meaning:used to talk about someone who is never the most important person in the situation
magyarul:másodhegedűs
example:Poor Kate, her elder sister never gives her a chance to talk, not even at her own birthday party. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. – Szegény Kate, mindig másodhegedűs. A nővére sosem hagyja szóhoz jutni, még a saját szülinapján sem.

It’s your funeral.

meaning:your actions will have very bad consequences
magyarul:Akkor véged!
example:If you fail to meet the deadline, it’s your funeral. – Ha nem sikerül betartani a határidőt, véged!

to dance at someone’s wedding

meaning:to celebrate in honour of someone at their wedding
magyarul:táncolni valakinek az esküvőjén
example:“I hope I’ll have the chance to dance at your wedding.” “I would be really hurt if you didn’t make it!” – “Remélem, táncolhatok majd az esküvődön.” “Nagyon meg is bántódnék, ha nem tudnál eljönni!”

party pooper

meaning:someone who spoils other people’s enjoyment of social activities by not getting involved
magyarul:ünneprontó
example:C’mon, let’s have a party on Saturday! We’ll have plenty of time to clean up on Sunday. Don’t be a party pooper! – Tartsunk bulit szombaton! Vasárnap lesz elég időnk összetakarítani. Ne légy már ünneprontó!

knee-high by the 4^th of July

meaning:grown as tall as it should
magyarul:szépen megnő
example:On his return from abroad, John was happy to see his kids were knee-high by the 4^th of July. – Amikor hazajött külföldről, John örömmel látta, hogy a gyerekei szépen megnőttek.

jubilee year

meaning:a specially celebrated anniversary, especially a 50^th anniversary
magyarul:jubileumi év (fontos évforduló)
example:The new school was built in the jubilee year. The Queen attended the opening ceremony. – Az új iskola a jubileum évében épült. A királynő jelen volt a megnyitón.

to wet the baby’s head

meaning:to have a drink to celebrate the birth of a baby
magyarul:tejfakasztót tartani
example:Mike invited all his mates to the pub to wet the baby’s head. – Mike minden barátját elhívta a pubba tejfakasztó bulira.

champagne taste on a beer budget

meaning:someone who lives above their means and likes things they cannot afford
magyarul:nagy lábon élni
example:No wonder Lora is in debt. She’s gone for champagne taste on a beer budget. – Nem csoda, hogy Lorának adóssága van. Nagy lábon akart élni.

to break with tradition

meaning:to do something different from what is usually done
magyarul:szakítani a hagyományokkal
example:Last year we decided to break with tradition and spent Christmas abroad. – Tavaly úgy döntöttünk, szakítunk a hagyományokkal, és külföldön Karácsonyoztunk.

carnival atmosphere

meaning:a relaxed, happy atmosphere, usually a bit disorganized
magyarul:laza hangulat
example:Surprisingly, the conference dinner had a carnival atmosphere, despite the presence of the Minister – Meglepő módon, a konferencián laza hangulatú volt a vacsora annak ellenére, hogy a miniszter is jelen volt.

in your birthday suit

meaning:naked
magyarul:ádámkosztümben
example:I didn’t expected the guests to arrive so early and they rang just as I was on my way out of the shower in my birthday suit. – Nem számítottam arra, hogy ilyen korán érkeznek a vendégek, és pont akkor csengettek, amikor jöttem volna ki a zuhanyból ádámkosztümben.

birthday bash

meaning:an informal birthday party
magyarul:szülinapi buli
example:Last year I had a big birthday bash with my friends but this year I’d rather go on a trip instead. – Tavaly nagy szülinapi partit tartottam a barátaimmal, de idén inkább elutaznék.

——————————————————————————-

Fill in the gaps with the words in the table.

1. Don’t invite Tom. He’s a party ……………….. .

2. I really enjoyed the ……………….. atmosphere of the team building workshop.

3. If you lose my phone again, it’s your ……………….. !

4. Sally was really shocked to find Mark in the kitchen in his birthday ……………….. .

5. You can’t always be the ……………….. and never the bride. Speak up for yourself!

6. Congratulations! We’ll meet up later to wet the ………………..’s head.

7. This is the time to break with ……………….. and set some new targets for our company.

8. “How are the new lambs doing?” “Great. Knee high by the 4^th of …………………”

9. I hope my best friend will fly over from Australia to dance at my ……………….. .

10. How much did Gina’s birthday ……………….. cost?

11. You’re overspending. You can’t get ……………….. taste on a beer budget!

12. What shall we get for Grandma and Grandpa for their golden ………………..?

answers: 1-pooper 2-carnival 3-funeral 4-suit 5-bridesmaid 6-wet 7-tradition 8-July 9-wedding 10-bash 11-champagne 12-jubilee

Plastic bank-notes could be here within three years

Plastic bank-notes could arrive in Britain within three years, ending 160 years of tradition. Since 1853, bank-notes have been made from cotton paper but the Bank of England has carried out three years of research on switching to polymer notes. These can be wiped clean and survive a hot washing machine cycle at 90 degrees.

In September, the Bank said it would initially look only at changing the £5 and £10 notes, with the first one being the new £5 featuring Sir Winston Churchill in 2016. At the time, it promised to do nothing unless the public approved. Polymer notes are already used in more than 20 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Singapore and Mauritius as well as Canada. They last ‘at least’ 2.5 times longer than current paper notes and take ‘much longer to become tatty’. They are also cleaner because they are resistant to dirt and moisture, and are almost impossible to tear.

If the switch goes ahead, it would save the Bank more than £100million over a ten-year period, largely because the new bank-note will last for so much longer. A typical £5 note currently lasts for just two years. The new ones would last for just under six years, according to the research published in the autumn. They can also be recycled in different ways, from producing household energy to being used to create garden furniture and plant pots.

The new notes would still feature the Queen as well as a famous person, such as the naturalist Charles Darwin. However, they would be slightly smaller than the cotton paper version. The Bank also tested the polymer notes by submerging them in liquids, including red wine, and found they could be ‘wiped clean’. Normal notes stain or disintegrate.

source: www.dailymail.co.uk

plastic – műanyag
tradition – hagyomány
to switch to – váltani valamire
to wipe – letörölni
degree – fok
initially – kezdetben
unless – hacsak nem
to approve – jóváhagyni
to last – tart valameddig
current – jelenlegi
tatty – rongyos
resistant to – ellenálló
moisture – nedvesség
to recycle – újrahasznosítani
slightly – kicsit, picit
to submerge – bemeríteni
to stain – folt marad rajta, foltot hagy
to disintegrate – szétmegy, szétbomlik

Match the words with their synonyms. 

answers: 1-c 2-e 3-d 4-b 5-a

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a) all brawn but no brain
b) beat my brains out
c) pick his brain
d) scatterbrained
e) rack your brains
f) bird-brain
g) brainbox
h) brainstorm
i) an idle brain is the devil’s workshop
j) get my brain in gear

A: I know Mr. Hyun is the 1) ………. in the office but don’t 2) ………. all the time. Think for yourself.
B: I know, I really have to 3) ………. if I want to keep up with him.

A: Oh, I’m so 4) ………. . I never know where I put my things. I can’t find my wallet now.
B: Oh, come on. Think! You had all your money in it. 5) ………. a little bit.

A: I 6) ………. all day to think of a solution to our problem but I haven’t had any good ideas.
B: Well, let’s 7) ………. together. Maybe we can come up with something together.

A: You really were a 8) ………. to think your relationship with a football star would work.
B: Well, he seemed different. I didn’t want to believe he was 9) ………. like the rest of his team.

A: That boy is worrying me. He just sits around all day doing anything. 10) ………., I tell you.

Answers: 1) g, 2) c, 3) j, 4) d, 5) e, 6) b, 7) h, 8) f, 9) a, 10) i

2nd step: Now match the definitons and the idioms.

1) A very intelligent, clever person
2) If you have nothing to do, you’ll think of something bad to do sooner or later
3) To start thinking more effectively and clearly
4) To think of solutions together and share ideas
5) To ask for information or advice from someone who knows more
6) Physically strong but not very intelligent
7) To think very hard or do very much about something
8) To think very hard to remember or understand something
9) A disorganized, forgetful person.
10) A stupid person

a) all brawn but no brain
b) beat one’s brains out
c) pick someone’s brain
d) scatterbrain(ed)
e) rack one’s brains
f) bird-brain
g) brainbox
h) brainstorm
i) an idle brain is the devil’s workshop
j) get one’s brain in gear

Answers: 1) g, 2) i, 3) j, 4) h, 5) c, 6) a, 7) b, 8) e, 9) d,  10) f

all brawn but no brain – az agya helyén is izom van, a bicepszében hordja az agyát
to beat one’s brain out – keményen agyalni vagy dolgozni valamin 
to pick somene’s brain – kikérni egy valamiben jártasabb ember tanácsát vagy véleményét 
scatterbrained – szétszórt
to rack one’s brains – törni az agyadat
bird-brain – az akinek annyi esze sincs mint egy csirkének
brainbox – nagyon okos, eszes ember
to brainstorm – ötletelni
an idle brain is the devil’s workshop – a semmittevés rosszra tanít
to get one’s brains in gear – felturbózni az agyadat
 

Development company Crystal Dynamics has stripped Croft of her previous history in the game published by Japan’s Square Enix, and reinvented her as a 21-year-old novice with no experience of raiding tombs, climbing or shooting. Instead of the confident Croft seen in previous games and in the two movies with Angelina Jolie, the first "Tomb Raider" game in three years begins with the archaeologist as a terrified woman who is unsure of her footing but is desperate to survive. 

The story of the new "Tomb Raider" was written by Rhianna Pratchett, ex-gaming journalist and daughter of fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett, who relished the challenge of rebooting and reimagining one of gaming’s few female protagonists. "That’s a real once-in-a-lifetime thing, especially with Lara Croft, as pretty much everyone knows who she is, whether they’re into games or not. My mum knows who Lara Croft is," Pratchett told Reuters. 

The rebooted Croft was devised after years of declining sales for "Tomb Raider" which is now ranked at about 28th in a list of best-selling video game franchises with sales of 35 million copies, according to "Tomb Raider" website figures. The 11th "Tomb Raider" game is based on an island where Croft and her team are shipwrecked while looking for a lost city. They soon discover the island is inhabited by a mysterious cult who will kill outsiders to protect their secret society. Croft finds herself separated from the rest of her colleagues and vulnerable. 

It’s not just the character of Croft that has changed but also the appearance of the female adventurer who was first unleashed internationally back in 1996. Her exaggerated curves are toned down to almost normal proportions, her hair braid is gone, and the tight shorts are replaced by more comfortable trousers. Noah Hughes, creative director of the "Tomb Raider" project at Crystal Dynamics, said they wanted to explain the mechanisms of Croft’s character to people. "We felt in an origin story you could actually get to know the character and bring her to life as someone you could relate to and understand and then take her on this amazing journey," he said. As the game progresses, the characteristics of the old Croft start becoming more tangible in the gameplay as the hardening of her personality is brought about by a series of brutal events. This explains the game franchise’s first Mature 17+ rating. 

"Tomb Raider" goes on release in Britain and the United States on March 5 with early reviews saying that Croft is back on top of her game.

source: news.yahoo.com

gun-toting – pisztolyt viselő
adventurer – kalandor
gadget-free – kütyü-mentes
improbable – valószínűtlen
curve – domborula, ív
braid – fonat
to strip of something – megfosztani valamitől
to reinvent – újra feltalálni
novice – kezdő, újonc
to raid – fosztogatni, portyázni, támadni
tomb – sír(emlék)
confident – magabiztos
to be terrified – rémültnek lenni
unsure – bizonytalan
footing – talaj, talpalattnyi hely, helyzet
desperate – elszánt, kétségbeesett
to survive – túlélni
to relish – élvezni
challenge – kihívás
to reimagine – újraképzelni
protagonist – főszereplő, főhős
to devise – kieszelni, létrehozni, megszerkeszteni
to decline – esni, hanyatlani
shipwrecked – hajótörött
to inhabit – lakni
to separate from – elkülöníteni, elkülönülni valamitől
vulnerable – sebezhető, támadható 
apperance – megjelenés, külső
to unleash – szabadon engedni, kirobbantani
to exaggerate – túlozni, nagyítani
origin story – eredettörténet
to get to know – megismerni
to relate to – viszonyulni valamihez
amazing – elképesztő, csodálatos
to progress – haladni, fejlődni
tangible – kézzelfogható, tapintható
to harden – (meg)keményedni

“To ensure that nothing disturbs the peace and quite of the animals, we closed off the Elephant House from the outside world almost hermetically. Hence, the public may not view yet the animals living here, and even among the staff of the Zoo, only keepers and veterinarians specifically assigned to care for the elephants may enter the restricted area,” announced a Budapest Zoo spokesperson.

If the baby is feeding with reassuring frequency and the mother’s behavior remains normal, the public will be allowed to visit the Elephant House. Depending on the development of the elephant baby, competent staff of the Zoo will determine when the elephants will be displayed again.

The newly born Valentine’s Day calf already suckles milk from its mother’s breast in the Budapest Zoo. This is very important since the baby did not succeed at first and could only get the essential milk with human help. In the first 24 hours the baby did not find its mother’s breasts at all, therefore caregivers and veterinarians milked the elephant mom called Angele and fed the baby elephant with the extracted milk. Since then such feeding happened more times and fortunately it turned out that the baby can be called to the nursing bottle.

The fate of the little elephant has been followed by many in recent days. People have asked information about its condition and hoped that everything would turn out ok. The Zoo still asks for the patience of the visitors: the Elephant House remains closed as long as calm environment is required for the mom and her baby.

In the history of the Budapest Zoo and Botanic Garden five elephant calves were born, the last one on May 10 in 1961. Since then in the past half century, however not a single Asian elephant was born in Hungary until now.

source: www.budapest.hu

joyous – örömteljes
uncertain – bizonytalan
to nurture – táplálni, szoptatni, gondozni
keeper – ápoló
to monitor – megfigyelni, felügyelni
to feed – etetni, táplálkozni
to look after – törődni, valaki gondját viselni
properly – megfelelően
offspring – utód
to be considered – tartani valaminek
experienced – tapasztalt
spotlight – reflektorfény
to ensure – biztosítani
to disturb – zavarni
to close off – lezárni
hence – ennélfogva, ezért
assigned – illetékes, felhatalmazott
restricted area – korlátozott/tiltott terület/övezet
reassuring – megnyugtató
frequency – gyakoriság
behavior – viselkedés
to remain – maradni
to allow – (meg)engedni
depending on – valamitől függően
competent – hozzáértő, alkalmas
to determine – meghatározni, eldönteni
to display – kiállítani, bemutatni
newly born – újszülött
calf – borjú
to suckle – szopni, szoptatni
breast – mell
to succeed – sikerül valamit csinálni, sikeresnek lenni
caregiver – gondviselő
to milk – fejni
to extract – megszerezni, kivonni
fortunately – szerencsére
to turn out – kiderülni
nursing bottle – cumisüveg
fate – sors
in recent days – a napokban
condition – állapot
patience – türelem
calm – nyugodt
environment – környezet
required – szükséges
not a single – egyetlen sem

Végezetül pedig nézzünk meg egy rövid angol nyelvű videót a budapesti állatkertről!