Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

1. a *potent* Greek coffee

Does it mean that it is strong in taste?

2. The 2 editors are here to add their *five cents* with reviews on recent movies.

Why is it *five*?

3. I'm going to the movies.
Does it always have to include * the movies*, even it's a movie?
I heard this from my English teacher.


Thanks

[Nef]

1. a *potent* Greek coffee

Does it mean that it is strong in taste?

yes

2. The 2 editors are here to add their *five cents* with reviews on recent movies.

Why is it *five*?

It could be "two cents" or maybe some other small amount. The idea is that people add their opinions. Those opinions may not be "worth" much, but they still are being expressed.

3. I'm going to the movies.
Does it always have to include * the movies*, even it's a movie?
I heard this from my English teacher.

"I'm going to a movie" is fine, also. (The idea here is that I'm only going to see one movie.)

[Nef]

Sorry. I posted twice.

(edited)

[iitimone7]

nef - i would guess that the reason that we say we're going to the movies is because we're going to the place that shows many movies (the theater). whey we are talking about one specific movie, we say i'm/we're going to see a movie.

iitimone7

[CP]

1. The coffee can also be potent (strong) in its effect, as strong coffee has more caffeine than weak coffee.

2. The usual expression is "put in one's two cents' worth." Maybe it's five cents' worth with inflation. It can be a way of saying that someone's opinion isn't worth much.

3. Back in the good old days, most movie theaters in the U.S. showed double features, two movies for a single ticket price, and usually with cartoons or short features shown between the pictures. Often a good picture was paired with a mediocre one, A and B, hence the term B movie.

It was common practice to go to the theater whenever it was convenient, staying through the two movies and the short features until coming to the place in the movie where you first came into the theater, then go home. The expression, "This is where I came in," derives from that, but is often used to announce that the discussion is getting repetitious.
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