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Hello, Fast Fluency Formula members. This is Aaron, and I’m now going to talk about some of the words and phrases that Dan and I used in our conversation about money doesn’t grow on trees.

1. gets me

The first one is gets me. What “gets me” about this story, I say, is that it’s something you actually have to pick up and give to someone in exchange. You can’t do that; you have to keep track of it in your head. I’m referring to the stones, those large stones that the people of Yap used as money basically. What gets me about the story is that they had to keep track of this in their head. They couldn’t carry it around with them. When you use this phrase “gets me,” you’re talking in a very general way about something that moves you, that affects you. That movement or that affect can be many different types of feelings. It can be something that attracts you. It can be something that disgusts you or annoys you, or bothers you.

In fact, it’s often used in a somewhat negative way. Something that makes you angry or bothers you. It really gets you. Sometimes we say it “gets under your skin.” It gets under your skin when people take up too much space on the subway in the morning with all their bags on the seat. That really gets me, it gets under my skin. It moves me and it affects me in a negative way. In this conversation, I’m using it in a more positive way. What gets me about this, what attracts me, what hooks me about it is that these people, the Yaps, the Yapanese were using money that they couldn’t even carry so they had to keep track of it in their head. That really gets me. That causes me to be curious. That causes me to think about it with wonder. I can’t imagine trying to keep track of money in my head. What gets you? What moves you? What affects you?

1. the real deal

The next one is “the real deal.” Dan is talking about these Yapanese sailors that lost a big massive stone, and he says, “No, this is the real deal. This is no joke. It’s the authentic thing.” Any time you want to emphasize to someone that something is authentic, it’s real, you can use “the real deal.” For example, in certain cities in the world, there are places where you can go to buy watches, wristwatches, that have the logo of very expensive watches like Rolex. If you buy one of those, you might spend $10 or $20, and it looks like a Rolex from far away and even maybe from close up if it’s well made, but it’s not the real deal. It’s a fake, it’s a “knockoff” we say. If you have a real Rolex, you’ve probably spent several thousand dollars to buy it, or perhaps it was a gift from your grandfather or father. Someone sees it on your wrist and they say, “Oh, is that a fake one? Did you buy that in the streets of New York City or Hong Kong?” You say, “No, this is the real deal. This is the real deal. It’s the real thing. It’s authentic. This is a real Rolex.”

1. ones and zeros

Let’s move on. “Ones and zeros,” Dan says, “It’s all just ones and zeros.” It’s just credit, numbers moving from bank account to bank account. When he uses this phrase “ones and zeros,” he’s basically referring to a binary system. A binary system is, if you remember from your mathematics days, it’s just a very logical system of on and off, or positive/negative, yes/no. Binary, bi, that prefix means “two.” “Bicycle” is a vehicle with two wheels. A “bi-cultural” person is a person that grew up in two different cultures like this. A binary system is basically a code, and that’s what computer programs can be made of. That’s what a lot of electronic circuitry is derived from. Yeah, it’s the basis of many different systems. It’s a logical system, but Dan’s not really using it in that way. He’s using it as a synonym for a digital system, a system that’s not actually physical. You don’t actually carry around the money; banks, through computer technology, keep track of everything in the digital world. It’s all ones and zeros. It’s another way of saying “it’s all digital.”

1. in the same boat

Moving on. The next one is “in the same boat.” We’re talking about the vegans and how they got upset about the new five-pound note in the UK. Dan thinks it’s kind of crazy, and I say, “Yeah, but what about someone who really loves animals?” Dan says, “Well I care about animals too, but you got to look at the big picture.” He means the larger perspective. Then I respond by saying, “Yeah, I’m in the same boat as you, Dan.” To be in the same boat as another person means to share a similar circumstance with that person, to be in the same situation as that person. For example, as a foreigner living in Japan, I’m in the same boat as a lot of other foreigners. We share similar circumstances. We share similar problems. We share similar privileges. We’re in the same boat as each other. You might say that Fast Fluency Formula members are all in the same boat. They’re in the same kind of situation. They’re in the same membership. We’re in the same boat.

Of course, I kind of joke a little bit after this exchange and say, “Yeah, well actually we are all in the same boat. It’s floating through space,” and I’m talking about planet Earth. We’re all in the same situation. We all share the same home. We’re in this together. We’re one big family. We’re all in the same boat, like this. You can use that phrase to mean “in the same situation.” Don’t use it too frequently though, otherwise it gets old and you start to annoy people.

1. set (someone) off

Let’s move on. “Set them off.” It “sets you off.” What “sets you off?” We’re talking about how, same conversation, how people who really love animals and they care about animal rights. They have a very strict moral principle towards animals and humans’ relationships with animals. The fact that they’re might be animal fat in a five-pound note might set them off. What that means is spark a reaction. Make them upset, make them angry, and spur them to take some kind of action whether it be complaining, protesting, writing letters, making phone calls, getting in arguments. It sets them off. What sets you off? What upsets you? What makes you angry? I could take the example of a student in my classroom who might cause some disruption from time to time. Sometimes he might speak when I’m talking to the class, or he may be on his cellphone during an important part of the lesson.

Those things, they don’t really set me off. They bother me a little bit, but when he speaks really loudly about a completely different topic while I’m trying to explain something important to the class, that sets me off as a teacher. That upsets me a little bit. Then I need to take care of that situation by calling him out, confronting him, telling him that’s not acceptable. It sets me off. What sets you off? I’m sure many things that bother you in society will “set you off.” Make you upset, make you angry, spark a reaction.

1. lily white

Moving on, the next is “lily white.” Dan’s talking about the United Kingdom, the UK, and he says, “People have this image of the UK being lily white.” Basically, “lily white” means white people. It’s full of white people. It’s lily white. Caucasians, perhaps, is a more accurate term. When you say “lily white” as opposed to just “white,” there’s a slight difference in the connotation. A lily is, of course, a flower that often is of a white color. It’s a very beautiful, kind of elegant flower. When we say “lily white,” it has this connotation of being somewhat elegant, perhaps middle-class people and above, educated, that sort of feeling to it. That’s what Dan means when he says “lily white.” I think perhaps some people have that image but if you live near the UK and you’ve been to the UK recently, you know that’s not true. Actually even in Japan here, when I meet people and they find out that I’m American, they often talk about Americans.

As they’re talking, you get this feeling that they’re talking about Caucasians, about white people. I’ve had many situations where people just have this assumption that because they’re talking to a white person that all Americans are white. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. If you go to the United States, depending on where you go, it’s extremely diverse in terms of cultures and immigrants and people of different ethnic backgrounds, especially in the big cities. It’s not lily white. Perhaps you could say that about certain places in the center of the United States, in the Bread Basket. The very flat, plains area. Places like Nebraska or Kansas tend to have much higher populations of white people. Some people might refer to those areas as being lily white.

1. izakaya

Let’s move on. The next is “izakaya.” We’re talking about a Japanese izakaya. Perhaps you know what this is if you like Japanese food or you live in a really big city and there are many different types of Japanese restaurants. If you’ve never been to one, you should try to find one. They’re quite nice. They’re interesting. I really like going to izakayas. Actually, the word “izakaya” is made of three Japanese characters. The first is “ii,” which kind of means “a place to sit” or “a place to be.” “Zaka” is another word for “sake” or “liquor,” Japanese rice liquor, or any kind of liquor for that matter. “Ya” means like “house” or “building.” “Sitting, drinking in a place, in a building.” It’s much more than just a place to drink. Actually as you’re walking in, they have those big paper lanterns outside. Most people go there at night. Sometimes they have the “noren,” the little curtain that you go through to get inside.

Once you’re inside, the lighting is kind of dim. Everything’s made of wood. There’s lots of handwritten menus on the walls. It’s a very lively place. People are drinking and laughing and eating. The staff is shouting. It’s a really nice environment, and the food often is great. There are many different kinds of things you can order. Very small dishes that are delicious, lots of fresh seafood and fried foods, salads, and many different types of alcohol that you can order to drink. It’s a nice experience. Go to a Japanese izakaya if you get the chance. Moving on, there’s three more.

1. knock

The next is “knock.” I say, “Don’t knock British food.” Dan was “knocking” British food. What does that mean? To “knock” something means to speak in kind of a critical way or a bad way about something, to criticize it. Dan was saying, “British food, yuck.” I said to him, “Well, that’s kind of a stereotype.” Actually, the reality is there’s a lot of great food in England from what I hear. I haven’t been there in a long time, but these gastro pubs. Actually, a Japanese izakaya is kind of like a gastro pub, “gastro” meaning “gastronomic” meaning your stomach, food essentially. Of course a “pub” is a “public house.” It’s short for “public house,” a place where you go with lots of other people in the community and you drink, and eat in some cases. Drink and eat. A gastro pub. A lot of the gastro pubs in Britain, from what I hear, serve some really high quality, amazing food from talented, trained chefs. It’s changing people’s perceptions of British food which traditionally has the stereotype of not being very good, especially when you compare it to French food or Italian food for example.

Moving on. Anyway, don’t knock British food. That’s the main message there.

1. Powerball

“Powerball.” What’s a “Powerball?” A multi-state “Powerball?” We’re talking about this man who owned a construction business in West Virginia. He was already a millionaire, but then he won the multi-state Powerball and won over $100 million. When you hear this term “Powerball,” it essentially refers to a type of lottery that is very common in the United States. I think most states have it. There are 50 states in the United States. More than 40, perhaps, have a Powerball. It’s basically a weekly lottery where you buy tickets, you have a special series of numbers, and if you win, you win big. The pots are generally $40 million, $50 million, $60 million and beyond. If no one wins, the pots keep growing. Whenever you hear that term “Powerball,” that’s what it means.

Actually, it has its origins in the system of selecting those numbers. There are these little balls. They look like ping-pong balls, table tennis balls, and each ball has a number written on it, and it’s inside this big circular container with air. It blows the balls around and then one ball is selected from that moving mass of balls. Because there’s big money involved, they call it a “Powerball.” “Powerball” is the kind of lottery. Have you ever played the Powerball?

1. wrap this up

Finally, and this is a good one, “wrap this up.” Dan says, “Let’s wrap this up” at the very end of the conversation and I say, “Yeah, let’s wrap it up. We’ll see you next month.” To “wrap it up” means “to finish doing something.” Let’s “wrap this up.” Let’s wrap this dinner up. Let’s wrap this meeting up. Let’s wrap this day up. It just means “let’s finish it” just like when you’re wrapping something after you buy it, or you wrap a gift before you give it to someone. It’s the final thing that you do. You wrap it up in preparation for moving on to something else.

With that being said, let’s wrap this recording up. Let’s wrap this lesson up. Yeah, I hope you found these useful. Why don’t you try this? Here’s something you can do: choose one of these words and phrases, and see how many times you can use it in conversation in one day. Keep repeating it in your mind. Keep imagining different situations and use that in many different sentences in many different contexts, and then look for ways during the day to use it in conversations you have in English or if you’re writing. If you’re writing in a journal or participating in our forums, try and use it because the more times that you come in contact with that word or phrase and the more times you attempt to use it in different contexts, the deeper it will sink into your linguistic bank and you’ll be able to use it any time you’re ready. Okay, enjoy and have fun.