Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 1104, Making a New Discovery.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 1104.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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On this episode, we're going to listen to a dialogue between Pierre and Irene about finding something new, making a discovery.
Let's get started.
How does it feel to be on the cusp of a new discovery?
Let's not jump the gun.
We've made some major leaps forward, but I'm not sure I'd call what we've done so far revolutionary.
Not yet, but you're close to a breakthrough.
That's evident.
I think you might be overstating the case.
If we do make a small breakthrough, it will only contribute to the current body of knowledge in the field, not turn the field on its head.
I think you're downplaying the possible impact of such a discovery.
I think you'll be recognized as a pioneer, a real trailblazer.
And your contribution?
You know what they say.
Behind every great woman is a great man.
Pierre asks Irene...
How does it feel to be on the cusp of a new discovery?
To be on the cusp C-U-S-P of something means to be at the moment when something very interesting is going to happen.
To be at the point in time where something important or exciting will happen.
We often use this expression when we're about to.
To discover D-I-S-C-O-V-E-R is to find out about something that you didn't know about before.
Discovery is the noun that comes from the verb to discover.
Pierre asks about a new discovery, although anything that is discovered is, by definition new, at least to the person who discovers it.
Irene says, however, let's not jump the gun.
To jump J-U-M-P, the gun G-U-N means to do something too soon, to do something before you are ready, or before you are prepared, or perhaps simply before you're supposed to.
When you have a race, when a group of people are running, such as at the olympics, the traditional way of starting the race is to fire a gun, to make a loud noise with a gun, And that begins the race.
If you start running before the gun makes its sound, you have jumped the gun.
You have gone before you should have gone.
We use the expression more generally to mean to do something prematurely, before you should, or too soon.
Irene says we've made some major leaps forward, but I'm not sure I'd call what we've done so far revolutionary.
We're not sure exactly what Irene is talking about, but she says that in whatever they're doing, they've made some major or large leaps forward.
A leap, L-E-A-P, is a long jump.
Here it signifies or means a significant advance in something, to make a lot of progress.
I'm not sure I'd call what we've done so far revolutionary, Irene says.
Something that is revolutionary, or is something that is very exciting, something that will change society in an important way.
That's one definition of revolutionary.
Revolutionary could also refer, of course, to the overthrow sometimes violent overthrow of a government, the change of a government.
Pierre says, not yet, meaning, yes, we haven't discovered anything revolutionary yet.
But, Pierre continues, you're close to a breakthrough.
A breakthrough, B-R-E-A-K-T-H-R-O-U-G-H, one word. is a sudden and significant discovery, something that advances your knowledge or your ability to do something significantly.
Pierre thinks Irene is close to a breakthrough.
He says that's evident.
E-V-I-D-E-N-T.
That's evident means that's apparent.
That's easy to see.
That's obvious.
Irene however, says To overstate O-V-E-R-S-T-A-T-E the case C-A-S-E means to exaggerate, to describe something as being bigger or more important than it really is.
Irene says, if we do make a small breakthrough...
It will only contribute or add to the current body of knowledge in the field, not turn the field on its head.
A body of knowledge is a certain amount of information or research about a person, certain area of study.
You could talk about the body of knowledge in physics.
That would include everything we know basically about physics, or perhaps about one specific area of physics.
To turn something on its head means to change something completely, to change something entirely.
Irene is saying that whatever discovery is made by her, it's not going to turn the field, whatever area of study she's working in, on its head.
It's not going to change it completely.
Pierre disagrees.
He says, I think you're downplaying the possible impact of such a discovery.
To downplay means to do or say something that makes something not seem very important or significant.
To treat something as being less important than it really is.
It's sort of the opposite of overstating the case.
Pierre says that he thinks Irene is downplaying the possible impact.
I am P.A.C.T. of a discovery.
The impact is the influence, the consequences.
He says, I think you'll be recognized as a pioneer, a real trailblazer.
A pioneer.
P-I-O-N-E-E-R is a person who does something for the first time or goes somewhere that no one else has been to before.
A trailblazer, T-R-A-I-L-B-L-A-Z-E-R, one word, means something similar.
It's a person who is the first to do something.
In addition, a trailblazer is someone who other people follow, who other people imitate.
Irene then asks Pierre, and your contribution?
A contribution is what you give to someone or something to support the effort, to support the goal.
Irene is asking Pierre what his contribution to this effort will be considered.
How will people think about his contribution to whatever it is that Irene is doing?
Pierre says you know what they say behind every great woman is a great man.
This is actually a joke based upon a common phrase behind every great man is a great woman, which means that whenever you read about or hear about a man doing something great you, There is often a wife, a woman who is helping that man in some way or at least loving and supporting the man typically the husband.
Well, Pierre is switching this around.
He's changing the expression, behind every great woman is a great man.
And that's what Pierre is saying he will be considered, as we would guess Irene's husband.
The word behind, B-E-H-I-N-D, here means supporting or supporting.
Helping in a way that you can't see or you don't notice.
So every great man in the traditional saying is accomplishing things, is doing things with the help of a woman.
Again, typically a wife.
But, of course...
Pierre is Irene's husband, and so he's the great man behind the great woman.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
How does it feel to be on the cusp of a new discovery?
Let's not jump the gun.
We've made some major leaps forward, but I'm not sure I'd call what we've done so far revolutionary.
Not yet, but you're close to a breakthrough.
That's evident.
I think you might be overstating the case.
If we do make a small breakthrough, it will only contribute to the current body of knowledge in the field, not turn the field on its head.
I think you're downplaying the possible impact of such a discovery.
I think you'll be recognized as a pioneer, a real trailblazer.
And your contribution?
You know what they say, behind every great woman is a great man.
Her scripts are revolutionary in the world of English language teaching, and I speak of course of the wonderful Dr Lucy Say, our script writer.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2015 by the Center for Educational Development.
