Looking to improve your English conversation skills? In this video, we analyze a movie scene from 'Challengers' that’s full of useful phrases like “I get it” and idioms like “What’s the angle?”. You’ll learn how to understand and use common English expressions in everyday conversations. Great for English learners wanting to sound more natural!
In today's lesson:
- "what's the angle?". What do you think this phrase means?
- "beat up on". Why does he say that?
- "homewrecker". What does it mean?
Today, we are going to learn English with the movie 'Challengers'. It's a romantic sports drama that centers around the love triangle between a tennis coach Tashi, her tennis player ex-boyfriend Patrick, and her tennis champion husband Art. We are going to watch the scene where they have a conversation on the day they first met a long time ago. Let's watch and learn.
Learn vocabulary
"Stanford thing" is an informal shortcut way of saying something related to Stanford University. This is a casual way to say it, similar to "the college thing" or "the job thing".
The phrase "Stanford thing" refers to a specific topic related to Stanford University. When we add “thing” to the name of a place or topic, it means we are talking about something specific related to that place or topic. Some other examples are "the college thing" or "the job thing".
The question "what's the angle?" is asking about someone's reason or purpose for doing something. It’s like saying, “Why are you doing this?” or “What’s your goal?”. It’s commonly used to ask about someone’s real reason or hidden purpose.
'beat up on' is a slang phrase meaning to defeat or win against someone easily, especially when the other person is weaker. Imagine this: You are playing a video game against your friend who just started playing. You might "beat up on" them because they are not very skilled yet.
'bunch of' means a lot of similar people (without giving a specific number).
The phrase "bunch of" in this context has two common meanings: any small number of similar people, or a small group of people.
'racket' here means a handheld instrument with strings used for hitting the ball in tennis.
The phrase "I get it" means “I understand.” It’s a quick, informal way to show that you understand what someone is saying or feeling. Here are a few other ways to say "I get it": makes sense; okay, I see your point; now I understand.
'phenomenon' means someone or something amazing, very successful, talented, or unusual in a positive way. Imagine this: A young singer who becomes a huge star very quickly could be called a "singing phenomenon". A natural wonder like the Grand Canyon could also be called a "natural phenomenon". Other ways to say it: star, superstar, rising star, something amazing, something incredible.
"campaign" means a series of advertisements or promotions for a product.
'pro' is short for "professional", referring to someone who plays sports for a living.
'avoid' means to stay away from someone or something, or to not allow yourself to do something. 'To avoid having a job' is a sarcastic phrase. Patrick jokes that tennis is a way to avoid work.
The phrase "express yourself" means to show your thoughts, feelings, or ideas in a clear way. It’s about communicating who you are or what you feel, often through speaking, writing, art, music, or actions.
In the scene, Tashi says that Patrick sees tennis as a way to show his personality, emotions, or style on the court.
In the scene, Tashi says that Patrick sees tennis as a way to show his personality, emotions, or style on the court.
"serve", in sports such as tennis, means to hit the ball to the other player as a way of starting the game.
"homewrecker" means someone who is responsible for breaking up a marriage or relationship. It’s usually used to talk about a person who starts a relationship with someone who is already married.
In the clip, Tashi says she doesn’t want to get romantically involved with Art or with Patrick, if it might ruin their friendship. She's joking about their relationships, but also serious about not wanting to cause any problems.
'open relationship' is a type of romantic relationship where both partners agree that they can date or have romantic or sexual relationships with other people. It’s different from a traditional relationship, where people typically only date or are intimate with each other.
'hang out' is a phrasal verb that means to spend a lot of time in a place or with someone.