"I'm not recommending for every future President that they take a shellacking like I did last night." - President Barack Obama

READING - BBC NEWS ARTICLE:

WHO, WHAT, WHY: WHAT IS A 'SHELLACKING'?

*Bring out those dictionaries (electronic or otherwise) --  

WORD LIST

1. SCURRY

2. PARLANCE

3. RUTHLESS

4. VARNISH

5. HARD-WEARING

6. PLASTER(ED) (slang)

7. ARCHIVES

There are lots of other words in the article so feel free to add more to the list. Let's start with the lucky 7 and build it up from there. 

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What did President Obama mean when he said he took a "shellacking"? Why did he say this?

2. What did the term "shellac" originally mean? / What is shellac and where does it come from?

3. According to the article, what slang term corresponds to "shellacking" in British English? (Simply put, if Americans say "shellacking", what word do British people use when talking about a beating?)

Answer: * _ _ _ _ ing

The BBC article mentioned that it was unclear how the verb got its modern meaning, but with a little more research, curious minds can stumble upon more interesting tidbits. Care to learn more about the word's history?  Explore the word's lexical evolution here.

Additional Media:

You may watch the President's video here: 

Follow the transcript here: Obama on Midterm Shellacking: 'It Feels Bad'

Tips:
1. Watch the video once, in its entirety. Try to write down what you understood. A general idea would be enough. If you can (and I bet you can, just try), summarize what you understood in one to two statements.

2. Watch it again, pause when you hear or  encounter new expressions, and take note of them, especially how they're used. (Yes, yes, consult your dictionary.)

3. Watch the video again in full. Check your understanding. What was it about?

4. Double check -- read the transcript while listening to the video. Did you understand the message correctly?

5. Follow through! Write down your thoughts, insights, comments, reactions, etc. Use the words and expressions you learned.

 follow through (Intransitive verb)

 definition: to press on in an activity or process especially to a conclusion