Scratch the surface 수박 겉핥기이다 Have My Work Cut Out for Me 힘겹다. (0902 식이제한, 파워 잉글리쉬 스크립트)
Power Warm-up: Cooking for Dietary Restrictions: I’ve Got My Work Cut Out for Me
Michelle sees Anton at the grocery store. She tells him she is shopping for food for her family who have food allergies and sensitivities, and that this particular store has a good selection.
Kristen:
It’s a brand-new month here at Power English.
Cameron:
Yes yes.
Kristen:
It is September. And we are busy.
Cameron:
We are.
Kristen:
We are busy with Power English. We are busy with Evening Special, which is our live show.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
So you can listen to us in the morning as well as in the evening.
Cameron:
That’s, yeah. We’re, we’re everywhere. I spend most of my life at EBS now.
Kristen:
We are. Me too. I’m full time. All right. And I’d like to remind everyone that you should get the book for the show. It’s really important because a lot of this material you may not understand. You may miss some words. So to see it directly with your own eyes is just very helpful to your English studies.
Cameron:
Definitely. And this month it’s a really nice green color. So, you know, it’s so beautiful. You could use it as like decoration. You know, people have like a coffee table.
Kristen:
It’s like a coffee book. Yeah.
Cameron:
Just put the Power English book on your coffee table. And when you’re just having your morning coffee, you can pick it up and learn some English.
Power Expressions
Kristen:
Very good. Okay, so every Monday we have a food dialog and this month, we’re talking about cooking for dietary restrictions. Now, it seems that in the modern world, people are having more food allergies. They’re having more sensitivities. And so this is going to center around that topic. Do you have any food allergies or sensitivities?
Cameron:
I do not. Or maybe I do. And I just I don’t know. Cause sometimes, for some reason, every time I eat 김치찜, my stomach hurts. Every time! I don’t know what it is.
Kristen:
I’ve had kimchi jjigae, yeah, it tastes so yummy, but sometimes it does kind of, it kind of disturbs just a little bit of the stomach.
Cameron:
More than a little bit. Like it’s a full sickness. But it’s so delicious.
Kristen:
It’s so yum.
Cameron:
I still eat. But yeah, I know. I’m lucky that I don’t have it. Do you have any food allergies?
Kristen:
I don’t know. Who knows? Everything, you know, I just, I’m very sensitive these days. So, I don’t think I have any allergies. Okay. Scratch the surface. What are you doing?
Cameron:
You’re just seeing something a little bit. You’re kind of giving a very superficial, very shallow understanding of something.
Kristen:
Okay, how about on the rise?
Cameron:
Something is increasing.
Kristen:
Have one’s work cut out for someone.
Cameron:
You’ve got something difficult to do. Oh. You’ve got a lot of work to do.
Kristen:
Oh, you do? Okay. Let’s go ahead and listen to our power dialog.
Power Dialog
Anton: Hey, Michelle. I’ve never seen you at this grocery store before.
Michelle: Yeah, I sometimes come here because there are more options for people with dietary restrictions.
Anton: Oh, like gluten-free food?
Michelle: That’s only scratching the surface. My husband, Jack, has gluten sensitivity. Our daughter is severely lactose intolerant. And our son has a nut allergy.
Anton: Food sensitivities and allergies seem to be on the rise.
Michelle: Yeah, I really have my work cut out for me when I make family dinners. I have to be so careful.
Kristen:
Anton begins by saying, and by the way, we are on page 8, cooking for dietary restrictions. I’ve got my work cut out for me. That’s a long title. Okay. So Anton says, hey, Michelle, I’ve never seen you at this grocery store before. Okay. And what does Michelle say?
Cameron:
Yeah, I sometimes come here because there are more options for people with dietary restrictions.
Kristen:
Let’s talk about quickly this expression dietary restrictions.. So dietary meaning it has to do with the food that you eat. Y
Cameron:
Okay. The food that you eat and restriction means something you can’t do. So these are types of food that you cannot eat. Now, this is a very broad category that can mean you cannot eat it because you have an allergy or you have some kind of disease or something.
Kristen:
Yeah.
Cameron:
It could also be something like religion. Right?
Kristen:
Oh, yeah. Right, kosher.
Cameron:
Right? Or it could be health related. It could even just be diet and fitness related. For example, oh, I’m on a diet. I’m not eating carbs. It’s a dietary restriction. Yeah. But it’s not because of religion and it’s not because of an allergy.
Kristen:
One classic example is kidney disease or kidney stones. If you have like 신장 결석 or you know your 신장 is not working properly yeah they say that you should stay away from certain foods that are very high in oxalates like spinach and you know potatoes and tomatoes and things like nightshade vegetables okay so that would be a dietary restriction.
Cameron:
Okay.
Kristen:
Okay, so Anton is saying, oh, like gluten-free food? So he kind of says like, uh-huh. Okay, this is kind of our pattern today.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
Yeah, why?
Cameron:
So the like here is not like 좋아하다. It’s like 같은 거. So it’s like saying such as or for example.
Kristen:
Oh, you mean?
Cameron:
Oh, you mean? Oh, such as gluten-free food?
Kristen:
That’s a dietary restriction.
Cameron:
Yes.
Kristen:
And Michelle says, that’s only scratching the surface. My husband, Jack, has gluten sensitivity. Our daughter is severely lactose intolerant and our son has a nut allergy.
Cameron:
Wow. Okay.
Kristen:
It’s an exaggeration, but this is something how it is…
Cameron:
Yeah some people is like that yeah.
Kristen:
Okay, it’s scratching the surface.
Cameron:
Yes.
Kristen:
So she starts by saying that and what is to scratch the surface?
Cameron:
This has two very closely related meanings. Here it means that’s only the beginning. That’s only the first part of it. That’s only a little bit of the information. So he’s only giving the very basic example here. She’s saying, It goes much deeper.
Kristen:
It goes much deeper.
Cameron:
Right. So related to that, we also use scratch the surface whenever you are only getting a very shallow understanding of something. You’re not getting the deep understanding, like the bigger issues. You’re only looking at the smaller issues.
Kristen:
Okay, so Michelle then she describes what the big issues are, there’s gluten sensitivity lactose intolerant nut allergy I think these are good to know in case maybe you know you go abroad use traveling and maybe you have a nut allergy. This could be dangerous.
Cameron:
It can be. Yeah, I mean, you have to know, like if you’re going to a restaurant, some people, like a nut allergy,
Kristen:
They can die.
Cameron:
Yeah, I had a friend. He was allergic to shrimp. And he worked in a sushi restaurant.
Kristen:
No. It was the craziest thing.
Cameron:
I couldn’t go into the kitchen.
Kristen:
Oh no.
Cameron:
Yeah, yeah, it was pretty dangerous.
Kristen:
Okay. So lactose intolerant. Yes. And they say that a lot of Asian people are lactose intolerant. What does this mean?
Cameron:
This means that you cannot really eat dairy, right? So lactose is the sugar in milk, like cow’s milk, that many people cannot digest. You need like a special… like bacteria inside your gut to digest it. And many people do not have it. It is slightly different from a lactose allergy or a milk allergy. So a milk allergy is where you drink milk and like your skin turns red and like your face, you can’t breathe. This is not the same. Lactose intolerant means you have milk and you have to go to the bathroom.
Kristen:
And you feel very bad.
Cameron:
Your stomach hurts.
Kristen:
That’s right. And also sensitivity as well. You’re not going to like die. But if you have an allergy, a nut allergy, it could be very serious. Okay. Anton says…
Cameron:
Food sensitivities and allergies seem to be on the rise.
Kristen:
It’s true. If something is on the rise, well, the rise means go up, up, up.
Cameron:
Right. So if something is on the rise to be on the rise, it means it is increasing.
Kristen:
Yeah.
Cameron:
So here, the food sensitivities, the allergies, more people have them.
Kristen:
Yeah, it is true. It is a fact. And Michelle says, yeah, I really have my work cut out for me when I make family dinners. I have to be so careful. It’s a long expression, but simply have my work cut out for me means what?
Cameron:
This means you have a difficult task. Something that will be very challenging. And it is something I don’t know how to break this phrase down to make it understandable. It’s best just to learn this phrase to have your work cut out for you to have my work cut out for me just means, Ooh, I got a lot of work to do. This is going to be a challenge.
Kristen:
That’s it. Like, woo!
Cameron:
I’ve got a lot of work.
Kristen:
That’s the feeling. Let’s go ahead and listen to that one more time.
Power Dialog
Anton: Hey, Michelle. I’ve never seen you at this grocery store before.
Michelle: Yeah, I sometimes come here because there are more options for people with dietary restrictions.
Anton: Oh, like gluten-free food?
Michelle: That’s only scratching the surface. My husband, Jack, has gluten sensitivity. Our daughter is severely lactose intolerant. And our son has a nut allergy.
Anton: Food sensitivities and allergies seem to be on the rise.
Michelle: Yeah, I really have my work cut out for me when I make family dinners. I have to be so careful.
Power Note
1. Scratch the surface: 수박 겉핥기이다. 그건 아무것도 아니다.
Kristen:
When I make family dinners, I have to be so careful. We’re on pages 10 and 11. It’s time for Power Note. We’re going to give you some example sentences and show you how you can use these expressions. Okay, if you say scratch the surface, it means that you are only seeing a little bit of something. There’s something deeper. There’s something more serious underneath. Okay.
1)
A: It looks like you found a lot of evidence to convict the man of fraud.
B: And what you see here is only scratching the surface.
Kristen:
Okay, so we’re talking about a criminal.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
Right? And they found a lot of evidence. But you’re saying…
Cameron:
There’s a lot more. Yeah. So you’re like saying this is only the beginning. Yeah. This is only a small amount. There is so much more.
Kristen:
And for some reason, we always do use, oh, you’re only scratching the surface because it’s like, oh, this is just the beginning. Oh, this is just a little bit of the bigger thing.
2) The first-year law classes only scratch the surface of what you must learn.
Cameron:
That’s true.
Kristen:
Oh.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
Law school, medical school..
Cameron:
Medical school, clown school I don’t know. There are some you know certain professions that they are you know spending a lot of time learning all of that stuff the first year seems like it could be okay. But it just gets deeper and more complex.
Kristen:
Or how about like a company scandal? So, we see this expression a lot when someone is talking about, oh, okay, that company is a little, it’s questionable, suspicious. And then, oh, you’re only scratching the surface. What does that mean?
Cameron:
That means, oh, there’s a bigger scandal. You only know a little bit of the story. There’s a bigger story.
Kristen:
And isn’t it true when there’s a scandal, it’s only a little bit of a bigger picture?
Cameron:
I think a lot of things, as you learn, when you start, you think it’s going to be simple. And then you realize, oh my gosh, there’s so much more. For example, recently I’ve gotten into gardening, right? I thought it was like, have the dirt, plant the seed, give it light, give it water. It is not that simple. I just scratched the surface. Oh, what kind of soil are you going to use? Oh, how much light? Oh, what’s the pH level of the water? Oh, do you have calcium in the water? Like there’s like a never-ending amount of things you can look at to grow plants.
Kristen:
I think you can officially open a garden.
Cameron:
Not yet.
2. On the rise: (안좋은 것, 상태가) 증가하는, 오름세의
Kristen:
I think you could. Okay. It is on the rise. It means it is increasing.
1)
A: Another business closed down in the Old Town area.
B: It seems that bankruptcies are on the rise this year.
Kristen:
I have a question for you. We could say increasing.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
But is there a reason, particular reason maybe that we would use on the rise? What do you think?
Cameron:
So there is a nuance here. Increasing is very neutral. On the rise feels like something bad is happening (나쁜 일에 사용). It almost feels like a flood. And like a flood is never a good thing, right? Floods always, unless it’s like the Nile River, you know, usually a flood is like a very bad thing. So when the waters are on the rise, you’re like, oh gosh, this bad thing is about to come.
Kristen:
Yeah.
Cameron:
So with the bankruptcies or the allergies we were talking about, it’s this bad thing that’s growing and growing.
Kristen:
Growing. Yes.
Cameron:
We do not often use On the Rise for good things. (좋은 일에는 사용하지 않음)
Kristen:
Yeah, that’s a very excellent point.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
Right, and look at this next example.
2) Violent crimes are declining, but property crimes are on the rise.
Kristen:
Again crime, violence.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
You know, certain like, I don’t know, poverty, disease.
Cameron:
Disease. All of those types of things you could say on the rise. But I wouldn’t say like kindness is on the rise. It just it feels a little weird. It’s your charity is on the rise.
Kristen:
It sure does.
Cameron:
So ‘On the rise’s almost always a negative thing that is increasing.
3. Have my work out for me: 애를 먹다. 어떤 일을 해내느라 힘겹다.
Kristen:
Yes, very good to know and very important. Okay, to have one’s workout cut out for one means that you are faced with a difficult task.
1)
A: This basement is a mess. That flood did a lot of damage.
B: Yea, I really have my work cut out for me.
Kristen:
Yeah. So here we could say, oh, I have so much to do. I have a lot of work. But I feel like this expression really just, you know, says it just right.
Cameron:
Yeah, it’s going to test you. It’s going to challenge you. You might not succeed.
Kristen:
Yes.
Cameron:
Right?
Kristen:
Right. I like that. Okay.
2) The coach had his work cut out for him if his team was going to win a championship.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
It’s not just simply like working. A lot.
Cameron:
Yeah.
Kristen:
No, it is a difficult project or task
Cameron:
Yeah, you’re probably gonna suffer a little bit. Suffer and sacrifice a little bit.
Kristen:
That’s right, that’s right. Because if he wants to win a championship, he has to do a lot of things.
Cameron:
Lots of training.
4. Like..?.. 같은거?
Kristen:
Our power pattern is like.
Cameron:
And you’re giving an example.
Kristen:
Okay,
1) Like flowers that only bloom in the spring?
Cameron:
Yeah. Oh,
2) Like bananas and mangoes?
Yes. Tropical fruits? Yes.
5. Lactose intolerant: 유당 불내증
When someone is lactose intolerant, they are unable to process the lactose in the milk properly. This can cause digestive issues. More than half of the world’s population is lactose intolerant.
Kristen:
Yeah, tropical fruits. Yeah, very good. Okay, our power vocabulary expression today is lactose intolerant, and L-A-C-T-O-S-E, which a lot of, I think, Korean people are.
Cameron:
Yeah, I get the milk that has it taken out. Oh. You can go to the supermarket. No lactose milk.
Kristen:
Oh yes, yes, yes.
Cameron:
Yeah, lactose-free milk.
Cross My Mind 생각이 떠오르다. Be Drawn To 에게 끌리다 (0826 치즈 가게, 파워 잉글리쉬 스크립트) (enko.co.kr)