Expressions . . . . . . . . . .
• out of the question – From the speaker’s point of view, a particular action/situation/event that is “out of the question” is completely impossible to occur or simply not an option. It can also mean an action/situation/event is not worth considering because the speaker has excluded it from the realm of possibility.
o FORMS – out of the question, not out of the question, not completely out of the question, just out of the question, etc.
o Ex 1:
Grace, he said, is when a cop doesn’t pull you over for doing 62 in a 55. You may get a warning, but a ticket is almost out of the question.
o Ex 2:
Surrender is just out of the question.
o Ex 3:
Playoffs are not out of the question, but not much more should be expected.
o Commonality (out of 4) – 4/4; frequently used in both writing and speech
• (to) have an edge – When someone or some group “has an edge,” they have an advantage over someone else or over some group to which they belong (e.g. a sports team). It can imply the person has some extra-special quality or defining characteristic that designates him or her as exceptionally fitted to win against others, to competitively beat them. The person or group over whom they have the advantage is not always necessarily named.
o FORMS – he/she has an edge, I/you/we/they have an edge, to have an edge over/on someone, to have a big edge, to have a bit of an edge, to have a small edge, etc.
o Ex 1:
Bowyer didn’t have much of an advantage, but he clearly had a little edge – and he won the race.
o Ex 2:
Sarah used to have an edge in gymnastics, but after the car accident, she was never quite the same competitor on the mats.
o Ex 3:
As he’s begun to do in recent weeks, Obama also took on an area where Republicans have an edge on Democrats: enthusiasm. The lack of enthusiasm among Democrats this election cycle is reflected in poll after poll.
o Commonality (out of 4) – 4/4; frequently used both in writing and speech, especially in the competitive sense, such as in a political race or a sporting game.
• (to) make the cut – When someone or some group “makes the cut” they have succeeded in some test, competition, application process etc. to go on to a higher round or bracket with others who have also succeeded alongside them.
o FORMS – he/she makes the cut, I/you/we/they make the cut, to nearly/barely/just make the cut, etc.
o Ex 1:
An out-of-sorts Padraig Harrington faced an anxious wait before it was confirmed he had made the cut for the final two rounds of the Vivendi Cup in Paris
o Ex 2:
Two other Windsor
o Ex 3:
School friend Dylan Bond said everyone was “pretty shocked” when they found out the 17-year-old had made the cut for Australia
Commonality (out of 4) – 3/4 in speech, 4/4 in writing; I think you’d more often run across this phrase in written pieces, with specific regards to businesses, organizations, sports, or the individuals therein. I only say 3/4 for speech, because it’s not really a phrase you’d use everyday; but it’s a totally plausible phrase to inject in speech if the situation calls for it. No one would look at you funny if you said, “Yeah, I was hoping to get into law school this semester, but my grades just didn’t make the cut.” In fact, in this specific situation (if you’re speaking with another like-minded student) you might even get the desired nod of sympathy or even an, “I know what you mean, dude. I know what you mean.”
Article
- Prepare -
Please breeze through the following article, and think about (you don’t need to write anything down) the questions I’ve added at the end, prior to our meeting this Monday. I’ve lightly highlighted some phrases in context you might pay particular attention to if you aren’t familiar with them. You can also highlight or notate any other words, phrases or portions of dialogue you would like to explore further when we meet.
We will meet to discuss the article and questions together.
Good luck!
“Tee For Three: Student Golfers Have Big Plans For Senior Year — And Beyond.”
by Ryan Black | The Red & Black
22nd September 2010
The
“Rex,” “Big Hud” and “Big Harry.”
These three seniors — Russell “Rex” Henley, Hudson “Big Hud” Swofford and Harris “Big Harry” English — are expected to be the key players in leading Georgia
Just don’t ask Henley how he got his moniker.
“I don’t even know why that’s my nickname,” he said.
Head coach Chris Haack did not have similar difficulty telling what each player’s strengths are.
“They’re all three pretty similar,” Haack said. “They’ve all got a calm demeanor, they’re all very good ball-strikers, and they’re all kind of streaky. If all of them play well, it’s going to be a good day. All three of them have won golf tournaments at the collegiate level, so we’re definitely going to lean on [1] them a bunch this year.”
The trio has extensive experience playing in various amateur tournaments around the country.
But for Henley and Swofford, a taste of the PGA Tour came early, as both qualified and played in the U.S. Open at legendary Pebble Beach
“Going out there and playing with the pros helped my game a lot, and it continued to help me throughout the summer,” said Henley, who made the cut and ended up finished in a tie for 16th — tied for lowest amateur score. “I played in a lot of tournaments, did a lot of traveling, and all the tournaments you play in help, but the U.S. Open was by far the biggest one.”
Having the opportunity to play with the best golfers in the world was something Swofford made sure to take advantage of because, as he said, “Playing on a stage like that, you can only learn from it.”
In fact, he attested it paid dividends [2] immediately.
“The next week I played at a similar venue to the [U.S.
But the two Bulldog golfers were not the only ones who made the trip to the California
“As a coach, it was a huge sense of pride,” Haack said. “To have one guy out there is pretty special, but to have two guys out there was almost surreal [3]. To have them both play pretty well [was great]. Not only did they represent themselves well, but they represented the University of Georgia
Though the aforementioned Bulldog “brand” saw its name often during U.S. Open week, get used to it at more PGA Tour tournaments in the future — all three seniors plan on turning pro [5].
Both Henley and English are going to play amateur tournaments after Georgia
After that, both plan on going to the PGA Tour Qualifying School
Swofford, on the other hand, is going to turn pro immediately after the college season is over.
That may be because the fifth-year senior has been around longer than his two compatriots after suffering a shoulder injury that caused him to miss all of last season.
Swofford said he is now back to “100 percent,” [6] and that he has felt no lingering effects from the injury during any round, but does make sure to ice it after he finishes playing each day. Overall, he is pleased that he was able to come back sooner than he had anticipated.
But now his attention, as well as his teammates’ focus, is now turned toward the 2010 golf campaign.
For this Bulldog trio, this season is about enjoying a final year of collegiate golf to the fullest [7], with the stated goal of winning both the SEC and national championships ever-present.
“Towards the end of the season, it’s going to be pretty emotional,” Henley said. “It’s the last year for all of us, and you try not to take it for granted [8]. I would like a couple more years here. I really enjoy being in Athens
Speaking from the viewpoint of being around an extra year, Swofford concurred.
“I’m going to make sure I enjoy it, too, because my five years are done. I can’t stretch it out any longer,” he deadpanned, drawing laughter from all in the room.
The rest of the country best take heed[9], for “Rex,” “Big Hud” and “Big Harry” may be laughing themselves all the way to a national championship this season.
Questions . . . . . . . . . .
1. Have you been to a UGA sporting event?
a. Describe the atmosphere of the event.
b. In your opinion, what was the best part?
c. What kind of game would you like to go see that you haven’t yet? Golf? Gymnastics? Basketball? Baseball? Tennis? Football? Soccer? Swimming? Cross-country? Softball? Hockey?
2. Do you or have you ever played any sports?
a. Did you have a nickname on your team?
b. Do you still pursue this when you have time?
c. What sport would you like to learn how to play?
3. You may or may not have seen these student golfers actually play, but how in general do you feel about student athletes who have dreams of playing professionally and “making it big” one day?
4. Do you think sports teams should heavily “lean on” certain key players to “carry the team”? Why or why not?
5. If you were approaching your final year in college, specifically here at UGA, how would you enjoy your time “to the fullest”?
[1] to lean on (someone) = to rely on (someone), to put your faith in their abilities, resources (such as money), etc.
[2] to pay dividends = something that “pays dividends” has become very worthwhile and has produced good results
[3] to be surreal = to be so fortuitous and amazing that it’s almost too good to be true (in this situation); in other contexts, when someone says that some event or thing seems or feels “surreal,” it might sometimes make him/her feel strange and disconnected from “reality” for a moment in time. There are several possible structures, but it is not to be taken literally in these idiomatic contexts.
[4] to put (someone or some group) on the map = to become strategically poised to succeed. Perhaps winning a critical game could put a sports team “back on the map.”
[5] to turn pro = to advance past the amateur level to become a professional in a certain sport. It is usually used in reference to sports athletes.
[6] to be back to 100 percent = to be completely well again, perhaps following a serious injury or illness
[7] to enjoy (something) to the fullest = to enjoy (something) as much as possible; usually used with a time reference, whether finite or indefinite. For example, you might enjoy life to the fullest, your senior year in college to the fullest, your last vacation day to the fullest, etc.
[8] to take (something) for granted = to allow an opportunity to escape, perhaps because one has ignored it or did not take the time to fully appreciate it; conversely to not take something for granted means the opposite: to seize the opportunity to the highest degree so as to make the most of the situation. You can take physical things (wealth, health), people (a wife, a brother) or abstract ideas (time, love, kindness, generosity, power) for granted. If you had already been talking about “it” (whatever you have taken for granted), it is common to simply say, “I took it (all] for granted.”
[9] to take heed = to pay particular attention to; usually used as an imperative command or warning (e.g. “Take heed lest you fall” is an old verse); it’s very formal and more often encountered in literature and other writings than in day-to-day speech. You can also “pay heed,” but this is even less frequently used in contemporary American society. Hope these comments helped!
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