New questions to ask English experts from Chinese learners

voice_cd

Thank every member who answered readers' questions from last time. Chinese English learners from Wechat are very happy to recieve your replies. Here are more questions from them:

Q1：How to say “备胎(beitai)” in English？When B had a crush on A, A didn't accept him nor turn him down, but treat him like a backup. A may go to B after her breakup with someone else. What do u call B? A backup? A second-liner? Or else?

Q2: When watching the Top 10 Dunks of the Week of NBA, the anchor says "You Betcha" a lot of times. What does this term mean here?

Q3: In the film Forrest Gump, Forrest said he and Jenny are "peas and carrots". Why "peas" and "carrots", any stories behind this?

Q4: Are there any English expressions that Chinese use a lot, but they are no longer or seldom used by native English-speakers now?

Q5: Mother’s Day nears. How do people in your country usually spend or celebrate the day? Are there any stories about the origin of the day?

Q6: As now Chinese netizens have grouped information shared in Wechat Friends as chicken soup, selfies, ads and promotions etc, what kinds of information that your friends are sharing on the social networking sites that you usually play. And what types of sharing are the most annoying in your eyes?

thomas.wood

Q4: Yes.  We seldom use seldom!  Compare: "I seldom go fishing." with "I don't go fishing very often."  I tend to use the latter.

I have never use or heard an English person use "so-so" as in A: "How are you?" B: "I'm so-so."

LoneAcorn

Q3: Here's the answer~

http://bbs.chinadaily.com.cn/for ... ight=peas%2Bcarrots

LoneAcorn

Q1: a fallback guy

J.E.Overington

1. Rather than an Appeal to the People for love and security, that is formerly called Abusive ad Hominem, and nowadays is called Argument Against the Person (abusive) since due to being treated as a second class citizen. However, the reverse is also Abusive ad Hominem -- the holding of a people in prison required to socialize always only about romance and ex-communicated for daring to mention an interesting topic such as computer architecture, GNP per capita generating strategies, algebraic number theory, fallacies of weak induction and many similarly interesting topics which are guaranteed to bore in a nanosecond anyone fixated on talking always only about romance.

2. "You betcha" is a phrase normally indicating informal agreement. It can be mispronounced to convey other meanings by dishonest accident.

3. Pass.

4. A practiced habit to drop is the phrase "I have ever... " as in, "I have ever been here before." I have heard the phrase surprisingly often. I guess the construction probably comes from the question, "Have you ever been here before?" to which the affirmative and negative replies are "Yes, I have been here before," and "No, I have not been here before, this is my first time," respectively.

5. With mothers who build lives with us, uphold our identities with us, comfort us during life's tribulations and offer a safe place called home, the goal in Mother's Day is to give Mom a day to relax and deeply feel very appreciated for her work and thoughtfulness. The first time I could afford to buy my mother a present was in 1979. I had saved most of my $0.25 weekly allowance for two years and a pair of earrings with Mom's birthstone was on sale, so I could just barely afford to allow the expense. Mom still has the earrings.

6. My work is in mathematized business which I prefer doing rather than trying to explain, so the most useful public information from my perspective is an entity's goals and present development toward the goals, whereas, the most annoying public information expresses obsession with romance since I was excessively inundated with that without any reason.  Although it is nice to know people feel happy with their romance, that topic is completely disassociated with mathematized business.

dragon8

###

Q1
“备胎(beitai)” in English？

When B had a crush on A,
A didn't accept him nor turn him down,
but treat him like a backup.
A may go to B after her breakup with someone else.
What do u call B? A backup?
A second-liner?
Or else?


***

The phrase is "Second Fiddle".

This phrase comes from an orchestra.

First Fiddle is the star and favorite.

dragon8

###

Q2:

When watching the Top 10 Dunks of the Week of NBA, the anchor says "You Betcha" a lot of times.

What does this term mean here?





***

"It's obvious and I agree with it"



"You Betcha" is slang.
It shows support for something.