Daily English 1229 Telling Others to Go Away

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:12
Explanation begins at: 3:21
Normal Speed begins at: 16:34

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,229 – Telling Others to Go Away.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,229. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.

This episode is a dialogue between Joshua and Rosa about how to tell other people to leave. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Joshua: Beat it and don’t come back!

Rosa: What’s all the noise?

Joshua: It’s the neighborhood kids. All I want to do on this sunny afternoon is sit out on the porch and enjoy the day. But those neighborhood kids keep coming around and making all kinds of noise. Hey you, shoo!

Rosa: They’re just trying to get a rise out of you. Maybe if you ignore them and stop waving them off and telling them to run along, they’ll go away on their own.

Joshua: If I don’t tell them to get lost, they’ll sit here in front of my house and clown around. They’ll make so much noise it’ll wreck my peace and quiet. Hey, I see you. Take a hike!

Rosa: I think I know what to do to get you that peace and quiet. I’ll be right back.

Joshua: Where are you going?

Rosa: I’m going to get a plate of cookies for those kids.

Joshua: Are you crazy? Are you rewarding those rowdy troublemakers with cookies?!

Rosa: It’s a bribe and it always works.

[end of dialogue]

We begin our dialogue by hearing Joshua say, “Beat it and don’t come back!” “Beat (beat) it (it)” is a rude, informal phrase we use to tell someone to go away, to leave, to leave you alone. You may remember the Michael Jackson song “Beat It.” “Beat it, beat it. No one wants to be defeated.” No? Well anyway, there was this really popular song many years ago called “Beat It” by this guy named Michael Jackson, and the expression meant in that song what Joshua means in our dialogue, which is to leave, to go away, but it’s a very rude phrase. It’s a very impolite way of telling someone to leave. Joshua says to someone, “Beat it and don’t come back!” meaning do not return here.

Rosa asks, “What’s all the noise?” In other words, why is Joshua yelling. Joshua responds, “It’s the neighborhood kids,” meaning it’s the children who live near our house. “All I want to do,” meaning the only thing I want to do, “on this sunny afternoon is sit out on the porch and enjoy the day.” Joshua wants to sit on his “porch” (porch) and enjoy his day. A porch is an area in front of a house, often made of either wood or cement, that doesn’t have any walls around it, although it will often have something overhead – a “roof” (roof) – to protect you from the rain and sun.

Porches aren’t as common here in Los Angeles as they are in other cities, especially with newer houses, but where I grew up it was quite common in the houses of my neighborhood to see people on their porches – for houses to have porches, in fact. Almost none of the houses in my neighborhood here in L.A. have porches. They’re just not as common in the houses in this area, and I think they’re not as common in newer houses.

In any case, Joshua is mad about the neighborhood kids. He says, “Those neighborhood kids keep coming around” – that is, they keep coming close to his house – “and making all kinds of noise.” Joshua then yells at another one of the neighborhood children. He says, “Hey you, shoo!” “Shoo” (shoo) is another informal word used to tell someone to go away. It’s sometimes used humorously, as in making a joke, but Joshua isn’t joking here.

Rosa says, “They’re just trying to get a rise out of you.” “To get a rise (rise) out of” someone is to try to make someone react, especially react angrily. Usually people are doing this to annoy you and to get you to react in a certain emotional way. I suppose it’s a way of controlling you in some sense. Some people like to do this on the internet. They like to make comments on Twitter or Facebook to “provoke” (provoke) someone. “To provoke” means the same as “to get a rise out of” someone – to make someone react in anger.

Rosa thinks these neighborhood children are just trying to get a rise out of Joshua. She says, “Maybe if you ignore them and stop waving them off and telling them to run along, they’ll go away on their own.” Rosa suggests that Joshua “ignore” (ignore) the children. “To ignore” means not to pay attention to something or someone, to pretend that you don’t even notice or see something.

“To wave (wave) someone off” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to move your hand in the air, back and forth, indicating that someone should leave or move away because you no longer want that person to be near you. “To tell someone to run along” (along) is similar to telling someone to shoo, or to beat it. It’s telling someone to go away. However, it isn’t a rude expression necessarily. If someone tells you to run along, the person isn’t necessarily being rude to you, although typically it would be an expression that someone in authority would use with someone of lesser power.

A mother might tell her children to run along. A police officer might tell a teenager to run along. In both cases, they’re telling people to move away – to walk away or to move away from where they are standing right now. We can also use this expression about ourselves. We can say, “Well, I have to run along now.” That means “I have to leave now.” “I have to go somewhere else.” Rosa thinks that Joshua should stop trying to wave the children off or tell them to run along. If he did, “they’ll go away on their own,” meaning they’ll leave without anyone having to tell them to leave.

Joshua disagrees. He says, “If I don’t tell them to get lost, they’ll sit here in front of my house and clown around.” To tell someone “to get lost” is the same as telling them “to shoo” or “to beat it” or “to run along.” It’s a way of telling someone to leave, and it is once again a rude expression, to be sure. Joshua says the children sit in front of his house and “clown (clown) around.” “To clown around” means to be silly, to be goofy, to do things like a child would do, often to make someone else angry or annoyed.

Joshua says, “They’ll make so much noise, it’ll wreck my peace and quiet.” “To wreck” (wreck) something is to destroy or ruin something, to make something less valuable. Joshua is worried about the children’s noise “wrecking his peace and quiet.” Your “peace (peace) and quiet (quiet)” is your calm environment where you are relaxed, where you are not stressed.

Joshua again talks to one of the children. He says, “Hey, I see you. Take a hike!” “Take a hike” (hike), when used as a command, means the same as “to get lost,” “to go way,” “to shoo,” and “to beat it.” And it is also a rude expression. If you want someone to leave, you could just say, “You know what, take a hike.” It’s a very rude thing, a very impolite thing to say, however. It’s probably not as common as it was when I was growing up, but you will still hear people say it.

Rosa says, “I think I know what to do to get you that peace and quiet. I’ll be right back.” Rosa thinks she has a solution to Joshua’s problem of the noisy children. Joshua says, “Where are you going?” Rosa replies, “I’m going to get a plate of cookies for those kids.” Rosa is going to give the children cookies. Joshua says, “Are you crazy?” meaning this is a dumb idea. “Are you rewarding those rowdy troublemakers with cookies?!”

Joshua can’t believe that Rosa is going to “reward those rowdy troublemakers.” “To reward” (reward) is to give someone a prize or a present or a gift because they’ve done something good. “Rowdy” (rowdy) refers to an activity that is very loud and energetic, often annoying other people. A “troublemaker” is a person who, well, makes trouble – who causes problems. Joshua can’t believe Rosa wants to give these loud, rowdy, troublemaking children cookies.

Rosa says, “It’s a bribe and it always works.” A “bribe” (bribe) is something you give to another person to make that person do something for you. Bribes are often illegal, or against the law, especially if you are giving them to someone in the government. That doesn’t mean the person won’t accept your bribe, however, but a bribe more generally refers to money or gifts that you give someone to do something for you, often something that they should do anyway or often in a situation where you’re not supposed to give that person anything to do what you want him or her to do.

Rosa thinks, probably correctly, that sometimes children will do what you want to do if you bribe them, and every parent probably would agree.

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

[start of dialogue]

Joshua: Beat it and don’t come back!

Rosa: What’s all the noise?

Rosa: They’re just trying to get a rise out of you. Maybe if you ignore them and stop waving them off and telling them to run along, they’ll go away on their own.

Joshua: If I don’t tell them to get lost, they’ll sit here in front of my house and clown around. They’ll make so much noise it’ll wreck my peace and quiet. Hey, I see you. Take a hike!

Rosa: I think I know what to do to get you that peace and quiet. I’ll be right back.

Joshua: Where are you going?

Rosa: I’m going to get a plate of cookies for those kids.

Joshua: Are you crazy? Are you rewarding those rowdy troublemakers with cookies?!

Rosa: It’s a bribe and it always works.

[end of dialogue]

We never want our scriptwriter to go away. That’s because she writes such wonderful scripts. Thanks to our very own 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

beat it – a rude, informal phrase used to tell someone to go away, disappear, or leave one alone

* Beat it! This is a private conversation between Lola and me, and we don’t want you to hear what we’re saying.

porch – the area in front of a home, with a wooden or cement floor, no walls, and possibly a roof-like cover, usually used to sit and enjoy being outdoors with protection from rain or sun

* On hot summer days, they like to sit in rocking chairs on the porch and drink lemonade.

shoo – a word used to tell someone to go away or leave, often rude, and often used humorously

* The woman told her children to shoo and play outside so that she could watch her TV show without interruption.

to get a rise out of (someone) – to try to make someone react angrily, usually just to show that one has some kind of power over that person

* If you want to get a rise out of Grandpa, just tell him that you believe gun ownership is wrong.

to ignore – to intentionally not pay attention to something; to pretend that one does not notice or see something

* Why would the patient ignore those symptoms for so long? He should have seen a doctor months ago.

to wave (someone) off – to move one’s hand in the air to indicate that someone should move further away and leave, usually because that person’s presence is no longer desirable

* The store clerk approached the customers to ask if they needed help, but they waved him off before he could speak.

to run along – to go away, especially to keep walking past something

* The policeman caught the thief and then turned to the people who were watching, saying, “Run along, everything is under control and there’s nothing else to see here.”

to go away – to leave; to depart

* Why did you go away without saying goodbye?

to get lost – to leave because one is no longer wanted, usually used in a rude way

* Sally told her little brother to get lost, but he kept following her around.

to clown around – to be goofy or silly; to do immature, childish things for entertainment or to annoy someone else

* The teacher is frustrated because some of the students are clowning around in class, telling jokes and passing notes to their friends instead of concentrating on the lesson.

to wreck – to ruin or destroy; to make something less valuable or enjoyable

* The thunderstorm ruined our outdoor wedding.

peace and quiet – a calm environment in which one has little or no stress

* This resort offers peace and quiet to aspiring writers who want to be able to concentrate on their writing with no distractions.

to take a hike – to go away; to get lost; a rude phase used to tell someone to leave because he or she is no longer wanted

* You’ve been sleeping on my couch for two weeks! It’s time to take a hike and find another place to live.

to reward – to give someone a present, prize, honor, or recognition in exchange for good behavior or a significant accomplishment

* Do you think it’s appropriate to reward children for good grades by paying them?

rowdy – too loud and energetic, typically when describing children’s uncontrolled behavior

* Victor’s sons are really rowdy, always getting into trouble and fighting with each other.

troublemaker – a person who often gets into trouble, creates problems, or breaks the law

* Teachers often send troublemakers to the principal’s office for punishment.

bribe – something that is given to another person as an incentive to make that person behave well

* When people find out that the construction firms offered bribes to the mayor, they’ll be furious.

Comprehension Questions

1. Why is Joshua waving the kids off?
a) Because he wants them to shoo.
b) Because he wants them to wreck his peace and quiet.
c) Because he wants them to clown around.

2. What are rowdy troublemakers?
a) Sick children
b) Dangerous children
c) Noisy children

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to wave (someone) off

The phrase “to wave (someone) off,” in this podcast, means to move one’s hand in the air to indicate that someone should move further away and leave, usually because that person’s presence is no longer desirable: “The politician finished answering six questions and then waved the reporters off, saying he had to leave.” The phrase “ to wave (someone) off” can also mean to say goodbye, especially by accompanying someone to the point of departure: “It was very kind of you to wave me off at the train station.” Finally, the phrase “to wave (someone) down” means to get someone’s attention so that he or she stops, especially a taxi: “Could you please help me wave down a taxi?” Or, “Lets wave down someone who can help us fix this flat tire.”

to get lost

In this podcast, the phrase “to get lost” means to leave because one is no longer wanted, usually used in a rude way: “If anyone comes to our door trying to sell things, Joe tells them to ‘get lost.’” The phrase “to get lost in (something)” can mean to become completely absorbed and involved with something, so that one does not notice what else is happening and does not keep track of time: “I got lost in that novel and read until 3:00 a.m.” The phrase “to feel lost” means to not know what to do next and to not have a clear direction or purpose: “When I transferred to a new school, I felt lost without my friends.” Finally, the phrase “to be lost on (someone)” means for someone to not understand or benefit from something: “Your kindness was lost on Pedro. He didn’t even notice what you did.”

Culture Note

Common Children’s Games

During “recess” (breaks in the school day when children play outside) and “free time” (time without scheduled activities), children enjoy playing many different outdoor games. For example, there are many “variations on” (different versions of) “tag,” or games of chase. For example, in basic tag, one person is “it” and has to “chase” (run after) the other children. If “it” touches another child, he or she becomes “it” and has to chase the others. In “freeze tag,” anyone who is touched by “it” must “freeze” (stop moving) while the other children continue to run around their frozen playmates.

In “hide and seek,” one child is “designated” (named; appointed) the “seeker” (someone who is looking for something). The seeker covers his or her eyes and slowly counts “aloud” (in a voice that can be heard by others) to 20 while the other children “hide” (go to a place where they cannot be seen). The seeker then seeks the other children, and the last one to be found then takes a turn as the seeker when the game begins again.

In “red light, green light,” one child stands in the front as the “stoplight” (the colored lights that tell cars when to move or stop), and all the other children stand in a line facing the stoplight. When the stoplight turns and faces away from the children and shouts “green light,” all the children run as fast as they can toward the spotlight.” When the spotlight turns around quickly to face the children again and shouts “red light,” the other children must freeze as quickly as they can. If the spotlight sees them move, they have to return to where they began. The first person to reach the stoplight becomes the stoplight in the next “round” (one time when the game is played).

Comprehension Answers

1 - a

2 - c