Antoine Dubeauclard Show: Slang and Cultural Expressions

Approx. time Expression Explanation 
1:25 London, Ontario city of 350,000 (http://www.london.ca)
1:33 a good chunk of (informal) a good bit of, a good piece of (usually) a hard block of material, e.g., a chunk of wood, a chunk of chocolate…or in this case, a chunk of his time
1:47 yep (informal) yes
2:07 cockpit front of an airplane where the pilot controls the flight
2:47 formative having a strong and lasting influence on someone’s development
3:17 by-product something that comes as a result of something else, but happens without planning or intention.  Antoine said that a by-product of living in a different culture is learning to see and think differently afterwards.  He wasn’t intending to change, but change naturally came about from his life overseas.
3:42 spork a utensil that is half-fork, half-spoon
3:44 beyond me impossible to understand or process
3:52 let alone not to mention; and here is an even stronger example
4:47 savored tasted slowly, with enjoyment
4:55 slamming their Big Mac eating their large hamburger quickly
5:25 ritual a practiced ceremony or routine of activities (sometimes religious)
5:30 produce fruit and vegetables
5:34 aggregate put together, form a group
5:45 convening gathering, coming together
6:06 mystique mysterious quality, appeal, or charm
6:11 X-bazillion many; more than a million (usually said as an exaggeration)
7:12 Muammar Gaddafi military dictator of Libya (from 1969-2011)
7:25 dissented disagreed on an official policy or decision
7:33 François Hollande elected President of France in 2012
7:54 shades of pink variations of left-wing political belief
7:56 Trotskyites, Leninists people who followed the political beliefs of Marxist Leon Trotsky or communist Vladimir Lenin
8:26 clashes conflicts, collisions, disagreements
8:39 raise our voice get loud, speak emotionally
8:47 right up there very popular, ranked (up) near the top of the list
9:13 embedded inserted, implanted, set inside
9:18 Wild West cowboy culture of the western United States of the second half of the 19th century
9:27 bandes dessinées French/Belgian comic books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Belgian_comics)
9:51 idolization strong admiration, great love, or worship
9:54 cynicism belief in the selfishness, not in the goodness, of people
9:58 divergences differences, places of distinctiveness
10:17 get ired at get annoyed with, become angry at
10:40 burgeoning growing quickly, flourish
11:01 pigeonhole to limit people by placing them in a narrow role or category
11:04 nerd someone who is studious or intellectually advanced but socially unskilled
11:13 fly-tying creating one’s own “flies” used as bait in fly-fishing
11:40 continuum an unbroken sequence or scale going between two extreme positions
11:46 Renaissance European cultural movement from the 14th to 17th century which saw the flourishing of art, literature, architecture, political science, and intellect
11:52 enlightenment knowledge, wisdom, learning, awareness
13:14 characterization describing the features or qualities
13:38 Council of Gauls Celtic people living 2000 years ago in what is now France
13:50 downside disadvantage
14:21 First Peoples native tribes of North America (before the Europeans arrived)
14:27 combat history fight with past traditions
14:49 long legacy tradition or achievement from the distant past which continues today
15:03 counterparts person performing a corresponding job in another place
15:34 IPAs India pale ales; beer type with strong flavor of hops

Alan Headbloom

Alan advises Americans how to be global citizens and expats how to fit in to Michigan culture without annoying their native coworkers and clients. He also tweets and blogs at the intersection of language and culture. Over decades, he's traveled, studied, or lived on six continents, putting strange foods into his mouth and emitting strange sounds from it. His use of English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Swedish, Hausa, and Japanese all improve with alcohol use. He gives invited public presentations on culture and unsolicited private advice on English grammar and usage; the latter isn't always appreciated. Visit his website for information on consulting, coaching, or speaking engagements.