Please watch the video below. Remember: Don’t write anything. Just watch and listen. By the end of the lesson you will understand everything!

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Greg: Alright, this is face control (Russian idea of checking a person’s attractiveness before letting them into a club)! That’s the first thing I see. “Face control!” So, is this…Is this the name of a movie, or a bar? Or…What is this?

Mark: That’s funny. We didn’t actually go to this particular club, which is called B2. And I don’t remember the actual name of the club. I…I should try to get a hold of Jeff. Maybe he would remember. But, we went to…We were taken…Remember Alex, our Serbian guide in Moscow? He…He pawned us off onto one of his friends to take us out for the evening. He, you know…Alex is married. He didn’t want to go out and party. But, he had a friend take us out to a club. And as we were going there, his friend warned us that they have face control. All upscale clubs have “Face control,” which, you know, we would call it—

Greg: Let me guess. Don’t tell me. Let me guess. So, I’m guessing that they’re going to take a look at you and judge whether or not you can get into the bar based on how your face looks?

Mark: Yes! It’s…In other words, we have dress codes. That’s fine. That’s a very western thing, to have a dress code. Face control is dress code plus your physical, just, appearance. The…Your attractiveness.

Greg: Wow!

Mark: Yeah. And—

Greg: And—

Mark: You can be….ugly and get in…I’m sorry. You can be ugly and get in, as long as you have a beautiful—basically she has to be a model, on at least one arm. Maybe both arms, would help.

Greg: Wow. And are the people who are judging, or letting people in, good looking themselves? I’d….They better be!

Mark: I don’t know. We—I don’t recall. Also, I do remember, that the cover-charge to get in was forty bucks. Can you imagine? Forty dollar cover (cover-charge) into a club?

Greg: Wow.

Mark: But, we didn’t pay it because the guy knew the owner of the club or someone, you know, and they took us in the back way. So, we skirted (avoided) face control and they just let us in the backdoor and so, we got in for free and without having to worry about face control, which was nice.

Greg: That’s amazing. So, did you ever attempt to go into a bar with face control? I mean, don’t-don’t you wonder: ok, am I gonna be good enough or not, you know?

Mark: No…We…No, we didn’t try. Because exactly that: Who wants to go through all of that, and….just to be rejected, because we didn’t have girls with us. And—

Greg: Yeah, that…Totally uninteresting, actually. Yeah, that is. So, um…Okay so…So, once you got in, what was it like?

Mark: I literally think it was the same day. So: We flew in. I did, you know…Went right to the guitar store, did the clinic, you know. Met Shamray. Went out to dinner. Went to Alex’s place, you know. Then…Then Alex felt, “Oh, these guys are in Moscow. They’re going to want to party!” (Even though we were exhausted!) And he had someone take us there. So, I scarcely (not very much) remember much. But I remember maybe getting a drink, and just talking with Jeff, you know, in the patio outside.

– – – –

Mark: Now, in this last set of pictures…You might wonder why I’m showing this staircase, which is located in Odessa, Ukraine. If…Especially if we were supposedly talking about Moscow. But after Moscow, I flew to Odessa, Ukraine. And you’re seeing the famous Odessa steps. And you see…In the next picture, you have…is a beautiful opera house. But, I don’t want to talk about those things. The next picture you see a very crowded beach in Arcadia, where I were staying in Odessa. Again, I don’t even want to talk about that. All I want to talk about is this last sign. Are you able to read any….and make sense of the words on this last picture?

Greg: Yeah. I can see: M-something-M…Mummy…T-roll. Yeah, I can kinda make that out. Mummy—I bet that’s Mummy Troll.

Mark: Right.

Greg: Is that Mummy Troll?

Mark: That’s Mummy Troll. So, you know. There I was, blowing….you know, not blowing it off, but I didn’t make a big of it when I met them, and hung out with them. And then, here I was in Odessa, and you know it’s like: “One Night Only!! Mummy Troll!!” You know? I was just—

Greg: Right.

Mark: I was like, “Hey, I know these guys! I met them!” And I started telling, you know, whoever….whatever friends I was there with. I was like, “I met them!” It was just very funny. What are the odds of seeing that, you know?

Greg: Yeah. That’s like saying…You’re in the U.S. and you’re saying, “Yeah, I hung out with Van Halen last night!” They’re like, “Uh-huh.”

Mark: Right. It was great. It was a good end to the trip.

Greg: Great!

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to pawn somebody / some thing off = didn’t want, so had somebody else do / gave to somebody else

Remember, in these four groups of sentences below, a native speaker will usually use the 2nd version. So, "pawned off" is the advanced phrase we want to learn.

My sister didn’t want to, so she had me take her kids to the movies.
My sister pawned her kids off on me to take them to the movies.

I didn’t want the puppy so I gave it to my brother.
I pawned the puppy off to my brother.

I didn’t want to do the work, so I gave it to my secretary.
I pawned the work off to my secretary.

He didn’t want to, so he had his friend take us out for the evening.
He pawned us off onto one of his friends to take us out for the evening.
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dress code = rules about clothes  (that you need to wear)

Remember, the 2nd version (using "dress code") is how a native speaker will probably say these sentences.

Does this bar have rules about clothes, or can I wear this T-shirt?
Does this bar have a dress code, or can I wear this T-shirt?

I love this club…there’s no rules about clothes!
I love this club…there’s no dress code!

Most casinos have rules about clothes.
Most casinos have a dress code.

In the U.S. and Europe we have rules about clothes, but in Russia they have ‘face control.’
In the U.S. and Europe we have dress codes, but in Russia they have ‘face control.’

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cover charge = price to get in to a bar or club

This club doesn’t have a price to get in.
This club doesn’t have a cover charge.

Does this place have a price to get in?
Does this place have a cover charge?

Most clubs in Manhattan have a price to get in.
Most clubs in Manhattan have a cover charge.

That club we went to in Moscow had a $40 price to get in.
That club we went to in Moscow had a $40 cover charge.

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supposedly = according to what is believed

This was — according to what is believed —  painted by Van Gogh, but most experts think it’s a fake.
This was supposedly painted by Van Gogh, but most experts think it’s a fake.

This is  — according to what is believed —  the best restaurant in L.A.
This is supposedly the best restaurant in L.A.

This is  — according to what is believed —  the most expensive hotel in the city.
This is supposedly the most expensive hotel in the city.

You might wonder why I’m showing pictures of Odessa, if we were — according to what is believed —  talking about Moscow.
You might wonder why I’m showing pictures of Odessa, if we were supposedly talking about Moscow.

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to make something out = to see something clearly

I don’t have my glasses on. Can you see clearly who is standing across the street?
I don’t have my glasses on. Can you make out who is standing across the street?

I can’t see clearly what that says. Can you?
I can’t make out what that says. Can you?

I can’t see clearly who that is.
I can’t make out who that is.

I can almost see that sign clearly. Does it say, "Mummy Troll?"
I can almost make that sign out. Does it say, "Mummy Troll?"

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to blow something off = to ignore, to not go to

My girlfriend got mad at me and then ignored me all weekend.
My girlfriend got mad at me and then blew me off all weekend.

We did not go to the party.
We blew off the party.

I did not go tothe lecture today.
I blew off the lecture today.

When I met Mummy Troll, I kind of ignored it.
When I met Mummy Troll, I kind of blew it off.

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to make a big deal of something = to have an excited reaction to something

The waitresses accidentally charged him $1 too much and he had an excited reaction to it.
The waitresses accidentally charged him $1 too much and he made a big deal out of it.

They had an excited reaction to her 21st birthday.
They made a big deal out of her 21st birthday.

My friends had an excited reaction to my new car.
My friends made a big deal out of my new car.

I didn’t have an excited reaction when I met them.
I didn’t make a big deal of it when I met them.

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What are the odds? = Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing?

All three of their children were born on July 4th? Wow…Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing?
All three of their children were born on July 4th? Wow…What are the odds of that?

Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing that we would see the President?
What are the odds that we would see the President?

Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing that we have the same birthday?
What are the odds that we have the same birthday?

Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing that Mummy Troll would be playing Odessa while I was there?
What are the odds that Mummy Troll would be playing Odessa while I was there?

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Easy: My sister didn’t want to, so she had me take her kids to the movies..

Advanced: My sister ___  ___  ___   ___  ___  ___  to take them to the movies.

Easy: Does this bar have rules about clothes, or can I wear this T-shirt?
Advanced: Does this bar have a ___  ___, or can I wear this T-shirt?

Easy: This club doesn’t have a price to get in.
Advanced: This club doesn’t have a ___  ___ .

Easy: This was — according to what is believed —  painted by Van Gogh, but most experts think it’s a fake.
Advanced: This was _____ painted by Van Gogh, but most experts think it’s a fake.

Easy: I don’t have my glasses on. Can you see clearly who is standing across the street?
Advanced: I don’t have my glasses on. Can you ___  ___ who is standing across the street?

Easy: My girlfriend got mad at me and then ignored me all weekend.
Advanced: My girlfriend got mad at me and then ___  ___  ___ all weekend.

Easy: The waitresses accidentally charged him $1 too much and he had an excited reaction to it.
Advanced: The waitresses accidentally charged him $1 too much and he ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___ .

Easy: All three of their children were born on July 4th? Wow…Don’t you think it’s a very rare thing?

Advanced: All three of their children were born on July 4th? Wow…___  ___  ___  ___  ___  ___ ?