39 HAIR - my American friend

my American friend

M - today we are going to talk about HAIR M - …(singing) then peace will guide the planet…. C - …Marta? Are you ok? M - ….(singing) age of Aquarius…!! C – Marta we’re not talking about the musical, we’re talking about HAIR in general. M – uh, ok…. hey, speaking of hair, you’re a redhead now, Cindy! C - yes, I’ve been blonde forever and I decided to shake things up a bit. M - well, you look great and you also provided us with a topic for a new episode: Hair! First of all ‘’hair’’ is UNCOUNTABLE in English. This is a special reminder for Italian listeners in particular. For example: ‘’My hair IS dark brown.’’ C - actually, Marta, your hair is dark brown and blue. M - You’re right. I have blue HIGHLIGHTS, my fringe is blue. Anyway, what I was trying to say was: my hair IS. C - You’re right, I noticed Italians tend to say “my hair are”, but that’s not correct in English. For instance my hair is curly. Or: my hair was blonde and now my hair is red. I had my hair colored. M - and that’s another important point to remember: CAUSATIVE VERBS! For example: I HAD MY HAIR CUT. C - Yes, that means: I went to the hairdresser and they took care of my hair. I did not cut my hair myself. So : I had my hair cut. M - Right. C - Other examples could be : I had my hair styled, I had my hair curled, I had my hair straightened, I had my hair trimmed. M – Clear. C - Marta, have you ever had your hair cut in The States? M - No, I haven’t. C - Ok, let’s pretend I’m a super-trendy American hairstylist. Good Morning Madam! How are you today? M- I’m fine, thank you. C- How can I help you? M - I need to have my hair cut, you know, to remove the split ends. C - Would you like to try a new style? M – Not really, just trim the ends and fix the BANGS please. C - Just a TRIM? C’mon I’m a super-trendy hairstylist. People wait months for an appointment with me! Ugh, all right. I can see your hair has a natural wave, how about a ‘’BLOW OUT’’ (that means straightened) then arranged into a nice PONYTAIL? That would bring out your beautiful blue FRINGE even more. M – Ok. That sounds nice. Thank you. C - That will be $259. M - Are you kidding me? C - Plus taxes. I’m a great hairstylist, not to mention a podcast superstar. M - ok, now I get it, not only you’re a redhead now, you’re big-headed! C - no, I was just horsing around. Now, back to hair: I know a few good hair-related idioms. M – go ahead. C - TO SPLIT HAIRS. For example: it was a pointless debate, both candidates kept splitting hairs instead of going straight to the core of the matter. M – to split hairs. That means : overcomplicating things. Ok. Got it. C – and what if I say: Marta, LET YOUR HAIR DOWN! M - does it refer to the ponytail you wanted to charge me $259 for? C - 259 USD. no, to ‘’let your hair down’’ means to relax, to let yourself go. M - to ‘’let your hair down.’’ C - another idiom is: IT MADE MY HAIR STAND ON END ! it could have both a positive and a negative meaning. For example: the earthquake made my hair stand on end, it was really frightening! But also: that singer is amazing, when she strikes those high notes she makes my hair stand on end. M - Ok, that’s all for now. Everybody check out the transcript of this episode on our website: you’ll find a list of useful hair-related vocabulary with relevant definitions. C - such as: CONDITIONER, HAIR-SPRAY, FLAT IRON, HAIR DRYER, SALT AND PEPPER HAIR…etc.. M - love that! C - salt and pepper hair? M - I find men with salt and pepper hair to be very hot. C- George Clooney is a perfect example of a man with Salt & Pepper hair. His hair is gray & black. It’s Salt & Pepper-colored. M- George Clooney is a perfect example. Period. C - How about you, listeners? Let us know your favorite hair styles! We want to hear all about it. Get in contact with us on www.myamericanfriendblog.com, on Podomatic.com, Twitter, iTunes, Youtube and on our Facebook page where I will go ahead and post a picture of my new red hair! Now, Marta, come with me to the sink… we need to start on your hair. M - what? Just a trim for $259? You must be nuts. C - c’mon…you don’t trust me? I’ll have you out of here in no time! M- No way! C- Alright, I’ll do it for $200 M - I’m not going anywhere! Wait! What is that?!?! (sound of chainsaw starting) C - C’mon! Let’s go…but I’m warning you…for $200 I’m going to have to cut some corners… VOCABULARY: * “HAIR” is uncountable in English. EXAMPLE: My hair IS brown, My hair IS curly, My hair is long, My hair is black. * Causative verbs! Example: I had my hair cut, I had my hair styled, I had my hair permed, I had my hair straightened. BANGS or FRINGE: The shorter hair that is cut to hang over the forehead. Not everyone wears a hairstyle with fringe or bangs. PONYTAIL: to gather all your hair at the back of your head and tie it with elastic, so that it hangs like the ‘’tail of a pony (small horse)’’. TRIM: To cut a small amount off your hair. EXAMPLE: I’m going to the salon to have my hair trimmed. I don’t want a drastic haircut. I want the same style I always have. The stylist will trim just a bit off the ends to keep my hair neat and healthy looking. CONDITIONER: Product applied to hair AFTER shampoo to keep it soft, manageable and easy to brush. EXAMPLE: My hair is very dry & curly. It is very important for me to use a good conditioner every time I shampoo my hair. Without conditioner, it is impossible for me to comb my hair after washing it. Using conditioner keeps my hair soft. HAIR-SPRAY: Spray lacquer used to keep styled hair looking perfect. EXAMPLE: Every morning, before I leave the house for work, I use extra strong hairspray to keep my hair looking nicely styled throughout the day. If I don’t use hairspray, my hair will become very flat and straight. FLAT IRON: A heated, electric styling tool used to make hair flat, shiny & smooth. HAIR DRYER: Styling device that blows hot or cool air, allowing you to dry your hair very quickly. SALT AND PEPPER HAIR: Hair that is both black & gray. SPLIT ENDS: Damaged hair causing the ends to ‘’split in two’’. To have a ‘’blow out’’: time consuming process in which the hair is straightened using a hair dryer, brush, styling products & heated tools like a flat iron. The end result is shiny, silky, straight hair. If the hair becomes wet it will revert back to its natural texture (wavy, curly, frizzy…etc..). *IDIOMS* TO SPLIT HAIRS: To overcomplicate an argument, discussion, debate. EXAMPLE: The two presidential candidates kept splitting hairs & wasting time by discussing unimportant topics instead of talking about the real problems facing our country. LET YOUR HAIR DOWN: To relax. EXAMPLE: On Friday nights, after work, I always stop by the pub to have a beer with friends and let my hair down. Seeing good friends on Friday night is my favorite way to relax and start the weekend. EXAMPLE: My sister is always busy with work commitments. She never relaxes or does anything special for herself. On Saturday, I’m taking her out to lunch & shopping afterwards. At night we’ll have a nice dinner together. For once, my sister can relax and let her hair down! She deserves it. IT MADE MY HAIR STAND ON END: it gave me chills, strong emotional response (either good or bad). EXAMPLE (bad response): That horror movie was terrifying! Why did you take me to it???? When that scary music started to play and the killer entered the room- my hair stood on end! I was so scared! I’m never going to the movies with you again! EXAMPLE (good): Every time I see the old footage of Whitney Houston singing The Star Spangled Banner, my hair stands on end. She was an amazing talent. To shake things up a bit- To change the normal course of things, life. EXAMPLE: I was bored of my normal every day routine, so I decided to shake things up a bit and enroll myself in Salsa Dancing classes! It’s so much fun! I’ve met some very interesting people and Salsa Dancing is great exercise. I’m going to have to cut some corners- to do things quickly, take a shortcut, and possibly sacrifice quality in the process. EXAMPLE: My dinner party has ballooned from 4 guests to 10 guests! I don’t have time to cook enough food for 10 people. I’m going to have to cut some corners and buy a prepared roast, some vegetables and a prepared dessert at the grocery store. I’ll have you out of here in no time- I’ll do it quickly, in a short period of time. EXAMPLE: The garage is empty today, we have no customers in the waiting room. We’ll change your oil & put new tires on the car quickly. Don’t worry, we’ll have you out of here in no time. You’ll be back to work before lunch. You must be nuts!- You must be crazy! You must be mad! EXAMPLE: You must be nuts if you think I’m getting on that roller coaster ride with you! No way! EXAMPLE: You must be nuts if you think I’m going to another horror movie with you again! That last movie you took me to was terrifying! EXAMPLE: I can’t believe you’re eating those hot peppers! You must be nuts! Those are the hottest peppers in the world! Horsing around- joking around, not being serious, play fighting EXAMPLE: Stop horsing around with video games and chatting with your friends Facebook… and start studying for your History exam! This grade is very important. EXAMPLE: Stop horsing around and be quiet, your father is trying to sleep and the noise is going wake him! Big-headed: Arrogant, to have an overly high, inflated opinion of oneself. EXAMPLE: My supervisor is the most arrogant, big headed, selfish person I have ever met. She is concerned with no one but herself. If an employee has a good idea, she immediately steals the credit for it. My coworkers and I are very happy because next month she’ll transfer to another department & we’ll be free of her! EXAMPLE: I can’t stand my sister’s boyfriend. He’s just a big headed jerk. All he does is talk about himself and his car. What an idiot! The whole family will have a party when she finally decides to get rid of him.