Lesson 19 -- Nicole's Close Election
Speak English Like an American -- Lesson 19
Nicole loses the election at school. She doesn't want to accept it, so she looks for excuses. Ted encourages her to accept defeat and move on.
Nicole: I lost the election by a hair -- just 10 votes! But I'm not giving up.
Ted: Give me a break, Nicole. You lost. Live with it!
Nicole: But I was a sure thing! If I hadn't stayed up so late baking cookies,
I wouldn't have messed up my speech.
Ted: Get real, Nicole.
Nicole: It's your fault, Ted. I lost because your friends didn't vote for me.
Ted: Don't try to put the blame on me! I gave it my best shot.
Nicole: They must've made a mistake while counting the votes. I'll demand
a re-count on Monday and set the record straight.
Ted: Don't make a fool of yourslef, Nicole. Face it, Andrea won the
election fair and square!
Nicole: Well, I just don't know where I went wrong.
Susan: Here, take a chocolate chip cookie. That'll cheer you up for sure.
Idioms,
By a hair – just barely; very narrowly; by a small amount
Fair and square – honestly
For sure – definitely
(to) give it one’s best shot – to try as hard as one can
(to) give up – to admit defeat; to surrender
(to) go wrong – to make a mistake; to go astray; to malfunction; to work incorrectly
(to) live with it – to accept a difficult reality
(to) make a fool of oneself – to cause oneself to look stupid
(to) mess up – to make a mistake; to spoil an opportunity
(to) put the blame on (someone) – to name somebody else as responsible for a misdeed or misfortune
(to) set the record straight – to correct an inaccurate account
Sure thing – an outcome that is assured
