What does lemon mean?

Definition:	A defective product, or anything that doesn't work very well; something which breaks constantly, particularly a car.
Example:	1) Tom's new car turned out to be a lemon. 2) My new computer is a lemon; I should just throw it out the window.
Etymology:	A "lemon" is a citrus fruit with a tart or sour (not sweet) flavor. In the 1800's, people started using the word 'lemon' to describe people who were sour (or unfriendly). Over time, 'lemon' came to refer to anything that was defective or broken.

From business idioms

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What's a people person?

Definition:	Someone who likes being with other people and who is good at working with people.
Example:	1) Holly is a great stewardess -- she likes to fly and she's a real people person! 2) Jane is not a people person. Luckily, her job does not require her to spend a lot of time with clients.
Etymology:	This term became popular in the 1990s. It was first used in corporations as a way to describe friendly people who are good at sales and customer service.

From business idioms.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much. 

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement.

Rest in peace and we will try to get over it and move on!

I could have started this post by talking about many different kinds of warriors. I do love stories about them. No, no, this is not a text about knights or warriors, I mean, it is a post about a very specific fighter: my cousin.

If you have read until this second paragraph, you are about to understand what I meant about FIGHTER. Well, at least, you will have the opportunity to get the gist of the post because it will be displayed here for a long time, since this is certainly going to be the last one published here on Portal da Língua Inglesa this year.

I have lost a cousin to cancer very recently. In fact, he had been bravely fighting against sarcoma – four long years, just to be more precisely. I can surely say that he was a brave fighter.

I know how hard it might be to have a member of your family in need of treatment of a very serious and dangerous disease – cancer. Well, ever since we did realize it was a very serious thing to deal with, we tried everything that was possible to help him.

He was only twenty-four when he passed away last week. Looking at him and saying “everything is going to be all right” was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to say to someone (especially when you know it is not true!). It was hard enough to see him (many times) lying down on bed in a hospital. The oncologist had tried (for four years) everything he could in order to help him. Provided that he was very young to truly understand what was really happening, we tried to hide the worst news about his health for some time. Although, we knew he would eventually figure it out by himself someday. (And he did it).  

Well, I don’t want to bother anyone with this heavy history about the shots (‘injections’ if you like it) he had to get, the medicine and the like. In mean, it's terrible when all you can do is watch helplessly as someone dies - especially someone you love.

I’d rather say that I have learned something from this whole situation. I did research in order to understand cancer better. I am obviously not an expert or something like that, but I know now that this kind of thing has been more, say, usual than we think.

Watch this video and try to understand what cancer is:

Cancer will strike more than ten million people worldwide this year. It is estimated that there will be fifteen million new cases every year by 2020. World Health Organization)

As you could noticed – after watching the video – that there are many types of cancers: sarcomas, leukemias, lymphomas, carcinomas... 

I have asked this question on my profile on QUORA and a person named Geoffrey Walton, who considers himself a “single father of two amazing boys, nine and seven. UNIX ninja with degrees in American Literature”, replied to it with this beautiful history about his daddy:

My father was 74 when they told him that he had liver cancer. Two weeks later, they told him it was inoperable; that he had, perhaps, 90 days to live. A few days later, he had his first chemotherapy. He said it was terrible, and decided it would also be his last.

The doctors told him he was foolish, that chemo would prolong his life. His reply was consistent, "I will live longer, but I will feel terrible. Better is better." Their arguments were persuasive: you'll be in terrible pain, you'll be in and out of the hospital constantly, you'll need extensive medication and may be out of your mind. His reply was succinct, "I don't think so."

Dad lived 16 months; he made it one month past his 45th wedding anniversary. He went to the hospital for regular checkups, but nothing more. He never took pain meds, nor appeared to need them. He was lucid - and pleasant - until one day he fell asleep in his own bed, holding my mother's hand, and didn't wake up.

Better is better.

Having read this answer to my question: What is better in life, quality or quantity? Reminded me of my cousin and the whole thing he had to pass through. I mean, I expected something completely different from that response, but it made me feel how reassuring it was to know that even in such bad moments I could find motivation to carry on. Sometimes we all need a little extra motivation to go on – it is hard, I know, but necessary.

I could finish this last post by saying many things, but right now, I prefer to say goodbye and rest in peace, my dear friend.

Mazurkiewiz de Almeida Martins

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here, and I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much. 

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. 

{Joke} At the Church.

If you want to listen to this joke, (((click here)))

A man who went to church with his wife, always fell asleep during the sermon. The wife decided to do something about this and one Sunday took a long hat pin along to poke him with it every time he would doze off. As the preacher got to a part in the sermon where he shouted out ....and who created all there is in 6 days and rested on the 7th.. she poked her husband who came flying out of the pew and screamed, Good God almighty!.

The minister said That's right, that's right. and went on with his sermon. The man sat back down, muttering under his breath and later began to doze off again. When the minister got to .... and who died on the cross to save us from our sins..... the wife hit him again and he jumped up and shouted, Jesus Christ. The minister said, that's right, that's right and went on with his sermon.

The man sat back down and began to watch his wife and when the minister got to .... and what did Eve say to Adam after the birth of their second child? the wife started to poke the husband again, but he jumped up and said, If you stick that damn thing in me again, I'll break it off!

Vocabulary

• church - igreja
• fall asleep - adormecer
• wife - esposa
• pin - pino, agulha
• poke - cutucar
• doze off - cochilar
• preacher - pregador
• shout - gritar
• husband - marido
• scream - gritar
• mutter - resmungar
• die - morrer
• sin - pecado
• hit - bater, atingir
• birth - nascimento

American idioms: take a rain check.

To postpone until a later time (adiar; “deixar para a próxima”)

“I’m afraid I can’t go with you guys to the club today”, said Mark to his friends. “I’ll have to take a rain check on this one. I have a lot of notes I need to catch up on.”

“Acho que não posso ir com vocês ao clube hoje”, disse Mark aos amigos. “Vou ter que deixar para outro dia. Tenho muitas anotações para colocar em dia.”

A: “How about dinner tonight?”

B: “I’m sorry. I can’t tonight. Can I take a rain check?”

A: “Que tal jantarmos hoje à noite?”

B: “Desculpe. Hoje à noite eu não posso. Podemos marcar outro dia?”

Baseado no livro AMERICAN IDIOMS! Um guia prático e atual de expressões idiomáticas americanas com os significados e usos. De Joe Bailey Noble III e José Roberto A. Igreja.

Divulgado resultado de seleção de professor substituto do curso de Letras.

A Pró-Reitoria de Recursos Humanos e Assuntos Estudantis (PRORHA/UERN) e o Departamento de Letras Estrangeiras (DLE/FALA) divulgam o resultado do processo de seleção simplificada para contratação, por tempo determinado, de professor substituto com regime de trabalho de 40h.

Clique abaixo e veja o resultado de acordo com a apuração das notas obtidas pelos candidatos:

COMUNICADO - Resultado de Seleção

Falsos Cognatos: ENGROSS.

"8 X 8 (O OLHAR ATENTO)" - (óleo s/tela 80 X 80)

Muita gente tem enviado e-mails e mensagens pedindo um pouco mais de falsos cognatos aqui no blog. Pensando nisso, resolvi escrever de forma mais regular sobre tal tópico.

Já havia escrito aqui que escreveria somente em língua inglesa, mas vou continuar escrevendo, ainda que esporadicamente, em língua portuguesa para atingir esse público que gosta de postagens mais curtas e escritas em nossa língua materna.

O QUE SÃO FALSOS COGNATOS?

Falsos cognatos são aquelas palavras que parecem ter o mesmo significado, tanto em inglês quanto em português. Também chamados de false friends (em inglês). Os falsos cognatos aparecem com bastante frequência na língua inglesa.

O QUE SIGNIFICA “ENGROSS”, EM PORTUGUÊS?

Nesse caso, “Engross” não significa “engrossar”. Essa palavra é empregada no sentido de “absorver ou ocupar a atenção ou tempo”.

Leiam os exemplos retirados do livro “falsos cognatos: looks can be deceiving!” De José Roberto A. Igreja.   

The thriller engrossed all our attention.

O thriller absorveu toda a nossa atenção.

Dan was too engrossed in his work to take notice of what was going on around him.

Dan estava absorto demais em seu trabalho para notar o que estava acontecendo ao seu redor.

Percebam que podemos usar o adjetivo “engrossed” traduzido como “absorto”.

Absorto;

(Adjetivo) que significa “concentrado em seus pensamentos; abstraído”.

Se gostou dessa postagem, clique em FALSE FRIENDS aqui no blog para ser direcionado para as páginas com mais exemplos de falsos cognatos. Curta nossa página no Facebook e fique por dentro das novas postagens do blog PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA.

That’s all for now, folks.

Cheers!

Bruno Coriolano.