English – Page 6 – greek to me

Shite or a haircut

Shite or a haircut (Scottish)
To be completely confused, or to explain someone who cannot make up their mind. Also to describe a person or persons (organisation) who are completely disorganised. “That’s the 3rd time this month the council have dug up this road. They don’t know if they want a shite or a haircut that lot!” Alternativey – when observing a poor driver weaving all over the road and / or indicating the wrong way at junctions etc can be described as not knowing wether they want a shite or a haircut.
(c) Urban Dictionary

to play possum

To pretend to be inactive, unobservant, asleep, or dead. (tfd)
“We can’t just play possum: the problem is going to get worse from month to month, and now that Latvia holds the EU Council presidency it must lead this discussion.” (eurotopics)
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DCFTA Facility for SMEs

Today they’re like: ‘To reply to these needs, the EC – jointly with the EIB and the EBRD – has put in place the DCFTA Facility for SMEs.
Interpreting is fun 🙂

Helicopter / lawnmower parents

Helicopter parents: Hover over their kids so that their kids don’t make any mistakes or suffer any pain from experience.

Lawnmower parents: Mow down all obstacles they see in their child’s path.

Locavore

А locavore is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. More recently, an “invasivore” movement has emerged, which encourages the consumption of nonindigenous invasive species with the intent of controlling harmful populations.

Roman holiday

Раньше мне первым в голову приходил фильм “Римские каникулы”, а теперь я узнала, что в английском есть такая идиома, и означает она (довольно предсказуемо):

1. Enjoyment or satisfaction derived from observing the suffering of others. (наслаждение или удовлетворение от наблюдения за страданиями других)

2. A violent public spectacle or disturbance in which shame, degradation, or physical harm is intentionally inflicted on one person or group by another. (с) tfd

Some shrewd hotel terminology

Dutch wife – The sewing kit provided as a guest amenity. .

Handle with care (HWC) guest – Guest who may have had some unpleasant experiences in the hotel or had some complaints, genuine or otherwise, are labeled as “handle with care“ guest by the hotel for the reminder of their stay or future sojourn. .

Well drink – A drink made from an inexpensive house brand of liquor, usually kept in a “well” below the bar where customers cannot see the labels. .

To live out of a suitcase – I’m not going to stay in this hotel long, only a couple of days, I live out of a suitcase. .

American Plan – A room rate that includes three meals. .

European plan – A room rate that does not include any meals. .

Beer-clean glass – A clean glass that is completely free of invisible grease and detergent residue, substances that can cause beer to lose its foam too quickly. A glass that looks clean may not be clean enough for beer. .

Silence cloth – Oilcloth or other padded material placed under the tablecloth to absorb noise. .

Spouse Program – Special activities planned for those who accompany an attendee to a convention, trade show or meeting. Note that programs today are not simply for women, but rather for men and women, spouses and friends. Programs must be creatively designed to interest intelligent and curious audiences. .

Brownouts – Partial loss of electricity (as opposed to blackouts). .

Moonlighter – A person who holds a full-time job at one organization and a part-time job at another organization. .

Tent cards

Tag: English