Vocabulary: Christmas Words To Learn

Christmas is drawing near and everyone is starting to get into their long-waited holiday mood (if not already in this mood since the beginning of December). However, let's not get too lazy before the holidays actually begin, why not learn some vocabulary about Christmas so that you can use them when you are shopping?

The first thing you should do now is going to read my December 2009 article named "Vocabulary: Christmas Stuff @ Locky's English Playground" (don't forget to "Like" the article) and refresh your memory of some very key basic words.

Then you should read on in this article for some more festive objects and their history! Would be kind of fun sharing them with your friends.

Christmas Food
Actually, different countries have very different Christmas food [1]. Christmas turkey maybe the most recognised and Mr. Bean's favourite but it is still not the ultimate food eaten in Christmas. In fact, for countries which do celebrate Christmas, I think only one thing is universal, and that is chocolate! But cakes and barbecue meat are not to be forgotten.


Gingerbread Man

Gingy the Gingerbread Man
Image from animatedviews.com

One of the words which comes out no matter in Christmas or not, Gingerbread is a wide-known festive food, an animation character and a version of the Android OS. Not to mention that it is also one of my favourite cute objects.
According to Wikipedia,
"Gingerbread dates back to the 15th century, and figural biscuit-making was practiced in the 16th century.^[1] The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits appearing was in the court of Elizabeth I of England. She had the gingerbread figures made and presented in the likeness of some of her important guests.^[2]"

And according to the Guiness Book of Records,
"the world’s largest gingerbread man was made on December 2, 2006 by the Smithville Area Chamber of Commerce in Smithville, Texas, United States at their annual Festival of Lights celebration. The gingerbread man weighed in at 1,308 lbs, 8 oz,^[3] and stood at over 20 feet.

How does it look like?

The world's largest gingerbread man cooked
over an open fire Dec. 1 2006 in Smithville,  Texas, USA
Image from franlan.com

Here's a great photo album website devoted to all Gingy lovers!
http://www.flickriver.com/groups/gingy/pool/interesting/


Candy Canes

Candy cane originated in Germany in 1670s and it was first made to keep the children from making noises when the choir is practising. it was made into a stick to remind the children of the shepherds who paid visits to baby Jesus [2].

It is also one of the sweet food I dislike but I really don't know why.

Apple Cider

Apple Cider
Image from blogspot.com

The drink for Christmas, apple cider is the most original, most natural seasonal drink, foggy brown in colour made from fresh apples, untreated and unfiltered. "Hot apple cider" or "mulled cider" is made after heating with cinnamon, orange peel, nutmeg, cloves or other spices[3], depending on personal preferences.

Christmas Cake / Christstollen

Christstollen
Image from Wikipedia

One of my favourite cakes when I am exceptionally hungry, the Christstollen is said to be a German cake made from orange and lemon peels, raisins, dried fruits, nuts, rum and cinnamon. The English version is called Christmas cake and the difference is the use of icing sugar on the cake top (they love icing on everything basically).

Icing Christmas cake
Image from pixiesdidit.com

According to Wikipedia, Stollen was baked for the first time as Christmas pastry at the Saxon Royal Court in 1427 and was made with flour, yeast, oil and water [4].

Mince Pie

Image from Wikipedia

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, chicken, pork, beef, mutton, fruits, etc. Basically, anything! Depends on what you prefer, mince pie is one presentable yet easy to make Christmas food. My favourite? Apple pie!

The history of the mince pie traces back to the 11th to the 13th Century at the time of the Crusades [5] [6].


Alright, that's all for today!

Do "like" this article and our English Playground!

Resources:
Mr Bean - Nativity Scene @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDOO3FvGsZ4

Vocabulary: Christmas Stuff @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/12/vocabulary-christmas-stuff.html

[1] Christmas Food @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_food

Gingerbread man @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gingerbread_man

Most interesting photos from gingy pool @ Flickr
http://www.flickriver.com/groups/gingy/pool/interesting/

[House MD] S1E5 - Candy Canes? @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiV2rc7kRE4

[2] Candy Cane @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy_cane

[3] Apple Cider @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_cider

[4] Christstollen @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christstollen

Christmas cake @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_cake

[5] Mince pie @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mince_pie

 [6] Crusades @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

Website: Google Christmas Easter Egg 2011

Google is famous for its innovation and fun. This year's Christmas they have prepared a lovely snow cold "Easter Egg" for their users to play with!

Starting to get frosty

Merry X'mas Locky's English Playground

If you want to stop playing it, just press "Defrost".

You will need Google Chrome to play.

Do "Like" this article and our English Playground.

Vocabulary:
Easter Egg -- (n)[C] a gift, used to be for Easter only, now the word is no longer restricted for just that day.
defrost -- (vb) [I or T] to (cause to) become free of ice, or to (cause to) become no longer frozen


Resources:

Google
http://www.google.com.hk/search?q=let%20it%20snow&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=u7nuTo2QLcSJtwfmm-yNCg&biw=1066&bih=769&sei=vbnuTuSZHtLLtgfanrj6Cg

Google 'Let it snow' Easter egg brings on winter @ Digital Life
http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/18/9541668-google-let-it-snow-easter-egg-brings-on-winter

Movie: Must-watch & Can-Watch Movies 2011/12

Movie fans have been waiting for this Christmas for a long long time. Sure enough there are many brilliant movies to anticipate for, but there are also some that are not as spectacular or mega which still worth watching! So, here's my guide to the must-watch and can-watch movies this year and next year.

First, 50/50, a movie which has already shown in Hong Kong and didn't raise too much attention. Based on a true story, it talks about a man who lives a normal life has been diagnosed with cancer, and his chances of surviving from it was 50/50. The story talks about how calm this man was at first, but grows to fear of death eventually, how his friendships and relationships develops after cancer and how he faces his treatment. It is not a big production but definitely worth watching. The movie finds a balance between comedy, love, friendship, life and death. Definitely more than a can-watch!

Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows has been on my waiting list since the prequel. I highly appreciate the use of high-definition high-speed cameras in filming actions but showing them as slow-motions. Such technique has become a signature of Sherlock Holmes movies by director Guy Ritchie. The running scene in the forest with bullets flying around is one of the best and most spectacular scenes which took Ritchie 5 days to film.

"The bullets you see in the air are real bullets -- that's the speed at which they fly," the director said.[1]

That's amazing! From what he said, it is already worth watching! Sherlock Holmes 2 (starring Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law), definitely a must-watch! It's already on cinema! Catch it now!

No more "Bourne", Matt Damon stars in a non-action family movie as a father of two kids, who bought a zoo. Sounds ridiculous? It is based on a true story. It is fun, adventurous, and heart-warming for the cold winter. One point worth noting, I think Matt acts like Tom Hanks in the movie. Fans of Scarlett Johansson will not want to miss it. We Bought a Zoo, showing on the 29th December 2011.[2] A Can-watch I say.

Fans of MIB are back in the hunt for more disobedient aliens because Men In Black 3 is back with agents no other than Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones!! What are they up to this time? Time Jumping!!! Opening on the 24th May 2012.[3] More than a Can-watch, but I need more info to confirm.

Another remake of Spiderman? Well, yeah, maybe the advancement in technology has allowed better movies to be made and so we will be seeing another original Spiderman movie, called The Amazing Spider-man which will be on cinema some time next year (does that mean the last one was not amazing enough?) A Can-watch if there is no better ones to watch by then.[4]

But wait, talking about better ones, Marvel's The Avengers is definitely the one to catch, with the class of superheroes such as Captain America, Ironman, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and the new addition of Black Widow, this action-packed movie is one that you won't want to miss! Coming to the cinema some time in 2012.[5]

Use these trailers to practice your listening skills, and see if you are interested in any of them.

Happy weekend! Don't forget to "Like" the entry and "Like" the English Playground.

Resources:

50/50 Trailer 2011 HD @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ90H5HCgCw

[1] To Guy Ritchie, it's elementary @ Los Angeles Times
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/08/entertainment/la-et-guy-ritchie-20111208/2

Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows Trailer 2011 HD @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNxhpNpnAkk

[2] We Bought A Zoo @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1389137/

We Bought A Zoo - Official Trailer [HD] @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUdX47LtXpw

[3] Men in Black 3 @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1409024/

Men in Black 3 Trailer. @ YouTube
http://youtu.be/YeuPBvIWPig

The Amazing Spiderman - Trailer 1 (HD) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XayxMPrUP4

[4] The Amazing Spider-man
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948470/

[5] The Avengers @ IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/

Marvel's The Avengers (2012) watch the Official Teaser Trailer | HD @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zatgnqdIefs

Website: Google Presents Photos of Post-Tsunami Japan

A quick message on the Google Map update. Google has rolled out an update showing photographs of the post-tsunami Japan for users to see the images of even the most devastated Fukushima up close.

Here are some of the photos I captured from the website.

No Photos near Fukushima Nuclear Power Plants
Images from Google

Although it is not a pleasant view, it is worthwhile to understand the power of nature and see how people continue their lives in the areas.

The website is listed in the resources below.

Do "Like" the entry and "Like" the English Playground

Vocabulary:
devastated -- (adj) completely destroyed
worthwhile -- (adj) useful, important or good enough to be a suitable reward for the money or time spent or the effort made

Resources:


Memories for the Future - Street View @ Google
http://www.miraikioku.com/streetview/en/after


Google Makes Street View Images Of Post-Tsunami Japan Available On Custom Site @ TC
http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/13/google-makes-street-view-images-of-post-tsunami-japan-available-on-custom-site/

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/devastated_1?q=devastated
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/worthwhile?q=worthwhile+

Slang & Vocabulary: Slang that I Won't Learn from Dictionaries

Image from kingdomofstyle.typepad.co.uk

In August 2009, I posted an article titled News & Vocab: Foul Language targeting Female, in May 2010 I wrote Vocabulary: Men's World, then in October 2011, I produced Vocabulary: A Helpless Man Sponge Naitard, that is almost like one article a year. Wondering if I will post some more a bit more frequently?

It is one of my habits to look around in the dictionary at times and I found some words that I have never heard of but said to be popular by the Cambridge Dictionary, let's give it a go and see what they offer.

I DON'T blindly learn new words as some words are pretty redundant, so old-fashioned words are filtered out and new words are reinterpreted by me.

House Husband
Image from custommaid.biz

In my opinions,"New Man" sounds very much the same as "house husband" to me and I don't feel like learning "New Man" just to replace "house husband" because the latter is so much easier to remember. In a sense that "housewife" is enough and "homemaker" sounds redundant in a way that it doesn't show any wit in its creation.


A "bit of rough" sounds to me that it is literately referring to physical labour, people who need to work using more muscles than brains, so I don't know how that is applicable to the dictionary's definition if the boyfriend is from an upper class and the girlfriend is from a middle class. Just doesn't sound so right even in the reverse case.

Stuck-up
Image from hellaemo.com

A "God's Gift" to me sounds very positive and prestigious and so it is understandable when it is used negatively by someone who tastes sour grapes, but then when a person really is jealous of another, will they be so nice with their wordings and call them "God's Gift"? I doubt it! Even in the case of backstabbing. And the dictionary offers "Lady Muck" as the female version, well maybe, but wouldn't a "stuck-up" be even more direct?

A Suit
Image from askmen.com

A "Suit" doesn't sound negative to me at all! And I do think that this is very confusing considering almost everybody who works in a bigger and more proper company wears a suit, then how aggressive or disapproving can this word sound when one person calls another a "suit"? More ironically, what if the person who said it actually wears a suit himself? Really want to learn some words to describe business people, why not read my other entries such as Business Vocabulary: The Cogs -- The Boss Group, The Law Group, The Cash Group, and The Sales Group?

WAG
Image from footballtournaments4u.com

Dictionary also says a "footballer's wife" is, in short, a beautiful extravagant married woman. I totally disagree with this! True, being big-spending and beautiful are what some footballers' wives behaves like, but this doesn't imply to any other married women!!! Also, the proper slang is not even "footballer's wife", it is "WAG"!!! People who watch football games on TV or read football news know this word! "WAG" is a short form of "Wives And Girlfriends" and it is specifically used to describe these footballers' lovers!

Lady Gaga
Image from cache.interscope.com

Talking about "Lady Muck", comparing this to Lady Gaga, I think "Gaga" is an even more popular word! The name Lady Gaga came from the singer's love of a song "Radio Ga Ga" by the band Queen [1].

Radio Ga Ga by Queen
Image from Wikipedia

But gaga is also a word with meanings, 1) unable to think clearly because of old age, 2) having strong but temporary love for someone.

Looks like we have to be careful what we learn from dictionaries.

Vocabulary:
New Man -- (n) [C] Mainly UK a man who believes that women and men are equal and should be free to do the same things, and who does tasks and shows emotions that were traditionally considered only suitable for women
house husband -- (n)[C] a man who stays at home and cleans the house, takes care of the children, etc. while his wife goes out to work
homemaker -- (n)[C] mainly US a woman who manages a home and often raises children instead of earning money from a job
bit of rough -- UK humorous someone, usually a man, from a lower social class than their sexual partner
God's Gift -- (n)  [U] disapproving If you say that someone thinks or behaves as if they are God's gift (to someone or something), you mean that they believe that they are better than anyone else
Lady Muck --  [S] UK informal disapproving a woman who thinks she is very important and should be treated better than everyone else
sour grapes -- If you describe someone's behaviour or opinion as sour grapes, you mean that they are angry because they have not got or achieved something that they wanted
stuck-up -- (n)[C] a person who thinks they are above the rest
suit -- (n) [C often plural] informal mainly disapproving a man who works in an office and wears a suit, especially a man with a high position in a company who is considered not to have human feelings and good ideas
footballer's wife --  (n) [C] or humorous a beautiful woman who has a rich husband and does not work, but spends a lot of time buying expensive things and taking care of her appearance
extravagant -- (adj) spending too much money, or using too much of something
WAG -- (n) plural "Wives And Girlfriends" of the footballers
gaga -- (adj) informal unable to think clearly and make decisions because of old age; senile;
[after verb] having a strong but usually temporary love for someone





Resources:
News & Vocab: Foul Language targeting Female @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2009/08/news-vocab.html

Vocabulary: Men's World  @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/05/vocabulary-mens-world.html

Vocabulary: A Helpless Man Sponge Naitard @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2011/10/vocabulary-helpless-man-sponge-naitard.html

How To Spot A Gold Digger @ Askmen.com
http://www.askmen.com/dating/doclove_100/138_relationship_expert.html


Business Vocabulary: The Cogs -- The Boss Group @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/05/business-vocabulary-cogs-boss-group.html


Business Vocabulary: The Cogs -- The Law Group @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/05/business-vocabulary-cogs-law-group.html


Business Vocabulary: The Cogs -- The Cash Group @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/06/business-vocabulary-cogs-cash-group.html


Business Vocabulary: The Cogs -- The Sales Group @ Locky's English Playground
http://lockyep.blogspot.com/2010/06/business-vocabulary-cogs-sales-group.html

[1] Lady Gaga @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Gaga

Radio Ga Ga @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Ga_Ga
http://www.lyrics007.com/Queen%20Lyrics/Radio%20Ga%20Ga%20Lyrics.html

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/topics/kinds-of-men/
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/topics/kinds-of-women/
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/new-man
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/house-husband?q=house+husband
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/homemaker
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bit-of-rough
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/god-s-gift
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/sour-grapes?q=sour+grapes#sour-grapes__1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/lady-muck?q=lady+muck
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stuck%20up
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/suit_4
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/footballer-s-wife
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=WAG
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/extravagant?q=extravagant+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gaga_1
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/gaga_2

Health and Medical: Understanding Cancer & Metastasis

House and Wilson (the oncologist)
Bromantic = (brother + romantic)
Image from articulatelove.files.wordpress.com 

Suddenly filled with disease terms in my head after watching yet another 5 episodes of House M.D. and this round, metastasis got my attention. In particular as Dr. House puts it,

"Cancer plays the field. Metastasis is just a fancy word for 'screws around.'"

Which kind of summarises the key idea of metastasis.

How does cancer screws around? Or before that, what is cancer?

Before we start to do our reading, I found a video on YouTube that can enhance our understanding first, so that the later reading can be absorbed much easier. I have added a playlist which includes 5 videos so far, do watch them all.

I have put this one separately in case you have want to jump ahead.

There is of course a lot of information elsewhere on the internet, but I would like to pick out a few key points which are useful and interest me.

To begin with, cancer begins when a cell suffers progressive genetic damages to produce a cancer stem cell is able to continuously duplicates itself (called mitosis) and  the site of where the cancer originates is called "primary tumor". If a cancer stem cell does travel to another part of the same organ, it will produce again forming nodules called 'daughter tumors' and the process is called local metastasis. [1]

If a cancer stem cell survives its travel to another organ and develops into a tumor in that organ, the tumor is called a secondary tumor or a metastatic tumor. Such new tumors will remain as the cells of the organ it originates from. Meaning if a pancreas cancer metastasizes to the lungs, it is called metastatic pancreas cancer, and the cells in the secondary tumors in the lungs are still cells of the pancreas. [1]

Here a diagram of the routes of cancer metastasis:

Main sites of metastases for some common cancer types.
Primary cancers are denoted by "...cancer" and their main
metastasis sites are denoted by "...metastases".
Image from Wikipedia

As such, abnormal breast cells could be found in the liver, lungs, brain or bones. Theory has it that "diagnosis of metastatic cancers is only possible after the event of metastasis", in other words, metastatic cancers are detectable after they have occurred. [1]

Metastatic cancers are treatable by various methods, "radiosurgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biological therapy, hormone therapy, surgery or a combination of these", depending on the type, size, location, spread, stage of the cancer.[1]

Finally, as English learners, you may ask, "do we actually need to know these?"

My answer will be, yes, because these are in fact very common knowledge amount the English speakers, and by knowing them, you will definitely benefit yourself in discussions, let alone the crucial knowledge you have gained.

By the way, a doctor who practices oncology (study of cancer) is an oncologist.

Do "Like" this entry and "Like" our English Playground on Facebook!

Vocabulary:
metastasis -- (n) [U]  
metastasize -- (vb) [I] If cancer cells metastasize, they spread to other parts of the body and cause tumours (= a mass of cells) to grow there.
metastatic -- (adj) 
screw around -- phrasal verb offensive to have sex with a lot of people or with people other than your husband or wife
nodule --  [C] specialized a small raised area or swelling
primary tumor 
secondary tumor / metastatic tumor
diagnosis -- (n)  [C or U] (plural diagnoses) a judgment about what a particular illness or problem is, made after examining it
radiosurgery
chemotherapy / chemo -- (n)[U] the treatment of diseases using chemicals
oncology -- (n)[U] the study and treatment of tumours (= masses of cells) in the body
oncologist -- (n)[C] 


Resources:
Metastasis @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrMq8uA_6iA

[1] Metastasis @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metastasis

Not Cancer @ House MD Quotes
http://www.housemdquotes.com/502_not_cancer.html

Cancer Stem Cells @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_stem_cell

Mitosis @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitosis

Medical Playlist @ Locky's English Playground YouTube Channel Playlist
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD9C129A22484F7D4

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/metastasize?q=metastasis+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/screw-around?q=screw+around+#screw-around__2
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/nodule?q=nodule+
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/diagnosis?q=diagnosis
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/chemotherapy?q=chemotherapy+
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncologist
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/oncology?q=oncology+