June 7th, 1945 - Normandy, France
Pvt. Lazlo Perestroika (a.k.a. Poor Lazlo)
Cpt. James Ryan: "Ok, private, here's the situation: we're under heavy fire from a nearby enemy artillery unit. If we don't solve this ASAP, the poop will hit the paddles.Problem is: they're right in the middle of a mine field, so we can't just step in their yard. I want you to get near them and kill them with the mortar. Corporal Blaskowitz will help you."
Poor Lazlo: "Roger that, sir!"
Some minutes later, near the enemy artillery unit...
Cpl. Blaskowitz: "Ever fired a mortar? No? Here, give it it whirl!
The Poor Lazlo pressed the fire button, but he had forgotten to open the launch tube so the shell exploded just in front of his face. He died instantly, but Corporal Blaskowitz survived with just a scratch. Private Perestroika was buried and in his thomb you can read the following message:
Private Perestroika, KIA
"Poor Lazlo was a nice guy, but was killed by his own stupidity"
RIP
Right, this story was just an excuse to use some expressions and words. Here come their explanation:
a.k.a. = also known as >> it's used to give another name or nickname for something or someone, for example: Frank Sinatra, aka 'The Voice'
Ok >> everybody knows this is used to answer positively to questions and to say 'everything is fine' and so on, but do you know the origin of this word? Well, there are lots of theories, but one I like is that it comes from the military reports in the American Civil War saying that there were '0 kills' (nobody died) in a mission. '0' can be said 'zero' or 'oh' and 'kills' abbreviated (shortened) to 'k' (pronounced 'kay'). That's why you can also write 'okay' instead of 'ok'.
ASAP = as soon as possible >> it's used when the speaker wants to emphasize the urgency of something and means the same as 'quickly'. Another expression with a similar meaning is 'on the double'.
The poop hit the paddles >> this means the situation will get bad or you'll get in trouble. I don't know if it's a dirty expression, but I wouldn't use it in any situation other than informal ones. By the way, 'poop' means 'shit'and paddles are what you use to move a boat or play table tennis.
Give something a whirl = Give something a try >> it's a expression used to encourage someone to experiment doing something new
KIA = killed in action >> it's a word used in military contexts to say someone died during a battle
R.I.P. >> this one is a classic! It means 'rest in peace' If you like latin quotations, here's the original expression: 'requiescat in pace'.
I hope you have enjoyed my first post in this collaborative blog even though my English writing skills are no match for Tássio-san's.
1 comment:
hey ! Nice post! I actually didn't know what RIP and KIA meant... thanks!
I wouldn't worry too much about the dirtiness of "the poop hit the paddles". A more used one (and more crude) is "the shit hit the fan" which is much more... visual I'd say. Don't use it in a formal conversation or... the shit will hit the fan! :P
There is another one involving paddles. it's "up the creek without a paddle" which means to be in an extremely dificult situation... (but informal too so beware)
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