Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 410, Being Evasive.
This is English as a Second Language podcast number 410.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development.
In This episode is called Being Evasive.
Someone who is evasive, doesn't tell you the truth, gives you the half-truth but not the whole truth.
It's a dialogue between a daughter and her father, and the father has difficulty answering the questions of his daughter.
Let's get started.
Dad, can I ask you a question?
You just did.
I mean, can I ask you another question?
Ask away.
Where do babies come from?
I don't know.
Let me tell you.
That's for grown-ups to know.
You're just a pipsqueak.
You mind your own business and I'll tell you when you're a little older.
Why can't you tell me now?
No comment.
Dad, what does no comment mean?
That's confidential.
Why is it confidential?
That's personal.
Never you mind.
And I want to know why I can't get some peace and quiet in this house.
Oh, Dad.
Don't owe Dad me.
Just wait and see.
You'll get all the answers you want when you're older.
But Dad, I want to know now.
Where do babies come from?
I'm out of answers.
Go ask your mother.
I did.
Mom said to ask you.
Our dialogue begins with Olivia saying, Dad, can I ask you a question?
And Dad says, trying to be funny, you just did.
Meaning, if you ask someone if you can ask a question, of course you're asking a question already.
So Dad's a funny guy.
Olivia says, I mean, can I ask another question, an additional question?
Dad says, ask away.
This is a phrase ask away that we use to invite someone to ask whatever questions he or she wants to ask.
It's saying, you can ask me anything.
Ask away.
So Olivia says, where do babies come from?
This, of course, is one of those questions that children ask their parents at some point, at some age.
Parents often have a difficult time explaining this for reasons you probably understand.
Dad says, what?
Where did you come up with that one?
Dad is a little surprised.
He says, You might even say, I've come up with a plan to save the environment.
I've thought of, I have created in my mind.
So dad is asking where she came up with this question.
How did she think of this?
Olivia says, I don't know.
Dad says, trying to explain it to her.
Let me tell you.
This is a phrase you use if you are an expert, if you know a lot about a subject or a topic.
It tells the other person, I know what I'm talking about.
Well, let me tell you.
Sometimes people use that to emphasize the point they are about to make.
Dad says, that's for grown-ups to know.
Meaning the answer to your question is not for children, but for adults.
Grown-up is a noun referring to someone older. usually over the age of 18, maybe 21.
Dad says, you're just a pipsqueak.
This is an interesting word.
Pipsqueak, P-I-P-S-Q-U-E-A-K, is an informal term for someone who is small or not very important.
We often use this for a young child.
It's usually a negative term to describe a young child.
Dad says, To mind your own business means to pay attention to things that are part of your own life, your own experience.
Not to worry about other people or other things that you don't need to know about.
So dad is saying, you don't need to know the answer to that question.
Mind your own business is somewhat of a negative expression as well.
It's saying, I'm not going to answer your question.
It's none of your business.
It's not anything that concerns you.
You don't have a right to know the answer.
Olivia says, why can't you tell me now?
Dad responds by saying, no comment.
Usually this is an expression you'll hear a politician or a famous person say when a reporter or a journalist from a newspaper or television station asks a question.
When the person doesn't want to give an answer, they'll simply say, no comment.
Dad is being, again, a little funny here because it's his own daughter who's asking the question.
Comment has several different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some additional explanations of that word.
Olivia says, Dad, what does no comment mean?
She doesn't really understand the expression.
It's something you see in the news mostly.
Dad says, that's confidential.
Remember, Dad is being evasive, meaning he's trying not to answer the question or only answer part of the question.
Usually, this is a sign of someone who is trying to hide something, or perhaps someone who is dishonest, not honest.
So dad says the answer is confidential.
Again, he's trying to be funny a little bit.
Something that is confidential is information that you do not give or share with other people.
It's secret information.
Olivia then asks, why is it confidential?
And dad answers, that's personal information.
Here.
When you say something is personal, you mean it's only for one specific or single person, not something for everyone.
People may talk about their personal lives, meaning their life outside of work, outside of the public view, things that no one else needs to know about.
Again, Dad, always the joker, says that's personal, meaning it's just for me to know.
Personal has several meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some more explanations of that word.
Dad then hears Olivia say something that you would hear from someone who really wants to know something, especially a child.
Olivia says, Dad, just tell me.
Just tell me.
Please tell me.
Dad says, never you mind.
This means you don't need to know something and you should stop asking me about it.
It's a bit old-fashioned.
It's a bit of an older expression, never you mind.
It does not mean exactly the same thing as never mind.
Never mind means it's not important, don't worry about it.
For example, when you are asking someone a question and they can't understand your question after a few minutes you may say oh, never mind, it's not important.
Never you mind means you should stop asking me this question.
Olivia says, but I want to know.
Dad responds by saying, and I want to know why I can't get some peace and quiet in this house.
The expression peace and quiet means means a time and a place where everything is calm.
Peace means no fighting, no shouting, no loud noises.
Quiet means pretty much the same thing.
The opposite of loud is quiet.
Olivia then says Oh Dad, which is something a child would say when they are frustrated, when they don't like what is happening.
Oh, dad.
In this case, she's mad at her father or disappointed.
Her father responds, don't oh, dad, me.
Just wait and see.
The expression don't something me is a phrase we use to show that you are not happy with what the other person said.
It's a phrase to show your frustration or irritation at someone.
So Olivia says, oh, dad, and dad responds, don't, oh, dad, me, meaning don't say that to me.
Don't say that expression, oh, dad.
Dad says, just wait and see, meaning wait and see what will happen in the future.
Dad says, you'll get all the answers you want when you're older.
Olivia says, but Dad, I want to know now.
Where do babies come from?
Where do we get babies?
Dad says, When you say you are out of something, you mean you don't have any more of that thing.
So dad is saying, I don't have any more answers.
I'm out of answers.
And then he says what all good parents say, in this case fathers, go ask your mother.
When you don't want to deal with what your child is asking you, you send them to the other parent.
Olivia said, I did, meaning I did ask mom.
Mom said to ask you.
Of course the parents are sending the child back and forth because neither wants to answer the question.
We won't answer the question here if you don't know where babies come from.
Just wait and see.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Dad, can I ask you a question?
You just did.
I mean, can I ask you another question?
Ask away.
Where do babies come from?
What?
Where did you come up with that one?
I don't know.
Let me tell you.
That's for grown-ups to know.
You're just a pipsqueak.
You mind your own business and I'll tell you when you're a little older.
Why can't you tell me now?
No comment.
Dad, what does no comment mean?
That's confidential.
Why is it confidential?
That's personal.
Dad, just tell me.
Never you mind.
But I want to know.
And I want to know why I can't get some peace and quiet in this house.
Oh, Dad.
Don't oh, Dad me.
Just wait and see.
You'll get all the answers you want when you're older.
But Dad, I want to know now, where did babies come from?
I'm out of answers.
Go ask your mother.
I did.
Mom said to ask you.
If you want to know who came up with the script, the answer for this episode is Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
This podcast is copyright 2008.
