ESL for All: Podcast and Blog #3: Clothes Make the Man
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Joshua: Hello everyone. I am Joshua Halsband, and I am the director of ESL for All. In this episode we will be talking about fashion. My cohost is my wife, Tomomi.
Tomomi: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us for our third podcast and blog.
Joshua: Tomomi, are you ready to go out?
Tomomi: Yes, I am, but you clearly aren’t.
Joshua: Why, I am all set.
Tomomi: Your polo shirt is ripped in four places. Under both arms. Both sleeves. You cannot go out looking like that.
Joshua: Why can’t I? Clothes do not make the man.
Tomomi: And, that’s where you’re mistaken. Clothes do make the man. You are a college teacher. Do you want people to think that you are so poor that you cannot afford to wear untorn clothes.
Joshua: Look at Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg. None of them were clothes horses when they started out.
Tomomi: Right, when they first launched their companies. But, now Gates and Zuckerberg dress to the nines.
Joshua: Umm, they are multi billionaires.
Tomomi: Don’t be dense. They are not dressed well because they have money. They dress well because they want to be respected. Don’t you want to be respected?
Joshua: Of course, but clothes do not make a man. You know, don’t judge a book by its cover. If someone does not want to respect me because I am wearing a ripped shirt, why should I care?
Tomomi: Ugh. You like to read, don’t you? Well, when you are at a bookstore, what about a book or magazine grabs your attention first?
Joshua: The cover.
Tomomi: Ahem. So, you’re judging a book by its cover! What a hypocrite!
Joshua: OK. You’re right. I will go change. By the time I emerge from our bedroom, I will be the cat’s whiskers.
Tomomi: That will be the day hell freezes over. I will be happy with you looking neat and mature.
Joshua: You’re right. I need to dress better.
Tomomi: What are the two rules to live by?
Joshua: Rule number 1: the woman is always right. Rule number 2: learn rule number 1.
Tomomi: Now, you’ve hit the nail on the head.
Joshua: Could you follow our conversation? Here are the definitions of these idiomatic expressions.
Tomomi: Clothes do not make the man: a person’s clothes do not represent who she is nor how she behaves.
Joshua: Clothes make the man: a person’s clothes do represent who he is and how he behaves.
Tomomi: Clothes horses: people who love to buy and wear expensive and trendy styles.
Joshua: Dress to the nines: people who are clothes horses dress to the nines. They wear really expensive and trendy clothes.
Tomomi: Don’t be dense: do not act stupid or sarcastic. The listener understands what the speaker means, but the listener pretends to be dense—pretends not understand the speaker’s way of thinking.
Joshua: Judge a book by its cover: when I go to a bookstore, I look at the books on the display shelves. I am attracted to a book because it’s cover art and title are interesting to me. The book may not be something I usually like but if the title and art intrigue me, I will look at it.
Tomomi: The cat’s whiskers: literally, the cat’s whiskers are the wiry long hairs that stick out from a cat’s face between his nose and mouth. In this conversation, the cat’s whiskers means a man who is handsome, tall, muscular, and stylish.
Joshua: The day hell freezes over: this is actually said a lot. It means that something impossible will never happen. Hell is very hot. The temperature will never get cold enough for hell to freeze. For example, hell will freeze over before I ever take any illegal drugs.
Tomomi: Hit the nail on the head: you are exactly right.
Joshua: Well, listeners, we hope that you enjoyed our podcast. Please see www.eslforall.com and our blog page: www.eslforall.com/blog for an audio recording and transcript of this podcast.
