Lesson 19 -- Nicole\'s Close Election

 

Lesson 19 -- Nicole's Close Election

 

Speak English Like an American -- Lesson 19

Nicole loses the election at school. She doesn't want to accept it, so she looks for excuses. Ted encourages her to accept defeat and move on.

Nicole:  I lost the election by a hair -- just 10 votes! But I'm not giving up.
Ted:      Give me a break, Nicole. You lost. Live with it!
Nicole:  But I was a sure thing! If I hadn't stayed up so late baking cookies,
             I wouldn't have messed up my speech.
Ted:      Get real, Nicole.
Nicole:  It's your fault, Ted. I lost because your friends didn't vote for me.
Ted:      Don't try to put the blame on me! I gave it my best shot.
Nicole:  They must've made a mistake while counting the votes. I'll demand
             a re-count on Monday and set the record straight.
Ted:      Don't make a fool of yourslef, Nicole. Face it, Andrea won the
             election fair and square!
Nicole:  Well, I just don't know where I went wrong.
Susan:   Here, take a chocolate chip cookie. That'll cheer you up for sure.

 

Idioms,

By a hair – just barely; very narrowly; by a small amount

Fair and square – honestly

For sure – definitely

(to) give it one’s best shot – to try as hard as one can

(to) give up – to admit defeat; to surrender

(to) go wrong – to  make a mistake; to go astray; to malfunction; to work incorrectly

(to) live with it – to accept a difficult reality

(to) make a fool of oneself – to cause oneself to look stupid

(to) mess up – to make a mistake; to spoil an opportunity

(to) put the blame on (someone) – to name somebody else as responsible for a misdeed or misfortune

(to) set the record straight – to correct an inaccurate account

Sure thing – an outcome that is assured