Global Culture

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Why We Say “OK”

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Vocabulary & Expressions

abbreviation: 약어
“OK” actually traces back to an 1830s fad of intentionally misspelling abbreviations.

establish: 확립하다
vernacular: 말, 토착어
That 1840 presidential campaign firmly established “OK” in the American vernacular. 

transmission: 송신
It was quickly adopted as a standard acknowledgement of a transmission received, especially by operators on the expanding US railroad. 

spur: 박차를 가하다
at the turn of the century: 세기의 전환기에
That rarity spurred a “Kraze for K” at the turn of the century in advertising and print, where companies replaced hard “Cs” with “Ks” in order to catch your eye.

reflex: 반사적인 반응
It’s sort of a reflex at this point.

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Why You Have an Accent in a Foreign Language

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Vocabulary & Expressions

abroad: 해외로
Have you ever found yourself speaking English with a weird hybrid accent when you go abroad?

palm: 손바닥
Hold the palm of your hand up in front of your mouth and say “Paris” in English.

puff of air: 뿜어져 나오는 바람
You’ll feel a little puff of air on your hand.

ditch: 버리다
Ditching your language’s stress pattern is often very hard and is not always well taught.

whereas: 반면
intervals: 간격
Whereas in English, the stressed syllables come at roughly regular intervals, and the remainder are less distinctly pronounced.

distinguish: 구별하다
This is how you could distinguish Italian from English being spoken through a wall…

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The Unexpected Origin of the Michelin Star

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Vocabulary & Expressions

prestigious: 권위있는
The most prestigious restaurant and book in the world.

cuisine: 요리
So how did a French tire company goes from cars to cuisine?

ingenious: 기발한
An ingenious idea struck.

inspector: 검사원
So, the brothers sent secret inspectors to visit and review restaurants.

quality of products: 제품의 품질
consistency: 일관성
Michelin inspectors would then judge the restaurants on 5 rules: quality of products, personality of the chef represented in the dish, value for money, consistency, and mastery of flavor and cooking technique.

detour: 우회
Two stars, excellent cooking, worth a detour.

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Wine: Savoring the Flavor, Not the Price

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Vocabulary & Expressions

pleasant: 기분 좋은
Yeah, that’s really not very pleasant.

inconsistent: 일관성 없는
Professional judges give medals in wine competitions, but they’re really inconsistent.

distribution: 분포
This is the distribution of gold medals that you would expect if they were awarded by random chance.

surreptitiously: 남모르게
consistently: 일관되게
When surreptitiously given the same wine 3 times, only 1 in 10 of the judges at the California State Fair wine competition consistently awarded it the same medal.

all over the map: 제각각인
Wine ratings published in magazines can be all over the map too.

in reality: 실제로는
associated: 관련된
In reality, it was the same wine, but when they thought it was expensive, their brains showed more activity in a region associated with pleasant tastes and smells.

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Gestures Around the World

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Vocabulary & Expressions

obscene: 외설적인
…while in Brazil and other places, it’s considered obscene.

emphasize: 강조하다
wait a second: 잠깐 기다리다
In Italy, they might make this sign to emphasize a point, while in Jordan it can mean “Wait a second.”

flick: (손가락으로) 튕기다
And in Russia, they flick their throat.

universal: 전 세계적인, 일반적인
But even this isn’t universal.

tilt: 기울이다
And in South Asia, they have a third option which involves tilting the head from side to side.  

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Inside the World of Water Sommeliers

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Vocabulary & Expressions

connoisseur: 감식가, 전문가
The Fine Water Summit in Athens, Greece, brings together connoisseurs of the world’s best waters.

melting glaciers: 녹는 빙하
aficionado: 광, 애호가
As rainwater from remote locations and water collected from melting glaciers take center stage for these aqua aficionados…

artificially: 인공적으로
The bubbles are not artificially added.

purified: 정화된
Everybody drinks purified water because they think water should be pure…

inequity: 불평등
…events like these can also highlight the inequities of our planet’s most precious resource. 

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A Taste of Global Coffee Culture

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Vocabulary & Expressions

pick-me-up: 기운을 돋우는 음료나 음식
The pick-me-up drink is enjoyed around the globe by many cultures in tons of ways.

shortage: 부족, 결핍
Vietnamese egg coffee was invented in 1946, during a wartime milk shortage.

consistency: 농도
Egg yolk and sweetened condensed milkare whipped together to give the coffee a thick and creamy consistency.

pour over: ~ 위에 붓다
Microfoam, or steamed milk, is poured over a shot of espresso.

invented by mistake: 실수로 만들어진
The Greek frappé is said to have been invented by mistake…

staple: 주된, 주요한
Café Bombón is a staple expresso drink in Spain.

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The History of the Turkey Pardon

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Vocabulary & Expressions

pardon: 사면하다
Commander-in-Chief: 총사령관
…he made time for an executive duty: his final pardoning of the turkey as Commander-in-Chief.

spare: 목숨을 살려주다
The annual tradition sees two lucky birds spared from the dinner table.

cold turkey: 갑자기, 단번에
No way I’m cutting this habit cold turkey.

on record: 기록상의
Lincoln, it appears, was the first on record.

take a liking to: 정이 들다 
…but it was a Christmas turkey that his son had taken a liking to.

reprieve: 사형 집행 유예
Richard Nixon also gave the birds a reprieve, sending his turkeys to a nearby petting zoo. 
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Queue To See Queen Elizabeth II Reopens

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Vocabulary & Expressions

somber: 침울한, 우울한
But you know, it’s also a somber mood.

hanky: 손수건 (handkerchief의 약어 표현)
As one woman told me, she says, “I’ve got my hanky ready.”

show up: 나타나다
Hundreds of thousands showing up, including David Beckham, the football legend…

tide of emotion: 밀려오는 감정
engulf: 사로잡다
We have been overwhelmed by the tide of emotion that has engulfed us…

stand vigil: 철야하다
… all eight grandchildren are expected to stand vigil at her majesty’s casket… 
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Jon Hamm Reveals Rules for Meeting the Royal Family

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Vocabulary & Expressions

royal protocol: 왕실의례 
adhere: (규칙을) 따르다, 지키다 
Jon Hamm is spilling details about the royal protocol he had to adhere to…

dos and don’ts: 해야 할 것과 해서는 안될 것, 주의 사항
…the Mad Men alum detailed the dos and don’ts he was advised about…

offer (one’s) hand: 악수를 청하다
…you can’t offer your hand…

green light: 허락, 승인
…he got the green light for a handshake.

get lost in (something): ~에 푹 빠지다, ~에 넋이 나가다 
I got lost in his eyes…

courteous: 공손한, 예의 바른
…seemingly attempting to be courteous… 
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