My Digs: Hipsters

Hi guys

I hope that spring has been treating you well.

Today I would like to talk about hipsters but before I go any further and offend anyone, let me explain one thing.

hipster glasses

LABELS

To me there is nothing wrong with labels as long as they are playful and harmless. I myself have been called a 'class clown', 'a hipster', and a 'teacher' and although at first I found those labels mildly offensive, eventually I was able to laugh them off. You probably wonder who a 'teacher' is. HAHA. I'm not telling you. Figure it out on your own ;). Those who know me are probably nodding in approval though :P.

a label – etykietka

playful – żartobliwy

harmless – nieszkodliwy, niewinny

a class clown – błazen klasowy

mildly offensive – trochę obraźliwe

eventually – ostatecznie

to laugh something off – śmiać się z czegoś

to figure something out – domyślić się czegoś

to nod – kiwać głową

in approval – z aprobatą, zgadzając się

HIPSTERS

Here's a conversation I had the other day. It's about a pub/ bar in Poznań, Poland.

Friend: So how do you like this place?

Me: Yeah, I guess it's cool. I like the décor. If only there weren't so many hipsters here.

Friend: Hipsters?

Me: Yep, hipsters. Take a good look around you.

a few seconds pass

Friend: I guess you're right. Why didn't I see it before?

Me: I'm asking myself that too. <laughter>.

A pub (British English) and a bar (American English) are the same thing.

décor – wystrój

I'm asking myself that too. – Sama się zastanawiam.

labels

I'm not going to reveal the name of the place in case I want to go there again. But if anyone is curious, its name starts with the letter M and it's the longer one. Sounds cryptic? It's supposed to ;)

to reveal – ujawniać

curious – ciekawi

cryptic – zagadkowy, tajemniczy

It's supposed to. – tut. Właśnie takie ma być.

Ok, but who are hipsters? They're those art major people who wear thick-rimmed glasses and mix second-hand patterned shirts (striped, checked, floral) with ZARA and H&M trousers (or the other way round). They like to think of themselves as unique and edgy. That's why in pretty much every conversation they name-drop philosophers, musicians and authors that you have never heard of and have no interest in. They go to cinemas with chairs that hurt your bum and gravitate towards bohemian pubs. They also insist on using iPhones and wearing cool trainers. Really edgy.

But that's just about hipsters in Poland. American hipsters have gone well past that.

art major people – studenci ASP ;)

thick-rimmed (glasses) – (okulary) w grubych oprawkach

patterned – wzorzyste

striped – w paski

checked – w kratkę

floral – w kwiaty

edgy – z (zadziornym) charakterem

to name-drop – rzucać znanymi nazwiskami

a bum – pupa

to gravitate towards – lgnąć do

to insist on doing something – upierać się przy czymś, robić coś zawsze

They have gone well past that. – Zaszli o wiele dalej.

HIPSTERS IN AMERICA

TOO MAINSTREAM

Hipsters enjoy the unknown and the obscure. They stop liking a band or an author as soon as they become popular.

(The text in blue are quotes from Shit Hipsters Say videos on YouTube).

I liked it before it was popular.

You probably never heard of it.

Hey, I might start using a discman again.

No, I don't have a Facebook.

Their first album was better.

the unknown – wszystko co nieznane

the obscure – rzeczy mało znane, niejasne, ukryte

PRETENTIOUS

Hipsters have a smug sense of superiority. They are so self-absorbed that every one of them has a blog in which they share their enlightened views with the uncool public and other hipsters, whom they secretly despise. They don't dance at concerts and enjoy foreign films with subtitles.

It totally sounds better on vinyl.

Do you wanna start a band?

Vinyl sounds so clear.

Usually when I have to bring a girl back to my place, like to gauge where she's at, I put on Nickelback and if she likes it, I kick her out.

Have you read my blog?

pretentious – pretensjonalny

smug – zadowolony z siebie

a sense of superiority – poczucie wyższości

self-absorbed – pochłonięci sobą

enlightened – oświecone

to despise – gardzić

foreign films with subtitles – zagraniczne filmy z napisami

a vinyl – płyta winylowa

put on (music) – włączyć

to gauge – ocenić, zmierzyć

where she's at – jaka jest, jakiej muzyki słucha

to kick somebody out – wyrzucić kogoś (z domu)

FAIR TRADE/ ORGANIC/ INDEPENDENT

Hipsters support independent artists and choose fair-trade organic produce over regular people food. They tend to be skinny and “are usually less than 5% body fat”. They also eat children's cereal.

Do you guys have a vegan menu?

Do you know if this is organic?

independent – niezależny

fair-trade – sprawiedliwy handel, fair-trade

organic – ekologiczna

produce – nieprzetworzona żywność

regular people food – jedzenie dla normalnych ludzi

cereal – płatki

vegan – wegańskie

CAMERA

“Every hipster needs a camera. They'll take pictures, put them in black and white and they're automatically photographers. You will find them “crawling around in the woods taking photographs of dead leafs.”

I will totally instagram this.

to crawl – czołgać się

to instagram something – zrobić czemuś zdjęcie i wstawić je na stronę Instagram.com

WANNABE ARTISTS

'They also write – most will attempt poetry, or a novel, which will be set in a far-off fantasy world with characters named "Takeshi" and "Riku".'

Would you mind proofreading my novel?

wannabe artist – pozujący na artystę

to attempt – próbować (swoich sił w)

a novel – powieść

set – tut. toczyć się (o akcji)

far-off – odległy

to proofread – dokonywać korekty

How Do I Say It in English: zrzucić się na coś

Hello ;)

This post may prove useful if:

• you need to buy your best friend a present and you're broke;
• you're going to drive somewhere distant and need someone to share the petrol expenses;
• you're about to get pizza and there are people around;
• it's Mother's Day and you've got siblings;
• you've just put on your credit card an extremely expensive vase for your boss;
• there's a party on Friday and you're a student or a struggling artist or
• you have ever wondered how to say “zrzucić się na coś' in English.

broke – spłukany

petrol expenses/ gas expenses – wydatki na paliwo

get – tut. kupić

siblings – rodzeństwo

put something on your credit card – zapłacić za coś kartą kredytową

a vase – wazon

struggling – borykający się

to wonder – zastanawiać się

CHIP IN

We all chipped in and bought flowers for the secretaries.

They all chipped in 50 pounds and bought their mother a trip to Greece.

Why don't we all chip in 10 dollars to hire a hit man to get you when you sleep? (said sarcastically)

On top of this, last week she threw a party for her 18th birthday and asked us all to chip in five pounds for the drinks.

to hire – wynająć, zatrudnić

a hit man – płatny morderca

on top of this – w dodatku

KICK IN

We all kicked in to cover the expense of the phone calls, which in the 80's were expensive.

We all kicked in money for the van and each threw in another 5 for Justin to stay sober and drive us around all day. Justin made 45 dollars!

Everyone brought their own entrée that could be grilled and we all kicked in on the veggies and desserts.

to cover (the expense of) – pokryć koszt

the 80's –lata osiemdziesiąte

to throw in – dorzucić

to stay sober – pozostać trzeźwym

entrée – danie główne

to grill - piec

veggies – vegetables – warzywa

PITCH IN

We all need to pitch in 2 dollars to fix Kaitlin's phone because that H key is pissing me off .

I figure if I can get 500 people to pitch in 2 dollars, I can raise the $1000.

Everyone will pitch in 5 dollars and we'll buy an island somewhere and we can party with glow sticks and Nutella forever on our island.

If cost is an issue, I would suggest every racer pitch in 5 quid and I'm sure you would be able to fund the purchase.

to fix – naprawić

to piss someone off – wkurzać kogoś

I figure – tak sobie myślę

to raise (money) – uzbierać

an issue – problem

a racer – uczestnik wyścigu

quid – funt(y)

to fund – sfinansować

a purchase – zakup

glow sticks

a glow party pack

THROW DOWN

The keg is a great option if you can get everyone to throw down 5 dollars beforehand or at the door.

I threw down forty dollars when the bill came last night.

New FLYERS!!! Maybe if everyone at the next meet wants to throw down 2 dollars to help get them printed I would appreciate that. 

 

a keg  – beczka

beforehand – wcześniej

at the door – przed wejściem

flyers – ulotki

a meet – a meeting – spotkanie

I would appreciate that – Byłabym/byłbym wdzięczna/y

a beer keg

GO SPLITS ON

This English weather SUCKS! Let's all go splits on a Greek Island!

If she didn't offer to go splits on the 1st or 2nd date, there wouldn't be a 3rd, IMO.

I have a car so we could possibly go splits on gas or, if our timing works out to be different, drive separately.

to suck – być do bani

a date – randka

IMO – in my opinion

works out to be different – okaże się inny

Girly Talk: Hair

Waaaaaasssssup? :)

At idigenglish.blogspot.com we have really been slacking off lately, haven't we? In our defence we can say that February is just not a good time for hard work. The first half is very corny and annoying and the second half is just about being done with the winter and waiting for the spring to come. That's when the slacking off part comes into the picture ;)

Oh, and we probably shouldn't be speaking to you in the first person plural. The other person on our team left a long time ago – just before the launch of the blog, you know, the spokesperson. Now we (I) need to handle the press on our (my) own ;) Plus we (I) don't want to sound douchey :P

to slack off – lenić się

in my defence – na moją obronę

be done with something, somebody – mieć czegoś/ kogoś dosyć

to come into the picture –tut. pojawiać się

first person plural – pierwsza osoba liczby mnogiej 

the launch of something – start, wypuszczenie na rynek

the spokesperson – rzecznik, przedstawiciel

to handle something – zajmować się czymś

douchey – idiotycznie, pretensjonalnie (from 'douchebag')

PONYTAIL GIRL

Getting back to the subject of today's entry – hair. At school I was always the ponytail girl so much so that my friend would berate me for being boring and predictable. However, at one point, it did change. I started experimenting with different colours and cuts and was no longer the girl in a ponytail but the girl who gets up 30 minutes before the girl in a ponytail.

an entry – wpis

a ponytail – kucyk

so much so – do takiego stopnia

to berate – zwymyślać (to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone )

predictable – przewidywalna

a cut – a haircut – fryzura

a girl in a ponytail wearing glasses and paint-covered overalls

BAD HAIR DAY

Some argue that your hair can determine your whole day and recommend taking an extra time in the morning to style it and make sure that it looks good. Still, even the best of us may experience an occasional bad hair day. A bad hair day is a day when your hair is unmanageable, unruly or windswept. (Note that some people find the last one attractive). It's funny how bad hair days always come at the worst of times – a job interview, a first date or a school picture day. It might seem that it's not exactly rocket science to manage and properly groom your hair but can you explain why following the same hair routine gives you different results? You shampoo and condition your hair while taking a shower. Then you towel-dry it with the same amount of time and pressure. Then you brush or comb it. Then you blow-dry it and sometimes you heat-style it with a curling or a straightening iron. And yet you can never be sure if today is not a bad hair day. On the other hand, there are days when you are in a hurry with just enough time to run your fingers through your hair and make a messy bun and yet everyone compliments you on how good your hair looks. Now that's crazy ;).

to determine – decydować o (to control or influence something directly, or to decide what will happen)

to style – tut. układać

unmanageable – trudne do opanowania

unruly – niesforne

windswept – potargane przez wiatr, rozwiane

note – zauważcie, proszę zauważyć

It's not (exactly) rocket science! – It's not very difficult.

to properly groom – odpowiednio pielęgnować

a hair routine – (codzienna) typowa pielęgnacja włosów

to shampoo – stosować szampon

to condition – stosować odżywkę

to towel-dry – suszyć ręcznikiem

pressure – nacisk, tut. siła

to comb – czesać używając grzebienia

to blow-dry – suszyć suszarką

to heat-style – układać używając sprzętu do układania włosów

a curling iron – lokówka

a straightening iron – prostownica

and yet  – i mimo to

a messy bun – luźny kok, (jakby w nieładzie)

FRINGE/ BANGS

The thing about getting a fringe (especially a full fringe) is that once you get it, you cannot “unget” it. You need to wait for it to grow out. Another problem is that there is usually one way for the fringe to be. Wind, rain or other people messing with your fringe will make it 'wrong' and will make you want to go to the bathroom to fix it. Don't get a fringe or bangs (as they call it overseas) if you are not ready for the hassle.

a fringe/ bangs – grzywka

to grow out – odrosnąć also (I'm growing my hair (out) – Zapuszczam włosy).

to fix – poprawić

overseas – za oceanem

a hassle – kłopot

COLOURING

My experience with colouring my hair is short but intense. In a short period of time I dyed my hair a reddish colour and then when I got bored with being a redhead, I dyed it blond. While I enjoyed the change and the feeling of being 'a different person', I was really happy to go back to being brunette. The colouring left my hair quite damaged, thin and always tangly and it took it quite some time to be its usual shiny and healthy self. Oh, and getting the roots done was a real hassle.

to colour, to dye (dyeing , dyed , dyed) – farbować

reddish – rudawy

a redhead – rudzielec

damaged – zniszczone

thin – cienkie

tangly – poplątane

roots – odrosty

And now some hair-related vocabulary. I hope you find it helpful ;)

hair elastics

a hair clip

bobby pins/ hairpins

a headband

hair rollers

hair extensions

a mohawk

a pixie hairstyle

ombre hair

pigtails with a parting in the middle

a braid/ plait

Please leave a comment and tell me about your hair :))

Karola