Words/Worten

Things that I have been asked to define in my time here:

Cheese grater--"Does it mean to melt on top of something?" "No, it's like a metal plate with sharp edges that shreds the cheese." Well, how would you define "cheese grater"? Think about it (and let me know).

Soap operas: "Dutch television is really bad" says I. "Why, how do you mean it is bad? Bad in what way?" "You know, it's like all soap operas, repetitive, over-acted, unnecessarily dramatic and poorly lit." The two Dutch people exchange a glance, realize that by some bizarre chance they have heard a phrase in English that they don't know, and ask: "What is a soap opera?" Suddenly, I realize that "soap opera" is a really strange phrase and I have no idea from whence it came. Why would an opera involve soap? Can soap ever really be operatic? And so forth. I try to describe soap operas, but every word I use seems to confuse them further. Finally, Susannah says "I don't know, but what would be the difference between 'soap opera' and 'soaps?'" So it was less a Dutch-American cultural conflict, and more a British-American cultural conflict. Even after this was cleared up Leonard still looked a little concerned about my evaluation of the quality of Dutch television. But seriously, it's apparently from the same time period as The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls, but minus the sharp incisive wit of a black man in bad sweaters and an old woman who has become a dehydrated version of herself.