Boxing Day
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Nicola
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Todd
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Todd: Nicola, you're from England.
Nicola: Yes, I am.
Todd: OK. Now in England you have something called Boxing Day.
Nicola: Yes, we do.
Todd: So, we don't have that in America. What is Boxing day?
Nicola: Well, boxing day is always on the 26th of December, the day after Christmas day. And it was originally called boxing day because it was the day in England when the very rich people in Victorian times gave presents to their servants, the day after Christmas. And usually it would be something like money, or food but they would give it to them in a small box, and so on December the 26th, servants would receive their boxes,the Christmas boxes, and that's why it was called Boxing day.
Todd: OK
Nicola: Today, people don't really receive money or food so much, sometimes you give extra tips at Christmas, but Boxing day has stuck. So that's the name.
Todd: What do people do on Boxing day?
Nicola: Nothing really. Uh, eat
the leftover turkey, turkey sandwiches, watch TV,
and in my family we usually go and watch dog
racing, grey hound racing.
Todd:Oh, really?
Nicola:Yeah, and lose some money...
Todd: Lose money!
Nicola: Yeah always. At least I do.
Todd: Wow, cool. Dog track. Is there a dog track near your house?
Nicola: Yeah, there is, where I live, yeah.
Todd:Oh,
cool! Alright, thanks a lot!
Nicola:That's OK!
the day after
Boxing day is always on the 26th of December, the day after Christmas day.
The noun the day after means the following day or the next day. Notice the following:
- Can you book my flight the day after tomorrow?
- It rained heavy the day after I went back
home.
Victorian times
The very rich people in Victorian times gave presents to their servants.
Here, the word Victorian times refers to the period when Queen Victoria ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901. Notice the following:
- There were nine British prime ministers during
the Victorian times.
- People in Victorian times were very formal.
servants
Servants would receive their boxes, the
Christmas boxes.
A servant is a person who works inside a house as an employee for a family. Notice the following:
- We have servants who clean our house.
- She lives in a big house with servants.
extra tips
Sometimes you give extra tips at Christmas
Here, extra tips means to give someone who has provided you with a good service an extra amount of money to thank them. Notice the following:
- She gave extra tip to the waitress for her
good service.
- The taxi driver received a $10 tip from the
lady.
dog track
Is there a dog track near your house?
Dog track means a stadium that is used for dog racing or greyhound racing. Notice the following:
- My dog likes to ran on the dog track near our
house.
- The dog track is poorly maintained.
Vocabulary Quiz
tips • dog tack
Todd talks about how he was lost his wallet four times and what happened each time.
