Daily English 1259 Discovering a Family Secret

Dialogue/Story

Slow Speed begins at: 1:34
Explanation begins at: 4:03
Normal Speed begins at: 19:59

Complete Transcript

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,259 – Discovering a Family Secret.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 1,259. I’m your host, Dr. Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California. Yeah.

On this episode, we have a dialogue between Kelly and Yoon. It’s about discovering or finding out a secret related to your family. Sounds interesting. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Kelly: [sniffling]

Yoon: What’s the matter? Are you okay?

Kelly: You know that my mother’s funeral was last weekend. I brought some of her papers home with me to sort through and I’ve had a shock.

Yoon: What? An old family secret? Some skeleton in the closet?

Kelly: It was for my mother. While reading some of her letters, I found out that she had a son out of wedlock when she was young and she gave the baby up for adoption.

Yoon: Wow, that’s a bombshell!

Kelly: Yeah, I feel like I’ve been sucker punched. This is life-changing.

Yoon: Maybe you can ask your aunts and uncles about it.

Kelly: But what if my mother didn’t disclose this to me for a reason? I don’t want to air her dirty laundry now that she’s gone.

Yoon: You wouldn’t be airing dirty laundry. A part of your family history has come to light and you have questions. That’s natural. And plus, you’re keeping it in the family.

Kelly: But maybe they’ll feel like I’m dredging up something they wish had been forgotten.

Yoon: Or maybe they’ve been waiting for a chance to talk about it. You haven’t mentioned the most shocking part.

Kelly: What’s that?

Yoon: You may have a half-brother somewhere out there.

Kelly: Oh my God, you’re right. That possibility is both thrilling and terrifying!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Kelly “sniffling” (sniffling). “To sniffle,” as you heard, is to make a loud sound, usually because you are either crying or perhaps you are sick. You sniffle with your nose when you breathe in air, when the inside of your nose is wet. Yoon asks Kelly, realizing that she is crying, “What’s the matter?” meaning “What is the problem?” What’s wrong? He says, “Are you okay?”

Kelly says, “You know that my mother’s funeral was last weekend. I brought some of her papers home with me to sort through and I’ve had a shock.” A “funeral” (funeral) is a ceremony, often a religious ceremony, that you have when someone dies. Kelly’s mother died last weekend, and she brought some of her mother’s papers, some of her documents, home with her “to sort through,” meaning to look at and determine which ones she wants to keep and perhaps which she wants to get rid of.

She had a “shock,” however, when she read through her mother’s papers. A “shock” (shock) is a big surprise. It could be a good thing. It could be a bad thing. Here, because Kelly was crying, we know that it was a bad thing. Yoon says, “What? An old family secret?” A “family secret” is something about your family that you don’t want other people to find out about or perhaps some members of your family don’t want you to find out about. Yoon then says, “Some skeleton in the closet?”

This expression “a skeleton in the closet” refers to a family secret that is embarrassing or perhaps one that is shameful, that you don’t want other people to find out about. Literally, the word “skeleton” (skeleton) refers to the bones of a human body, usually the bones of someone who is dead and whose body has, I guess we would say, “decomposed,” or has decayed to such an extent that all you see are the bones. You don’t see any of the skin or other parts of the body. A “closet” (closet) is where you keep things. It’s where you, we would say, “store” (store) things such as clothing.

Most houses and apartments have closets where people put their clothing, but imagine if you killed someone and then put his body in the back of your closet to hide it so no one would find out. Eventually, many years later, someone could look in your closet and they would see a skeleton – the bones of the person whom you had killed. Well, that would be a very big family secret, and that’s perhaps where we get this expression from, of “a skeleton in the closet.” It doesn’t refer to someone you actually kill, however, but anything embarrassing that you don’t want other people to find out about.

Kelly said, “It was for my mother,” meaning the family secret or the shock, I guess, was for her mother. “While reading some of her letters,” Kelly says, “I found out that she had a son out of wedlock when she was young and she gave the baby up for adoption.” The expression “out of wedlock” (wedlock) means that you had a child when you weren’t married or before you got married. “Out of wedlock” means “outside of marriage.” “Wedlock” is an old term for being married. We don’t use it very often anymore.

In fact, this expression is not used very often anymore to refer to children who are born to parents who are not married, probably because there are now a high percentage of children, at least in the U.S., who are born to parents who are not married. So, it is no longer something that people keep secret. It is no longer something that people find embarrassing, and so we no longer use this expression as much as one did, say, when I was growing up or earlier.

In any case, her mother “had a son out of wedlock when she was young and she gave the baby up for adoption” (adoption). “Adoption” is the process of bringing a child into your family as a son or daughter even though the child is not biologically related to you – that is, you did not have the child, or you did not participate in the making of the child. Let’s put it that way. We usually talk about someone, a young woman in this case, “giving up the baby” or “giving the baby up for adoption,” meaning the mother decides not to keep the child but to have another family raise the child as its own.

Yoon then says, “Wow, that’s a bombshell” (bombshell). A “bombshell” is some very surprising and shocking news, often a negative piece of news. The word “bombshell” can also be used to describe a very attractive looking woman. When I was growing up, people would sometimes use the phrase about a beautiful actress or model, “a blonde bombshell.” “Blonde” meaning, of course, a light-yellow-colored hair. I don’t think we use the word “bombshell” in that sense as much anymore. Here it has nothing to do with a beautiful woman; it has to do with a shocking, surprising piece of news.

Kelly says, “Yeah, I feel like I’ve been sucker punched. This is life-changing.” “To be punched” (punched) means to be hit with the fist or a closed hand of another person. The expression “sucker (sucker) punched” refers to someone hitting you unexpectedly and very hard. Here it refers to a very shocking piece of news given to you by someone perhaps as a way of hurting you, or simply as a very surprising piece of news that has affected you in a negative way. She says, “This is life-changing,” meaning, of course, it changes her whole life, or at least she thinks it will.

Yoon says, “Maybe you can ask your aunts and uncles about it.” Your “aunts” are the sisters of your parents. Your “uncles” are the brothers of your parents. Kelly says, “But what if my mother didn’t disclose this to me for a reason?” “To disclose” (disclose) means to tell someone something that is secret or hidden or confidential, something no one else knows, or at least something you don’t know that the person is keeping a secret.

Kelly says, “I don’t want to air her dirty laundry now that she’s gone.” The expression “to air (air) your dirty laundry (laundry)” means to talk about private or secret information with other people who don’t really need to know about it, who perhaps don’t even want to know about it. “Dirty laundry” implies that it’s embarrassing information or information that you would not want other people to hear about.

We use the word “laundry” to talk about clothing that is dirty or things that need to be washed – or, somewhat oddly, things that have just been washed and are clean and have not yet been worn. The verb “to air” here probably refers literally to put your clothing outside so that it gets dry in the air, although you might also use the verb “to air” to mean to put out some piece of clothing or other material that has a smell that you want to get rid of. You may put it outside “to air out,” we might say, using the phrasal verb “air out” (out).

Yoon agrees with Kelly that she should not be airing dirty laundry. “A part of your family history has come to light,” he says, “and you have questions.” “Come to light” means that something that previously had been secret now becomes known to people. People find out about some secret information. We could refer to that information as “coming to light.” It was in the dark before. It was secret before. Yoon says it’s natural, meaning it’s normal, that Kelly doesn’t want to air her mother’s dirty laundry and that she wants to “keep it in the family,” meaning not let anyone else find out about it outside of her family.

Kelly then says, “But maybe they’ll feel like I’m dredging up something they wish had been forgotten.” She’s now giving a reason why she should perhaps talk to her aunts and uncles after all. “To dredge (dredge) up” something means to talk about something that is secret from your past or from a long time ago. “To dredge up” can also simply mean to talk about something bad that happened a long time ago that you have forgotten about or that you don’t want to talk about anymore.

Kelly is worried that she would be “dredging up old information” with her aunts and uncles that her aunts and uncles don’t want to talk about anymore. Yoon says, “Or maybe they’ve,” meaning her uncles, “have been waiting for a chance” – or opportunity – “to talk about it.” “You haven’t mentioned the most shocking part” – that is, Yoon is saying here that Kelly hasn’t even talked about an even more surprising piece of news. Kelly says, “What’s that?”

Yoon says, “You may have a half-brother somewhere out there.” A “half-brother” is someone that you are related to because you have the same father or the same mother. So, for example, if a woman gets married and has a son, and her husband dies and she gets married again and has another son, her two sons would be “half-brothers.” They have the same mother but different fathers.

Kelly says, “Oh my God, you’re right. That possibility” – that is, the possibility that her brother is still alive – “is both thrilling and terrifying!” Something that is “thrilling” (thrilling) is something that is very exciting in a positive way. Something that is “terrifying” (terrifying) is something that is scary, something that frightens you, something that causes you to feel fear. Kelly is not sure if she is “thrilled” by meeting a half-brother or “terrified” by the fact that she has one. I’m not sure why she’d be terrified, but she apparently is.

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

[start of dialogue]

Kelly: [sniffling]

Yoon: What’s the matter? Are you okay?

Kelly: You know that my mother’s funeral was last weekend. I brought some of her papers home with me to sort through and I’ve had a shock.

Yoon: What? An old family secret? Some skeleton in the closet?

Kelly: It was for my mother. While reading some of her letters, I found out that she had a son out of wedlock when she was young and she gave the baby up for adoption.

Yoon: Wow, that’s a bombshell!

Kelly: Yeah, I feel like I’ve been sucker punched. This is life-changing.

Yoon: Maybe you can ask your aunts and uncles about it.

Kelly: But what if my mother didn’t disclose this to me for a reason? I don’t want to air her dirty laundry now that she’s gone.

Yoon: You wouldn’t be airing dirty laundry. A part of your family history has come to light and you have questions. That’s natural. And plus, you’re keeping it in the family.

Kelly: But maybe they’ll feel like I’m dredging up something they wish had been forgotten.

Yoon: Or maybe they’ve been waiting for a chance to talk about it. You haven’t mentioned the most shocking part.

Kelly: What’s that?

Yoon: You may have a half-brother somewhere out there.

Kelly: Oh my God, you’re right. That possibility is both thrilling and terrifying!

[end of dialogue]

We thank our scriptwriter, Dr. Lucy Tse, for her thrilling dialogues.

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

Glossary

sniffling – the loud, wet sound made when someone breathes in, usually while sick with a cold or while crying

* You’ve been sniffling all morning. Do you have a cold?

funeral – the ceremony held when someone dies to remember that person’s life and say goodbye before the burial

* We didn’t realize how many friends Trent had until we saw hundreds of people at his funeral.

shock – a big surprise, especially something that one has difficulty believing

* Learning that we had won the lottery was such a shock. We are millionaires!

family secret – something that affects family members, but is not discussed, especially because it is shameful or embarrassing for one or more members of the family

* Ellen never told anyone who the father of her children was, and her sisters never shared the information either. It was a family secret.

skeleton in the closet – something that is shameful or embarrassing that one wants to keep as a secret so that everyone forgets about it

* Mark lives in fear that one day everyone will find out he was arrested as a teenager. It is a skeleton in the closet for him.

out of wedlock – outside of marriage; referring to a child born to parents who were not married

* Many children are born out of wedlock to parents who love each other and even live with each other but do not want to marry.

adoption – the process of bringing a child into another family as a son or daughter even though they are not related by blood

* Sheila and her husband have been trying to become pregnant for years, but it hasn’t worked, so now they’re considering an adoption.

bombshell – very surprising and shocking news that has a big impact on people

* Did you hear that the governor has decided to quit? What a bombshell!

to be sucker punched – to be hit by someone unexpectedly and very hard, or to feel as if that happened; to be surprised by someone in a negative way

* We all felt sucker punched when the company abruptly took away our vacation time.

life-changing – having a significant effect on the rest of one’s life; changing the course or direction of one’s life

* Having a baby is a life-changing decision. Your life will never be the same again.

to disclose – to share or release secret, hidden, or confidential information, especially about something negative or about finances

* Privately held companies do not have to disclose information about their finances.

to air (one’s) dirty laundry – to talk about private, personal, confidential, or secret information with others who do not need to know about it and are not directly involved in it

* Anyone who wants to be president should be prepared to have his or her dirty laundry aired in public by the media.

to come to light – to become known; for people to become aware of something; to attract attention, especially when referring to something that had been secret or hidden

* If this information comes to light, my career will be destroyed.

to dredge up – to bring to notice; to cause something to be noticed, especially referring to something that is secretive, hidden, shameful, or embarrassing

* These reporters are experts at dredging up details about scandals that happened years ago.

half-brother/sister – a sibling (brother or sister) with whom one shares a mother or a father, but not both

* Mom got remarried when I was seven, and I have two half-brothers from that relationship.

thrilling – very exciting, with a lot of energy and anticipation

* The rides at the amusement park are thrilling and lots of fun.

terrifying – very frightening; very scary; causing one to feel fear

* That horror movie was terrifying! I wasn’t able to sleep at all after I saw it.

Comprehension Questions

1. What does Yoon mean when he says, “Wow, that’s a bombshell!”?
a) He thinks the information is very surprising and significant.
b) He thinks the information is shameful and disgusting.
c) He thinks the information is already known to most people.
2. Why doesn’t Kelly want to air her mother’s dirty laundry?
a) Because she hates washing clothes and cleaning the house.
b) Because she doesn’t want to discuss her mother’s secrets.
c) Because she doesn’t think the clothes to smell bad.

Answers at bottom.

What Else Does It Mean?

to be sucker punched

The phrase “to be sucker punched,” in this podcast, means to be surprised by someone in a negative way: “Sean was sucker punched when he found out that his wife had cheated on him.” The phrase “to be sucker punched” also means to be hit by someone unexpectedly and very hard: “The football player sucker punched a member of the other team when he thought no one was looking.” The phrase “to sucker (someone) into (something)” means to trick, fool, or manipulate someone to do something: “These criminals are suckering older people into sharing their social security numbers over the phone.” A “sucker” is an unkind term for a person who is easily tricked or fooled: “That sucker! I can’t believe he thought we were telling the truth!” Finally, a “sucker” is another word for a lollipop, or a hard candy on a stick that is placed in the mouth for a long time until it dissolves.

to come to light

In this podcast, the phrase “to come to light” means to become known or to attract attention, especially when referring to something that had been secret or hidden: “When these reports come to light, the company’s stock price will fall dramatically.” The phrase “in light of (something)” means that one has reached a decision after carefully considering a particular factor: “In light of the heavy snow and ice, we have decided to close the school today. All students should stay at home.” The phrase “to go out like a light” means to fall asleep very quickly because one is very tired: “After all that exercise, the children will probably go out like a light tonight!” Finally, the phrase “the light of (one’s) life” is what one calls the person whom one loves most of all: “That child is the light of my life!”

Culture Note

Surprising Secrets of Former Presidents

The life of U.S. Presidents might seem to be “an open book” (something that is known to almost everyone, with no secrets), but there are some surprising secrets. Here are some “lesser-known” (not known by many people) facts about some of the country’s “former” (previous; in the past) presidents, although some of them may be “myths” (things that are not true, but that are believed by many people).

President John Quincy Adams often “went skinny-dipping” (swam without any clothes on) in the Potomac River!
President Andrew Jackson had a “parrot” (a large, colorful bird that copies sounds and appears to talk) that knew how to “swear” (say bad words). It’s reported that the parrot was “present” (in the room) during Jackson’s funeral, but it started swearing so much that it had to be “removed” (taken out of the room).
President Ulysses S. Grant once received a “speeding ticket” (a written piece of paper received from a police officer for moving too quickly in a vehicle) for riding his horse too quickly down the street.
President James A. Garfield was “ambidextrous” (able to use the left and right hands equally well) and apparently could even write in Latin with one hand and in Greek with another hand “simultaneously” (at the same time).
President Warren Harding enjoyed playing “poker” (a card game that involves “gambling” (risking money on a game to try to win more)), but in one game, he lost all of the White House “china” (fancy dishes) in a “wager” (a gambling bet).

Comprehension Answers

1 - a

2 - b