English is spoken as an official language not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom. This is why we decided to introduce a real ‘English’ comedy drama, ‘Black Books,’ so as to help you expand the diversity of your English expressions and intonations.
Putting beside the suitability for English studying, ‘Black Books’ itself is a very interesting drama. Absent-minded neighbors ? Bernard; a wine addict and bookstore owner, Fran; Bernard’s female friend, and Manny; a clerk at Bernard’s bookstore ? always end up involving themselves with unexpected happenings. Through this section of The UOS Times, we hope that you can have lots of fun while learning the British way of speaking English.
SITUATION 1
In Bernard’s bookstore, Manny and Bernard argue over and put a bet on whether customers need assistance for choosing books. Then, a mad customer yells at Manny, who is approaching him to assist him in choosing a book to buy.
Customer: Will you leave me alone? I’m sick of being hounded by salesmen in shops! I’m browsing, all right? Browsing! At the end of it I might buy something, I might not! But you will not influence me one iota! Not one jot! Now I’ve finished with you, you may go!
Manny: (After returning to Bernard) Best of three?
| hound ~ 를 성가시게 하다 browse (가게, 상점 등에서) 둘러보다 not one iota (=not at all) (영국식 표현) 하나도 전혀 jot (조금도) ~가 아닌 best of three (내기 등에서) 3판 2선승제 |
SITUATION 2
Bernard and Manny worry about possible consequences after they accidently finish writing a book for children.
Bernard: What problems? We’re on the pig’s back, charging through a velvet field.
Manny: There will be pressure for a follow-up. People will say “You’re the Elephant Balloon guys, it’s been a while, where’s the next one?”
Bernard: Who cares? Who cares about what our disgusting public think?
| Shergar (옛날 유명한 아일랜드 경주마를 뜻함) 마권 on the pig’s back 성공가도를 달리다 charge through 진격하다 follow-up 후속작 |
SITUATION 3
Manny is shocked after learning that his parents are coming to see him during the weekend, because he had not heard their phone message until their arrival. Then Bernard warns that he will never let them stay at his bookstore, knowing that Fran and Manny were secretly planning to go to a party on a barge. Fran tries to persuade him not to do so.
Bernard: No.
(Fran grabs Bernard’s hair and drags him into the kitchen, to force him to have a little chat.)
Fran: You are being vey mean to Manny.
Bernard: I can’t help it. He looks like a horse in a man costume.
Fran: It’s just his mum and dad for a weekend. Why can’t he have them around?
Bernard: Well, that’s easy for you to say. You’ll be off on the barge, trying to find your booty, in a haze of gange an’ ting.
Fran: How did you know it was on a barge?
Bernard: I didn’t, I don’t.
Fran: You nasty man, you’ve been screening his calls.
Bernard: Well, he doesn’t need friends, they’re bad for him. They make him giddy.
| mo (moment의 줄임말) 잠깐만 can’t help it 참을 수 없다 barge (배의 종류) 바지선 booty (보물 찾기 대회 등의) 노획물, 상금 haze 안개 an’ ting (=and thing, 설명하는 대상 뒤에 덧붙여서) 그런 것, 비슷한 것 screen 검열하다 giddy 경박하다 |
SITUATION 4
Manny and Bernard return to the bookstore from long holidays, during which they spent most of their time on stopovers. Bernard tells Manny to pack his things and get out.
Manny: You can’t run the place on your own!
Bernard: I’ll struggle on somehow!
| association (룸메이트 간의) 동거 penury 궁핍 strife 투쟁 redundancy package 해고 수당 struggle on 분투하다, 몸부림치다 |
Yook Jun-yeop Junior Reporter
yook9311@uos.ac.kr