job! Or imagining you will win a lot of money on the next roll of the dice, not thinking that the money you just put on the table is that month's rent money! When has your imagination helped you to make the right decision or the wrong decision?
18. unpredictable: What are some things that are unpredictable in life?
19. maximum: What is the maximum speed you're allowed to drive in Tainan?
20. permissible: Name some things that were not permissible in your grade school?
21. statistics: Discuss some statistics that have influenced your life? For example, that smoking is a leading cause of heart disease or that some foods have too much cholesterol.
22. foremost: What is the foremost thing on your mind these days?
23. missile ballistics: A "missile" is now commonly thought of as a rocket ship. "Ballistics" is the study of trajectories or the moving paths of objects. But school children like to throw missiles in class or in the schoolyard. Explain. A person can go ballistic. Does that mean he's happy or angry? Today we have a new idiom, "to go postal." Where do you think the idiom comes from and what does it mean?
24. logistics: What aspect of a war is logistics concerned with?
25. satisfying: What's your idea of a satisfying weekend?
26. sweet of you: What's another way to say it "was sweet of you" to do something?
27. lecture: Did your mother ever lecture you about something? Explain.
28. refund: Why might you ask for a refund? During which holiday are refunds most common?
29. planetarium: What are you likely to see in a planetarium?
30. magnitude: When we figure out the magnitude of an event or accident do we wish to decide how important or how unimportant it was?
31. stick to the point: When is a person asked to stick to the point?
32. oracle: Which family member of friend do you consider an oracle of wisdom?
33. reckless: How would you describe reckless driving?
34. approach: Discuss a soft approach in encouraging your child to get better grades or eat his food (remember A Christmas Story).
35. soft lights: When might one need soft lights and music?
36. champagne: On what occasions does one normally drink champagne?
37. postulate: What do you think is the most important postulate of democracy?
38. spherical: Name a spherical object.
39. treatise: Who is most likely to read a treatise on a subject?
40. trombone/tuba: These are wind instruments. Name another wind instrument. What's the most famous percussive instrument that can actually play a melody?
41. sore toe: A sore toe hurts. But "sore" is used in other ways, such as "Don't get sore." What's a sore loser?
42. dud: Name a film you thought was a dud. Have you had a date who was a dud?
43. porifa candalus rosae: To whom might you give a porifa candalus rosae?
44. Everyone knows a shy person, such as Jim (James) Elwood in "From Agnes, with Love." But "shy" can be used in other ways, such as "She's just shy of her nineteenth birthday." "He's two home runs shy of the record." How is the word used in these sentences?
45. egghead: An egghead is an invidious (scornful, dismissive, insulting) word for an intellectual, or a too-intelligent person. Do you know an egghead? Were eggheads popular in your high school?
46. gesundheit: From the German, this word is now part of everyday English. When do you say "Gesundheit"?
47. allergic: Most students are allergic to homework. What food products are you allergic to?
48. mechanical: A remote-control dinosaur is one of many mechanical toys. But the word is also used in sentences such as, "She's not very mechanical," meaning she's not good with machines. Do you think you're mechanical?
49. louse things up: How might you louse things up in getting a boy and girl together for romantic purposes?
50. escalate: How might a road incident escalate between two motorcyclists?
51: square: A square was a person who didn't know what was going on with the younger generation or didn't know how to have fun; somebody like Dylan's Mr. Jones (although the word "square" comes from the previous generation known as the Beatnik Generation of cool jazz, hipsters, etc.). Have you known any squares? (The opposite of being square was being "cool," as in the song from the Broadway musical, WEST SIDE STORY. To hear the song, with subtitles, go here.)
52. ridiculous: The word comes from the Italian for "laugh" (as in the operatic aria, "Ridi, Pagliaci," or "Laugh, clown, laugh!"). Discuss something you think is ridiculous in fashion or another area of life.
53. chess: Do you know how to play chess? Explain.
54. sincere: "Sincerity" was also a big 50s word (the opposite of being sincere was being a "phony," or fake/false). Andy Williams had a hit with the song, "Are You Sincere" (later covered by Elvis Presley). Do you require sincerity of your friends? Explain. (Go here to hear Elvis Presley sing "Sincere.")
55. execute: To execute means to carry out a task, whether a common chore or a sanctioned killing of another person. The person in charge of getting things done is therefore called an executive. The Chief Executive of the United States is called the president. "Execute" is usually a more fancy word than "do" and implies a chain of command (to execute an order from above). Since criminals are killed based on an order, they are said to be "executed." (That is, the order is executed, or carried out.) Do you believe criminals should be executed?
56. data: What data do you think employers wish to know about you?
57. graph: The word comes from "writing," as in phonograph, autograph, seismograph, telegraph. Discuss these words.
58. astronmical: Astronomy is the study of the solar system. If the cost of an item is astronomical does it mean it's expensive or inexpensive?
59. pertinent questions: What are some pertinent questions you expect an employer to ask?
60. trajectory: Is the trajectory of a circle curved or straight?
61. divergence: If a man and a woman have divergent interests, is that good or bad?
62. eccentric: Discuss an eccentric person. Would you call Michael Jackson eccentric? Angelina Jolie?
64. radiation: Where might one be commonly exposed to radiation?
65. it's now or never: A common phrase, also the name of a huge Elvis Presley hit, based on the famous Neapolitan song, "O Sole Mio." To hear the song, go here.
66. superiority: Why do you think your favorite athlete, singer, or star is superior to others?
67. inferior: Do you feel inferior to others? How? This is called an inferiority complex. Do you think you have an inferiority complex or are you really inferior?
68. programmer: In "From Agnes, with Love," the upstairs programmer, Walter Holmes, steals Jim Elwood's love interest, Millie. What do you think a programmer does in a computer center? In a radio station?
69. suntan: Do you prefer a suntan look?
70. introduce: A director can introduce an actor to viewers, in which case there's a special acting credit: "And Introducing Shirley MacLaine," implying that's her first film, or at least her first known film. How would you introduce yourself to another person at a party or in an office?
71. Stop by/Drop in: These are two variant ways of saying one makes an informal visit to someone's place. Do your friends mind you dropping by unannounced? Explain.
72. nectar: Generally used for a drink of the gods or any powerful potion. Discuss a drink you'd call a nectar.
73. martini: A cocktail, or mixed alcoholic drink. Have you ever had a cocktail?
74. adds spice: Some women believe playing "hard to get" adds spice to courtship. Do you agree? What does "hard to get" mean in courtship?
75. deprive: Did you feel deprived as a child? Explain.
76. hung up: The meaning of "hung up" is to be uptight or rigid in one's emotions. But a phone is also hung up after speaking. You can hang up the phone cordially, meaning after both parties have said goodbye, or you can hang up without saying goodbye: "He hung up on me." Has anyone ever hung up on you in the rude sense?
77. something special going: Walter fears Jim may have something special going with Millie, meaning Jim has a romantic relationship with her. "Is there anything special going on between you and her?" If you had to do something special for your mother or father what would you do?
78. cut in: One can cut into a line (or queue) at a bank or in front of a movie theatre. How do you handle people who cut in a line in front of you?
79. all clear: An "all clear" is given when there's no more risk or danger, whether from serious injury or just social embarrassment. Did you ever have to give the all clear signal to a friend, such as informing a friend that your parents had left the house and it was safe to come over?
80. Venus Schmeemus: Typical of Jewish humor; called "shm-reduplication" (that is, the word is repeated with a prefixed "shm"): a form of irony or criticism, as when a son insists something is "fancy," the mother replies scornfully, "Fancy-shmancy!" Any word can be treated this way, such as when a parent is told by his child that noisy music is art and the father replies: "Art, schmart"!
81. sex fiend: One of several attributive (adjective) uses of a noun before "fiend," as in "dope fiend." Are dope fiends common in Taiwan? Which country do you think may have the most dope fiends.
82. disturbed: Have you ever disturbed your father or mother when they were busy? One can also be disturbed, emotionally or psychologically. Have you known anyone emotionally disturbed?
83. all fouled up: Have you ever fouled up a situation by an awkward act?
84. "A woman either loves or hates": Agnes, the robot, says this. Do you agree?
85. circuits: If you make two circuits around a football field, what does that mean?
86. positive: If your X-rays come out positive, is that good or bad?
87: appreciate: If the value of your home depreciates, is that good or bad? What kind of music do you appreciate?
88. leave of absence: Why might one ask for a leave of absence?
89. banished:If a husband is banished from the kitchen, what does that mean?
90. ASAP: What does it mean to do something ASAP? If you see the letters RSVP on an invitation card, what are you supposed to do?
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