Friday, December 1st, 7pm

A Christmas Story

Come out for our last film night of 2006!
Ralphie, a young boy growing up in the '40's, dreams of owning a Red Rider BB gun. He sets out to convince the world this is the perfect gift. But along the way, he runs into opposition from his parents, his teacher, and even good 'ol Santa Claus himself.
A classic Christmas comedy.

Translation Challenge:
What does Ralphie want to do???
“For weeks I had been scheming to get my mitts on one of these fearsome blue-steel beauties. My fevered brain seethed with the effort of trying to come up with the infinitely subtle devices necessary to implant The Red Ryder range model air rifle indelibly into my parents’ subconscious.”

Words to Study:

BB gun
an air gun that shoots small metal balls called BBs





Bacchanalian
(especially of a party) involving a lot of drinking of alcohol, uncontrolled behaviour and possibly sexual activity: a bacchanalian orgy

a Display
a collection of objects or pictures arranged for people to look at

a Joy
a thing that makes you happy

The Holy Grail Of…
something that is extremely difficult to find or obtain: Sustained nuclear fusion is the holy grail of the power industry.

to Scheme
to make clever secret plans

Mitts (mittens)
type of glove with one part for all the fingers and a separate part for the thumb

Subtle Devices
quiet methods which do not attract attention to themselves and which are therefore good or clever, a subtle plan/suggestion

Cut It Out!
stop doing what you’re doing

Sales Pitch
talking that is intended to persuade you to buy something

On The Double
very quickly: Come here on the double!

to Switch Tactics
to change plans or an approach

a Furnace
a piece of equipment for heating a building: It's cold in here - should I turn on the furnace?

“That’s a good one.”
something you say after someone tells a good joke

a Noose
a serious problem: The noose of poverty was tightening (= becoming more serious) daily.

Inevitable
certain to happen and cannot be prevented

to Rebuild The Dike
to try to repair a mistake or fix a bad situation

Marauders
a person that goes from one place to another looking for something to kill or steal

to be Pushing Up Daisies
to be dead and buried

Obscenities / Profanity
vulgar, bad words

to Dare
to ask someone to do something which is difficult, dangerous or risky

Recess
a period of break time between classes at school

to Refuse
to say no, you will not do something

a Plight
an unpleasant situation, especially a serious, sad or difficult one

to Bawl
to cry loudly

Fluidity
something smooth and continuous

Deed
a legal document which is an official proof of ownership of land or a building

Fragile
easily damaged, broken or harmed (often written on packages that are sent through the mail)

to Drag
to move something by pulling it along the ground: Pick the chair up instead of dragging it behind you!

To Excuse someone From something
I asked the teacher if I could be excused from (= not have to do) football practice as my knee still hurt.

a Maneuver
a cleverly planned action which is intended to get an advantage: A series of impressive maneuvers by the chairman had secured a lucrative contract for the company.

Folklore
the traditional stories and culture of a group of people: Her books are often based on local folklore.

a Decoder
something used to break codes

a Controversy
a lot of disagreement or argument about something: There was a big controversy over the use of drugs in athletics.

“My Old Man” slang for “my father”

Pulverized
pressed or crushed until it is powder

an Icicle
a long pointed stick of ice that is formed when drops of water freeze: Icicles hung from the roof.

Put on your apron, preheat the oven-
it's time to get baking!

Friday, November 24
7pm (19:00)

For our first Kitchen Culture evening we will be making a sumptuous Apple Crisp! The easiest of all traditional North American desserts, this is a simple recipe you'll use over and over again. So, come for a night of learning, tasting and socializing at Program-Bell.

What you need to bring:

1. an 8 or 9 inch square or round pan (20-24cm from side to side)
2. a small mixing bowl
3. a fork

Some words you should know:

Units of measurement used in North American recipes.
1 cup = approximately 236.59 milliliters
1 teaspoon = approximately 4.93 milliliters
1 tablespoon = approximately 14.79 milliliters




round or square pan







springform pan / cookie sheet








mixing bowl

What You Said About the Film

The Natural: is a motion picture about a talented baseball player, based on a novel by Bernard Malamud. Released in 1984, the film stars Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, a farm boy who has a lucky bat made from a tree that was struck by lightning. When Hobbs is a rooky, a surprising incident occurs, setting his career back several years. 16 years later, he tries to make a comeback.
The cast: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close and Kim Basinger

Your comments:

• easy to predict; best part: the stay in hospital; not too interesting
• Even though the plot was not very surprising, I enjoyed the film, and I learned something about baseball (before, I didn't know the rules that much).
• It was nice to watch it and it surprised me, as I was a little afraid that a "baseball theme" might not be very interesting. I enjoyed it!
• Predictable. The best character was Memo, she was surprising. The worst was Hobbs' old friend. The worst part of the game was the last game.
• Predictable, but left me with a positive feeling.

And your final rating:

Be Prepared! Self Study for Film Night.
Here is a list of vocabulary and idioms that will appear in 'The Natural'.
Printed copies will be handed out on Friday night.

1. slam bang: (adjective) really good
2. prospect: (noun) possibility
3. no-hitter: (baseball expression) a game when no batter hits the ball, doesn’t happen often
4. “First Pete and now repeat”: someone just said the same thing
5. “Hang on to the water wagon”: insult to an alcoholic
6. “give him a shave with it”: so close it will shave his face
7. back round: info about a person
8. to rally: a public meeting of a large group of people, especially supporters of a particular opinion
9. priceless: very valuable or special
10. “killing worms”: (baseball idiom) throwing the ball into the ground
11. to urge: to advise
12. “dead to the neck up”: insult, useless
13. The Majors: major league, the top, the best place to be
14. to trample: to step heavily on something or someone, causing damage or injury
15. “give my right arm”: give anything, everything for something
16. pennant: 1. a triangular-shaped flag 2. baseball league championship
17. “I’m sending you down”: send a player to a lower league
18. “lost it in the sun”: can’t see because the sun is too bright
19. loaded bat: an illegal bat, something was put inside to make it perform better
20. a gut feeling: an instinct, strong feeling
21. rafters: structural pieces that support a roof
22. lumber: processed wood
23. hot streak: a series of good luck
24. jinxed: (adjective) bad luck, a curse
25. “winner take all”: result of a bet when the winner gets everything
26. swell: nice, pleasant
27. to sob: to cry noisily, taking in deep breaths
28. canard, prevarication: (rarely used, rather formal) a lie
29. impudent: rude and not respectful, especially towards someone who is older or in a more important position
30. riddle: puzzle, mystery
31. bookie: (book maker) person who takes and makes illegal bets, and illegal professional gambler
32. wheaties: nutritious breakfast cereal
33. a buck: (slang) one dollar
34. silver: (old expression) coins
35. “a flash in the pan”: something that is only special for a second
36. rock bottom: lowest possible
37. “You must have had a snout full”: you drank too much alcohol
38. empty handed: with nothing, no money
39. augment: add to something, make it bigger
40. contingency plan: a second plan if the first plan doesn’t work, a back up plan
41. suit up: get dressed, in uniform

Film Night
Friday, November 10, 7pm
Program Bell, Room 4