Questions from Reader's Digest

[Ju]

I like to read Reader's Digest as I found it's informative, yet allows me to expose to a lot of lively English which I couldn't learn from textbook. (Is this sentence OK in structure?)

May I know the following words/phrases from the articles of Reader's Digest highlighted in red?

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1) "My Story" is a regular feature about moveing, challenging or amusing personal experience above and beyond the call of daily life.

2) Maybe he's worried you will think less of him if you know his trouble and failure
.
3) I had a nasty run-in with a pair of jeans in a dressing room.

4) I couldn't flatten my stomach and I used to joke that I'd alway have a pooch.

5) low-rise jean

6) hip jean

7) She faced a challenge to design a comfortable jeans with a figure-flattering fit.

8) when you wear certain things and the knee get stretched out because there's not enough recovery in the fabric.

9) The business started with word of mouth, then she hired a PR firm to "really get the buzz going".

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Thanks / ju

[svartnik]

[COLOR=blue]I like to read Reader's Digest as I found it's informative, yet allows me to expose to a lot of lively English which I couldn't learn from textbook. (Is this sentence OK in structure?)

I like Reader's Digest as I find it informative; besides, I can pick up a lot of useful words, expressions from the various articles in it, which helps better my English more than pedagogical English books.

[COLOR=blue]May I know the following words/phrases from the articles of Reader's Digest highlighted in red?

Would you help me with the meanings of some words and phrases highlighted in red below?

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1) "My Story" is a regular feature about moving, challenging or amusing personal experience above and beyond the call of daily life.

challenging experience more than ordinary life


2) Maybe he's worried you will think less of him if you know his trouble and failure

He is afraid you will get him out of your mind, that you will forget him.
.
3) I had a nasty run-in with a pair of jeans in a dressing room.

nasty disagreement over something

4) I couldn't flatten my stomach and I used to joke that I'd alway have a pooch.
I think there is a misspelling. That pooch (dog) is pouch.
pouch is a little bubble in front of your stomach

5) low-rise jean -- for men and women -- jeans that sit below the hips

6) hip jean -- sit on your hip

7) She faced a challenge to design a comfortable jeans with a figure-flattering fit.

Jeans that emphasise your good shape, in which you can do this:
Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press

8) when you wear certain things and the knee get stretched out because there's not enough recovery in the fabric.

Pants tend to get stretched out at the knees because there is not enough fabric for your legs to bend properly. When you sit down, you change the shape of the pants. Tight pants resist distortion to the detriment of quality. As a result, at the knees your pants will not fit closely, which is not very nice. Recovery means extra material meant to provide room for your movements.

9) The business started with word of mouth, then she hired a PR firm to "really get the buzz going".
check this
Cambridge Dictionaries Online - Cambridge University Press
word-to-mouth is similar in meaning to this
When you buzz around, you are full of energy and excitement.
to get the buzz going means to get the business go ahead like a ship in full sail.

[Ouisch]

above and beyond the call of daily life[/COLOR].

To do far more than ordinarily expected or required. "My English teacher went above and beyond the call of duty; she not only stayed after hours to help me with my homework, she also helped me fill out several job applications."

2) Maybe he's worried you will think less of him if you know his trouble and failure
.

You will think badly of him or have a low opinion of him. "My mother-in-law thinks I'm the greatest and treats me like one of her own children. I'm worried that if she ever finds out I was once arrested for drunk driving she'll think less of me."

3) I had a nasty run-in with a pair of jeans in a dressing room.

An encounter.

4) I couldn't flatten my stomach and I used to joke that I'd alway have a pooch.

A "pooch" is a slang term for a little bit of a protuding tummy. If you're slender every where else but don't have a completely flat stomach, you might call it a "pooch."

5) low-rise jean

A style of jeans where the waistband barely covers the wearer's hip bones.

6) hip jean

Same as low-rise jeans.

7) She faced a challenge to design a comfortable jeans with a figure-flattering fit.

Jeans that look good on you no matter what your body type.

8) when you wear certain things and the knee get stretched out because there's not enough recovery in the fabric.

The fabric isn't "stretchy" enough. For example, in a typical pair of 100% cotton tight-fitting jeans, the area around the knee will start protruding, or "pouching" outward from the wearing bending his knees and stretching the fabric. Some fabrics, however, can be stretched and will recover their original shape (picture a rubber band; you can stretch it to a much larger size, but when you let go, it returns to its original size and shape).

9) The business started with word of mouth, then she hired a PR firm to "really get the buzz going".

"Buzz" is positive press. For example, a film critic might see a relatively unknown movie on opening night and then write a glowing review about it. Other critics will see this review and be prompted to see the film. They will then also write good things about it, and suddenly a "buzz" is created - TV hosts and radio DJs will start talking about this great film that they read about.

[svartnik]

My comments to #2 and #3 are misleading and incorrect. I should have read the whole sentences. It just goes to show how much context counts (and how much education counts)

[Ju]

To do far more than ordinarily expected or required. "My English teacher went above and beyond the call of duty; she not only stayed after hours to help me with my homework, she also helped me fill out several job applications."


You will think badly of him or have a low opinion of him. "My mother-in-law thinks I'm the greatest and treats me like one of her own children. I'm worried that if she ever finds out I was once arrested for drunk driving she'll think less of me."

An encounter.


A "pooch" is a slang term for a little bit of a protuding tummy. If you're slender every where else but don't have a completely flat stomach, you might call it a "pooch."

A style of jeans where the waistband barely covers the wearer's hip bones.

Same as low-rise jeans.


Jeans that look good on you no matter what your body type.


The fabric isn't "stretchy" enough. For example, in a typical pair of 100% cotton tight-fitting jeans, the area around the knee will start protruding, or "pouching" outward from the wearing bending his knees and stretching the fabric. Some fabrics, however, can be stretched and will recover their original shape (picture a rubber band; you can stretch it to a much larger size, but when you let go, it returns to its original size and shape).


"Buzz" is positive press. For example, a film critic might see a relatively unknown movie on opening night and then write a glowing review about it. Other critics will see this review and be prompted to see the film. They will then also write good things about it, and suddenly a "buzz" is created - TV hosts and radio DJs will start talking about this great film that they read about.

Dear Ouisch,

Thanks for your detailed reply.

1) "You will think badly of him or have a low opinion of him."

What does it mean of "think badly of him" & "have a low opinion of him"

2) May I try to make sentence with "run-in" which means "an encounter".

"I had a bad run-in during the trip in Japan as I got a car crash in the
highway.

Thanks / ju