Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[kerstin]

left-brain = analytic
how would you use the word?
also ,can I describe a serious person very*left-brained*?

I'm *whipped.*=I have no choice.?

I'm a *cheap drunk.*=I get drunk easily?

*X-rated*=?

You came out of nowhere and you've got high school *dialed in*.
=you dominated the whole school.?

She's like some* fresh air* in the town.=somebody makes people feel refreshed .?

upbringing- the care and training of young children or a particular type of such care and training
Can I say" a person has very kind upbringings."?
or how else should I use this word?

*be light on one's feet*=prettty good at dancing?
*by proxy*-I know proxy means substitute,so if you do something by proxy ,can this imply you substitute someone's job?

I was being* drown to* you.=I was crazy about you.?

thank you for taking up your time to answer!

[CP]

left-brain = analytic
how would you use the word?
also ,can I describe a serious person very*left-brained*?
--You may hear, "He's a real left brain" or "He's very left-brained" to indicate that he is left-brained / left-brain dominant. Right-brained people are more artistic and holistic, they say.

I'm *whipped.*=I have no choice.?
--It means "I'm exhausted / very tired" and also, less commonly, "I'm defeated."

I'm a *cheap drunk.*=I get drunk easily?
--Probably means "I get tipsy with only a little alcohol." Usually said, "I'm a cheap date," meaning it doesn't take much money to buy me drinks on a date.

*X-rated*=?
--From movie ratings, where X means the movie has a lot of sex and/or violence, so no one admitted who is not over 17.

You came out of nowhere and you've got high school *dialed in*.
=you dominated the whole school.?
--It means you have the high school figured out / you know your way around and practically own the place already. You can dial in a friend if you can get that friend a job or a place to live, for example.

She's like some* fresh air* in the town.=somebody makes people feel refreshed .?
--Often said this way: "Like a breath of fresh air." Means a nice change, something welcome.

upbringing- the care and training of young children or a particular type of such care and training
Can I say" a person has very kind upbringings."?
or how else should I use this word?
--Not used in the plural. You can say, "Fred had a very comfortable upbringing" or "Frieda's upbringing was less than ideal."

*be light on one's feet*=prettty good at dancing?
--Yes, that's how it's used. Good dancers look light and effortless. We mere mortals do not. A related phrase: "Come and trip it as ye go, on the light, fantastic toe." That comes from a poem, usually reduced to, "Trip the light fantastic," meaning to go dancing.

*by proxy*-I know proxy means substitute,so if you do something by proxy ,can this imply you substitute someone's job?
--Means someone else does it for you. The proxy stands in for the person. It's even possible to be married by proxy. Either the bride or the groom cannot be there, so a proxy stands in during the ceremony -- and hopefully not after it.

I was being* drown to* you.=I was crazy about you.?
--It's "drawn," not "drown." I was drawn to you means I was attracted to you / your allure drew me to you.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[kerstin]

how is X-rated different from R-rated?

[kerstin]

[CP]

For the ratings, see this official Web site:

http://www.mpaa.org/FlmRat_Ratings.asp

As for dialing in, I suppose it goes back to the good old days when a telephone dial was a disk on the telephone with 10 holes in it, one for each number 1 through 0, long before the little push buttons were invented. It was called a dial because it was round and had numbers on it, sort of like a clock dial / clock face, if I'm not mistaken.

We Cave Men had to put our clumsy fingers into the little holes one at a time and turn the dial as far right as possible, then let it go back to its original position, causing a little signal to go out, with one pulse for 1, two for 2, etc.

Well, anyway, if you dialed the phone correctly, you could reach someone by telephone and speak to him or her, or set something up, or what have you. You could dial in to make the arrangement, and if you made an arrangement for someone else, he or she was dialed in.
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[missdaredevil]

You can *dial in* a friend if you can get that friend a job or a place to live, for example.

To hook someone up with a job?

THanks

[CP]