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.