Dross on Demand
khaled
could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
"Dross on demand"
"Leg up to" in this sentence "Just like speaking, IRC is an
instantaneous way of communicating, but it gives students just a few
extra seconds to think about how to express themselves and as such it
can be a useful leg up to real face-to-face conversation.
Thanks, :D
the Omrud
> Hi
>
> could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
>
> "Dross on demand"
Dross is rubbish or junk. This is not a common phrase, but is
probably a deliberately rude reference to "video on demand" whereby
you can get films delivered to your home by cable or satellite,
starting at the time you want instead of having to wait for the TV
schedule.
> "Leg up to" in this sentence "Just like speaking, IRC is an
> instantaneous way of communicating, but it gives students just a few
> extra seconds to think about how to express themselves and as such it
> can be a useful leg up to real face-to-face conversation.
"a leg up" means assistance or help. If you give me a leg up, you
are literally helping me to climb. By extension it also means any
type of assistance.
--
David
=====
replace usenet with the
Don Phillipson
news:cua9k...@news4.newsguy.com...
> could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
> "Dross on demand"
Meaning cannot be known without context.
The word dross means a certain type of small
dust particle but is most often used in a metaphorical
sense. Lack of context prevents our knowing the
sense about which you ask.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
Spehro Pefhany
<d.phil...@ttrryytteell.com> wrote:
>"khaled" <attara...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>news:cua9k...@news4.newsguy.com...
>
>> could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
>> "Dross on demand"
>
>Meaning cannot be known without context.
>The word dross means a certain type of small
>dust particle but is most often used in a metaphorical
>sense. Lack of context prevents our knowing the
>sense about which you ask.
'Dross' is the crud that floats to the top of a batch of otherwise
shiny molten metal. A web search points to William Haworth of
Liverpool John Moores University, and are in reference to the dubious
results of web searches (from a July 6, 1995 WWW document "World
Language Pages"). It would be a nice metaphor even without the
alliteration. Fortunately, web searches have come a long way in the
past decade.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
Django Cat
As David says, a leg up is help or assitance which helps you on the
way with doing something.
This is reminiscent of a much-discussed concept in ELT called
'scaffolding'.
I don't agree with your source, (what is it?) but I am aware that
teachers often get timetabled to spend time in the computer lab and
need to find things to do. I was going to say 'give chat a try it
can't do any harm', but if you launch your students into a public chat
area, you run the risk of them encountering language and situations
beyond your control. It's very easy to set up a chat area which,
though it's on line, there's zero chance of an outsider stumbling
across while your students are chatting. If you want I can email you
the address of one of the chat areas I've previously set up and am not
currently using.
Then there's MOOs, which are another whole ball game and a much more
supportive and controlled environment for learners. Google SchMOOze
University (from NY City University) of try the excellent Grass Roots
at http://www.enabling.org/grassroots/.
You'd definitely get more informed responses on MELE.
DC, who still thinks there are better ways for students to spend time
in the IT lab.
Joanne Marinelli
"Django Cat" <nos...@please.com> wrote in message
news:5nth01t6nabsdh93e...@4ax.com...
> On 8 Feb 2005 12:00:07 GMT, attara...@hotmail.com (khaled) wrote:
>
> >Hi
> >
> >could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
> >
> >"Dross on demand"
> >
> >"Leg up to" in this sentence "Just like speaking, IRC is an
> >instantaneous way of communicating, but it gives students just a few
> >extra seconds to think about how to express themselves and as such it
> >can be a useful leg up to real face-to-face conversation.
> >
> >
> >Thanks, :D
>
> As David says, a leg up is help or assitance which helps you on the
> way with doing something.
>
> This is reminiscent of a much-discussed concept in ELT called
> 'scaffolding'.
>
> I don't agree with your source, (what is it?) but I am aware that
> teachers often get timetabled to spend time in the computer lab and
> need to find things to do. I was going to say 'give chat a try it
> can't do any harm', but if you launch your students into a public chat
> area, you run the risk of them encountering language and situations
> beyond your control.
I am not as technically savvy as all that, but I am beginning to wonder why
the OP doesn't have an advisor or graduate support system, rather than
turning to a general non-moderated newsgroup, and fielding open-ended
questions without a specific problem related to an individual student.
Although I can understand the need to set up activities in a computer lab, I
think chat servers are a poor way to go to teach proper elocution of a
second language, if ESL is indeed the OP's curriculum.
Joanne
Michael Mendelsohn
> "Leg up to" in this sentence "Just like speaking, IRC is an
> instantaneous way of communicating, but it gives students just a few
> extra seconds to think about how to express themselves and as such it
> can be a useful leg up to real face-to-face conversation.
If you want to climb a high fence, your buddy can put his hands
together, inlocking the fingers, to make a small step. You put your foot
on this step and half jump, half get thrown over the fence. This is what
I consider the literal meaning of being given a leg up.
Of course, here it is meant figuratively: real f2f conversation is too
difficult for these students, but Internet Relay Chat can help them
attain that skill.
Cheers
Michael
--
It's silly talking about how many years we will have to spend
in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country
and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas.
-- Ronald Reagan, October 10, 1965
Don Phillipson
news:42090300...@msgid.michael.mendelsohn.de...
> If you want to climb a high fence, your buddy can put his hands
> together, inlocking the fingers, to make a small step. You put your foot
> on this step and half jump, half get thrown over the fence. This is what
> I consider the literal meaning of being given a leg up.
No less likely: similarly helping someone
climb up into the saddle of a horse.
Django Cat
People teach ESL/EFL in zillions of different contexts around the
world, in the public sector and the private sector, to kids or adults,
one-to-one or classes of 60, in high tech Universities and under
trees. Not everybody has management support systems. However,
there's a lot of EFL/SL forums Khaled could try for specialist ideas;
Dave Spurlings, the guy on About.com, http://www.eltforum.com/ IATEFL,
TESL-L mailing list to name a few, not to mention MELE.
Cheers
Django
Joanne Marinelli
Okay. I wasn't challenging your willingness to help, but even I grasp the
basic idea of knowing a useful pedagogical approach, and Khaled seems to be
in need of guidance.
You seem to know a lot about this, and a bemused image flashed through my
mind of me in my wheelchair with a group of polite Pakistanis who also want
flying lessons....mmm :)
Tally-ho,
Joanne
Django Cat
<Joz...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Well, I've been around EFL/ESL on and off since 1982 and am working on
an MEd dissertation in English Language Teaching and Educational
Technology. There are worse ways of earning a living (I've tried a
few), and it can be a lot of fun.
DC
Phil C.
<d.phil...@ttrryytteell.com> wrote:
>"Michael Mendelsohn" <inv...@msgid.michael.mendelsohn.de> wrote in message
>news:42090300...@msgid.michael.mendelsohn.de...
>
>> If you want to climb a high fence, your buddy can put his hands
>> together, inlocking the fingers, to make a small step. You put your foot
>> on this step and half jump, half get thrown over the fence. This is what
>> I consider the literal meaning of being given a leg up.
>
>No less likely: similarly helping someone
>climb up into the saddle of a horse.
I suspect that's the original image. Not to be confused with "getting
your leg over" which, of course, refers to "how's your father" or "a
bit of the other".
--
Phil C.
Django Cat
Come on man, we're all grown ups here. If you mean rumpty-tumpty, say
so.
DC
Mike Lyle
> On 8 Feb 2005 12:00:07 GMT, attara...@hotmail.com (khaled)
wrote:
>
>> Hi
>>
>> could you please help me in knowing the meaning of the following:
>>
>> "Dross on demand"
>>
>> "Leg up to" in this sentence "Just like speaking, IRC is an
>> instantaneous way of communicating, but it gives students just a
few
>> extra seconds to think about how to express themselves and as such
it
>> can be a useful leg up to real face-to-face conversation.
>>
>>
>> Thanks, :D
>
> As David says, a leg up is help or assitance which helps you on the
> way with doing something.
I missed the earlier parts, but it may help if I mention that "a leg
up" refers to clasping your hands under somebody's foot or knee and
lifting to help him get into some high place such as a wall or a
tree, or onto the back of a horse. Ex-soldiers will remember being
almost thrown over a wall by comrades in this way.
Mike.
Mike Lyle
Sorry: just seen something from earlier. Ignore me, if you weren't
already.
Mike.
Phil C.
wrote:
Is that rumpy-pumpy as practised by Humpty Dumpty? Is that why he fell
off the wall? No wonder he needed a leg up.
--
Phil C.
Django Cat
<philsto...@fsmail.net> wrote:
>On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 21:22:42 +0000, Django Cat <nos...@please.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 20:51:52 +0000, Phil C.
>><philsto...@fsmail.net> wrote:
>>
>>>On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 13:55:39 -0500, "Don Phillipson"
>>><d.phil...@ttrryytteell.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Michael Mendelsohn" <inv...@msgid.michael.mendelsohn.de> wrote in message
>>>>news:42090300...@msgid.michael.mendelsohn.de...
>>>>
>>>>> If you want to climb a high fence, your buddy can put his hands
>>>>> together, inlocking the fingers, to make a small step. You put your foot
>>>>> on this step and half jump, half get thrown over the fence. This is what
>>>>> I consider the literal meaning of being given a leg up.
>>>>
>>>>No less likely: similarly helping someone
>>>>climb up into the saddle of a horse.
>>>
>>>I suspect that's the original image. Not to be confused with "getting
>>>your leg over" which, of course, refers to "how's your father" or "a
>>>bit of the other".
>>
>>Come on man, we're all grown ups here. If you mean rumpty-tumpty, say
>>so.
>
>Is that rumpy-pumpy as practised by Humpty Dumpty?
Probably, it's been a long day!
Cheers
DC