Today\u2019s phrasal verb is \u201cstick with.\u201d There are a few meanings, but the one we\u2019ll talk about today is to continue doing something, or to not change. To continue doing something, or to not change: that\u2019s what it means to stick with something. <\/p>\n
Do you remember hearing that earlier? The standard pumpkin design has triangles for eyes and a jagged mouth. You can\u2019t go wrong with that. Expert pumpkin carvers may decide to experiment with more innovative shapes for the components of their pumpkin\u2019s face. I, however, am not an expert pumpkin carver. So on the very rare occasions that I carve a pumpkin, I stick with the basic shapes. I don\u2019t change from the standard advice; I don\u2019t change from the way I typically do it. I stick with the triangles for the eyes and a standard-shaped mouth.<\/p>\n
I think I\u2019ve mentioned before that I don\u2019t like to drink liquor. I\u2019ll have a cocktail every once in a while, but for the most part, I stick to beer and wine. That\u2019s what I like to drink and I don\u2019t really change. If I\u2019m out with friends and someone wants to buy a round of shots\u2014liquor\u2014I almost always politely decline. One way I can politely decline is by saying, \u201cThanks for the offer, but I\u2019m sticking with beer tonight.\u201d I\u2019m going to continue doing what I\u2019m doing\u2014having beer and not liquor.<\/p>\n
They celebrated Thanksgiving last month in Canada; we\u2019ll celebrate it later this month in the United States. In my opinion, there are two kinds of Thanksgiving tables. There are the tables that experiment with new recipes and new flavors, and there are the ones that stick with the classic recipes and sides. I like to stick with the classic recipes. I like to experiment with new types of food up to 364 days per year, but on that one day, on Thanksgiving Day, I like to stick with the classics: mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green beans, turkey, gravy, pumpkin pie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. These are the classics, and I like to stick to the classics. I like to continue doing what I\u2019ve always done on that day, which is eat the classic recipes.<\/p>\n
You can stick with a decision. Imagine you made a decision, but now you have doubts about it. Maybe you\u2019re under pressure to change it. You give it some thought, and you decide to stick with your decision. Some school districts opened for in-person instruction this fall. After COVID cases started rising, a lot of those school districts cancelled in-person classes and went back to 100 percent remote learning. But some school districts decided to stick with their in-person classes on the basis that kids are not significant spreaders of the disease. Those school districts were under a lot of pressure to change their decision, and there are legitimate worries about having school open. But in the end, some school districts decided to stick with their original plan to open and host kids in the classroom, at least a few days a week. They stuck with their decision; they did not change.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow is our presidential election in the US. I am offering no predictions; I can confidently say I would not be surprised by any outcome. I would not be surprised if Trump wins; I would not be surprised if Biden wins. A lot of people voted for Trump last time around\u2014enough, obviously, for him to win. The question is, How many voters are going to stick with Trump? If enough voters stick with him, he may win again. If enough voters decide not to change, then Trump can win again. We will soon find out how many of his 2016 supporters decide to stick with him after four tumultuous years.<\/p>\n
I just finished a book by the Irish writer Roddy Doyle. My last international trip before the quarantine was to Dublin; that was just over a year ago. One rainy afternoon, I ducked into a caf\u00e9 that had books on the shelfs you could read as you had your Irish tea or a drink. I picked a book at random and started reading\u2014it was a collection of stories by Roddy Doyle.<\/p>\n
I wound up buying that book and finishing it after I got home. And I just now read his newest book called \u201cLove.\u201d The book was about two old friends reflecting on their lives over a night out at Dublin\u2019s pubs. And one of the lines in the book caught me. It was about ageing\u2014the characters were about sixty years old. So here\u2019s the line: \u201cI hated this getting old, the surprises. It was supposed to be a slowing down, but it wasn\u2019t; it was a series of shocks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not a slowing down, but a series of shocks. I like the way that was phrased. <\/p>\n
And that is all, that brings us to the end of the first of two lessons on fall\u2019s favorite fruit, the pumpkin. It is a fruit, by the way; I looked that up. We treat it like a vegetable in the kitchen and it looks like a vegetable growing on the ground, but in a scientific sense, it is a fruit. That\u2019s because the pumpkin is the part of a plant that contains and protects the seeds. So like an avocado and a tomato, it is technically a fruit, even though its flavor is close to a vegetable.<\/p>\n
Remember, we\u2019ll revisit this topic on Thursday, when we\u2019ll talk about three more things to do with pumpkins. Sneak preview: we\u2019ll talk about various popular pumpkin recipes. That\u2019s coming up on Lesson 309 on Thursday: don\u2019t miss it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To \u2018stick with\u2019 something means to continue doing something, or to not change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"terminology_category":[79],"lesson_number":[957],"keywords":[487,958],"content_tag":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n