Daily English 1205 Bragging About Success With Women

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:31
Explanation begins at: 3:29
Normal Speed begins at: 15:06

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English is a Second Language Podcast number 1,205 – Bragging about Success with Women.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,205. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Education Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue about being successful romantically with women – something I know nothing about. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Jonah: I’d love to get a date with Jessica. She’s so hot!

Becca: You mean you want to add another notch to your bedpost.

Jonah: I’ve been around the block, but there’s nothing wrong with sowing a few wild oats. That’s all part of being young and carefree.

Becca: Hmm, maybe you shouldn’t be telling me about your conquests.

Jonah: Why not? It’s no secret that I’ve got game. Chicks dig me. Last week alone I . . .

Becca: Really, I think I’ll take a pass on the play-by-play.

Jonah: See that woman over there? Watch me put the moves on her.

Becca: No, thanks. I’m leaving.

Jonah: Wait! Are you going to put in a good word for me with Jessica?

Becca: You know that she’s a good friend of mine, right?

Jonah: Of course I do. That’s why I’m asking you.

Becca: And you thought I’d set her up with a player?

Jonah: I thought she might like a man with experience.

Becca: Forget it.

Jonah: In that case, what are you doing Saturday?

[door slams]

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Jonah saying to Becca, “I’d love to get a date with Jessica.” A “date” is a romantic appointment – going to a movie or having dinner with someone you are romantically interested in. Jonah thinks that Jessica is “hot,” meaning she’s attractive in a sexual way.

Becca says, “You mean you want to add another notch to your bedpost? “To add a notch” (notch) to something is to make a mark, usually in a piece of wood. The idea usually is that you are making the notch to mark or to count the number of times you’ve done something. If you are making a notch in your “bedpost,” which is part of your bed, you are symbolically, if not actually, trying to count the number of romantic partners you’ve had.

Becca says that Jonah isn’t really interested in Jessica as a person, but rather as a sexual object. Jonah says, “I’ve been around the block.” The expression – to say you’ve “been around the block” (block) – means you’ve had a lot of experience doing something.

Jonah says, “There’s nothing wrong with sowing a few wild oats” (oats). This expression “to sow (sow) wild oats” is actually a very old one, going back at least 500 years. It refers nowadays, in general, to a young man wasting his life doing things that aren’t very productive like drinking, and more specifically, having sexual experiences with different women. Depending on the context, it could be used to describe a young man who is wasting his life drinking and partying and, more specifically, on sexual adventures.

Jonah says, “That’s all part of being young and carefree.” “To be carefree” (carefree) means not to have any worries or concerns – to be free of cares, without any concerns. If you believe that “sowing a few wild oats” means that you will be carefree, you may be among the 50 percent of Americans who will at some point have a sexually transmitted disease in your lifetime. So, congratulations. A “sexually transmitted disease” is a disease you get from having sex with someone else who has that disease. But Jonah believes he will be carefree.

Becca says, “Hmm, maybe you shouldn’t be telling me about your conquests” (conquests). A “conquest” is a victory or success. In this case it refers to having sexual relations. Jonah says, “Why not? It’s no secret I’ve got game.” The expression “I’ve got game” is used to show that a person is very good at something. It is sometimes used especially among men who think that they are very attractive to other women and are able to have many romantic relationships with women, or to have those easily because women are attracted to them.

In fact, that’s what Jonah says in the next sentence. He says, “Chicks dig me.” The word “chick” (chick) is an informal word for a female, especially a young female. It is considered somewhat of a sexist term. You probably do not want to use it in your own conversation. It’s also somewhat of an older term that isn’t as common now as it was maybe 30 years ago – similarly with the expression “to dig” someone. “To dig” (dig) someone means that you are attracted romantically to that person.

Jonah seems to think that women are attracted to him. That’s why he says, “Chicks dig me.” “Last week alone, I . . .” He begins to tell Becca something but Becca interrupts him. She says, “Really, I think I’ll take a pass on the play-by-play.” “To take a pass (pass) on” something is to choose not to do something or not to receive something. Someone may offer you, I don’t know, a piece of pie, and you are trying to lose weight. So you say, “I think I’ll take a pass on the piece of pie, but thank you.” You are declining to have it. You are choosing not to have it.

Becca wants to “take a pass on the play-by-play.” “Play-by-play” is a detailed description of what happens – or in this case, of what happened. “Play-by-play” is a phrase that comes from the world of sports, when you are watching or listening to a sporting event. The person who is announcing the game, who is talking about the game, will usually tell you exactly what is happening. This is especially true if you are listening on the radio. In order to understand what is happening in the game, the person who is announcing the game gives you the “play-by-play” – exactly what is happening at every moment in the game.

Jonah says, “See that woman over there? Watch me put the moves on her.” “To put the moves (moves) on” a person means to flirt with that person, to try to get that person interested in you romantically. Becca says, “No, thanks. I’m leaving.” Jonah says, “Wait! are you going to put in a good word for me with Jessica?”

“To put in a good word” for someone is to recommend someone to someone else or to say something good about someone. This is often used when someone is, say, applying for a job, or wanting to get a promotion, or simply wants another person to like him. You may ask your friend “to put in a good word for you” with a woman that he knows so that that woman will be interested in you. It probably won’t work, but you can try.

Becca says, “You know that she’s a good friend of mine, right?” Becca is reminding Jonah that Jessica is one of her friends. Jonah says, “Of course I do. That’s why I’m asking you.” Becca says, “And you thought I’d set her up with a player?” “To set someone up” here means to arrange for someone to have a romantic date with another person.

When I first moved to Southern California, I had a student in one of my classes that I was teaching who I later became friends with, and she had a woman that she knew who was single, who was looking to date – who was looking to find a romantic partner. And so she set me up with her friend. She got the two of us together and we went out and had dinner and went dancing, I think. It wasn’t really a good match. She didn’t like me that much. I didn’t like her that much. So, things kind of ended. But my friend was nice enough to “set me up on a date,” we might say, with this other woman. I think that’s the only time I’ve ever been set up on a date. Those kinds of arrangements are often very successful. My mother and father met by being set up on a date by their friends.

Becca doesn’t want to set up her friend Jessica on a date with Jonah because Jonah is a “player” (player). A “player” in this context is a man who dates a lot of women, mostly because he wants to have sexual relations with them, not because he’s interested in them for any long-term romantic relationship such as getting married. Jonah says, “I thought she might like a man with experience.” Becca says, however, “Forget it,” meaning she’s not going to help him.

Jonah then says, “In that case, what are you doing Saturday?” Now Jonah is asking Becca for a date, and we don’t hear Becca’s response. We just hear the sound of the door slamming. “To slam” (slam) here refers to a door that is being closed very loudly. The idea, of course, is that Becca is saying no to Jonah by leaving. When a woman slams the door on you, you know she’s probably not very happy – at least that’s my experience, anyway.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Jonah: I’d love to get a date with Jessica. She’s so hot!

Becca: You mean you want to add another notch to your bedpost.

Jonah: I’ve been around the block, but there’s nothing wrong with sowing a few wild oats. That’s all part of being young and carefree.

Becca: Hmm, maybe you shouldn’t be telling me about your conquests.

Jonah: Why not? It’s no secret that I’ve got game. Chicks dig me. Last week alone I . . .

Becca: Really, I think I’ll take a pass on the play-by-play.

Jonah: See that woman over there? Watch me put the moves on her.

Becca: No, thanks. I’m leaving.

Jonah: Wait! Are you going to put in a good word for me with Jessica?

Becca: You know that she’s a good friend of mine, right?

Jonah: Of course I do. That’s why I’m asking you.

Becca: And you thought I’d set her up with a player?

Jonah: I thought she might like a man with experience.

Becca: Forget it.

Jonah: In that case, what are you doing Saturday?

[door slams]

[end of dialogue]

We all dig the wonderful scripts by our wonderful scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.

Glossary

to add a notch to (one’s) bedpost – to add one more person with whom one has had sex, referring to a small cut made on the wooden part of a bed each time one has a new sexual partner

* He isn’t looking for a girlfriend or wife. He’s just looking to add a notch to his bedpost.

to have been around the block – to have a lot of experience

* We’ve been in this business for over 30 years, so we’ve been around the block.

to sow wild oats – for a young person to have a lot of adventures and experiences, especially sexual experiences

* James is only 19 and he’s not ready to get married yet. He feels like he needs to sow his wild oats first.

carefree – without any cares, concerns, or worries; freely

* Children are so carefree, and then they become adults who are worried about jobs and money.

conquest – a victory or success, especially when referring to a sexual relationship

* If you knew about all his sexual conquests over the years, I don’t think you’d want to date him.

got game – an informal phrase used when a person is very good at something, especially at getting attention for romantic or sexual relationships, usually used when talking about a man

* Wow, he’s got game! When he walked into the room, all the women turned to look at him.

chicks dig (someone) – an informal phrase used to mean that a man is very attractive to women, and women want to be around him, date him, and be in a sexual or romantic relationship with him

* Chicks dig him now, but what will happen in a few years when he gains weight and starts losing his hair?

to take a pass on – to choose not to have, do, or receive something

* Normally, I love going dancing on Saturday nights, but I’ll take a pass tonight. I’m too tired.

play-by-play – a detailed description of what happened

* This book presents a play-by-play on what happened on the night when the Titanic sank.

to put the moves on (someone) – to strongly flirt with someone, trying to make a positive, strong impression that results in a romantic relationship

* A lot of men have tried to put the moves on Beatrix, but she never gives them her phone number.

to put in a good word for (someone) – to make a referral or recommendation; to say something good about someone, especially when recommending that person for a position, job, or opportunity

* I’m applying for a job in your department. Could you please put in a good word for me with your boss?

to set (someone) up – to arrange for someone to have a date with another person; to be a matchmaker for someone

* Wow, your cousin is beautiful, smart, and witty! Could you set me up with her?

player – a man who dates and has sex with many women, without developing long relationships and without considering marriage

* William was a player for years, but when he met Marlynn, all of that changed and he wanted to settle down and get married.

to slam – for a door or another heavy object to make a loud noise when closing or falling forcefully, or for someone to cause a door or object to make that noise

* The supervisor slammed his hand against his desk in frustration yelling, “We’ll never make the deadline at this rate!”

Comprehension Questions

1. What does Jonah mean when he says, “I’ve been around the block”?
a) He has gone on a walk in the neighborhood.
b) He has gained a lot of experience.
c) He has moved too many times.

2. What does Becca mean when she says, “I think I’ll take a pass on the play-by-play”?
a) She doesn’t want to hear all the details.
b) She thinks Jonah is lying.
c) She already knows what he is going to say.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

play-by-play

The phrase “play-by-play,” in this podcast, means a detailed description of what happened: “The police are interviewing witnesses to try to get the play-by-play of what really happened on the night of the murder.” The phrase “play-by-play” is most often used when talking about sports reporting: “The commentator gave a play-by-play of the entire baseball game over the radio.” The phrase “at play” means influencing or having some effect: “Consumer confidence is at play when predicting the health of any economy.” The phrase “to put (something) into play” means to use something: “Your accounting skills will come into play when analyzing other companies’ financial statements.” Finally, the phrase “to make a play for (something)” means to try to get something, especially to try to get power: “Have you thought about making a play in the upcoming elections?”

to slam

In this podcast, the verb “to slam” means for a door or another heavy object to make a loud noise when closing or falling forcefully: “The drunk driver slammed her car into the side of the building.” Sometimes the verb “to slam” means for something to be hit between other objects forcefully: “Ouch! I slammed my hand in the car door.” The phrase “to slam on the brakes” means to stop a car very quickly: “If you hadn’t slammed on your breaks, you might have hit that little girl!” Finally, the phrase “to slam the door in (someone’s) face” means to refuse to speak with someone: “Sometimes salespeople have to get used to people slamming the door in their face.”

Culture Note

Classic Dating & Relationship Shows

The Dating Game was a popular “dating show” (a television program that shows people dating each other) in which a “bachelorette” (a woman who is single) would sit on the “stage” (a raised area in front of an audience, used for performance in theaters) and “pose” (ask) questions to three “bachelors” (men who are not married). She would not be able to see the three bachelors, but the “viewing audience” (people who were watching the show) could see all four people. At the end of the show, she would choose one of the men for a date, and then be allowed to see him. Sometimes the “gender roles” (who is a man and who is a woman) would be reversed, with a bachelor posing questions to three bachelorettes.

The show “aired” (was shown on TV) beginning in 1965. There were some “gaps” (times when the show was not aired), but the last episode aired in 1999. Many of the “contestants” (people who participate in a game show) became famous after their appearance on the show. These include Farrah Fawcett, Suzanne Somers, Tom Selleck, and Steve Martin.

Another relationship game show, The Newlywed Game, aired between 1966 and 2013. The show has “newlyweds” (people who have been married for a short period of time) compete against other newlyweds by answering questions that “reveal” (show) how much the couples know about their partner. The winner is the couple that answers the most questions correctly. In some episodes, the couples get into “heated arguments” (very strong disagreements) over the answers to the questions, and sometimes this has led to “divorce” (the official end of a marriage)!

Comprehension Answers

1 - b

2 - a