Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Proverbs 243.
The proverb today is "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend . "
Okay. Let's take a look at the note here on the board.
Okay. If someone says that diamonds are a girl's best friend,
it means that although love is enjoyable, it is a luxury and that material
wealth is more valuable is more valuable to a girl.
The proverb is also related to another phrase.
Diamonds are forever and they actually made a James Bond (film) that was the
title of a James Bond movie that also had that song. You know, diamonds are
forever. It goes something like that. So the idea behind that you know, this
phrase is that love does not always last, but if you got
diamonds the ... their value always remains. So
if you got your diamond , even if you break up or something happens well
you've still got that diamond. That's kind of the idea. All right .
Let's continue here. The origin of the proverb comes from a novel
"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" by Anita Loos. So this was actually written
by a woman. The main character , Laurie Lee
was described as a flapper. Okay. In the 1920' s a flapper was a young girl
who who had short hair , wore short dresses
and was a girl who had a lot of fun at parties.
Okay. Maybe I guess there was a lot like that I know those dresses kind of
flapped a little bit too. Maybe, maybe it had something to do with
that. You know, she went to Paris to be an entertainer and was more
interested in collecting expensive jewelry from
boyfriends than marriage. So that's what the film
and the story was actually kind of based on. Now
to be honest most of the time I think this proverb is used I think it's
actually used more in jest. More as a joke or humorous
even though there might be a little bit of truth to it. But
I think it's used more as a joke and you know, hopefully people do value their
love in their relationship more than really material wealth. But that's what
this phrase makes a joke about or talks about. All
right. Let's continue. The story was eventually made into a
hit play in 1949 and was popularized by a singer
Carol Channing . However the phrase became
permanent when Marilyn Monroe played the same part in 1953
movie of you know, the same book and play. So you know , " Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. " Yeah.
So she made that movie and she made that part really ... that you
know kind of unforgettable. And then of course even beyond that.
In the ... in the 1980's remember Madonna came out
you know, with with a big hit song called "Material Girl" that was
kind of a play on this idea and even the video that she
made she copied a scene from the movie you know, "Gentleman Prefer Blondes"
Where you know, like diamonds are a girl's best friend. I
think in that movie they had, a they had a scene
with a singing and that was the one of the songs that was the title song
you know "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend. "
That's really where it came from. So we do hear this used.
Sometimes now and again like I said. I think it's used more as a joke
but we ... it does come up now and then. So let's
look at a couple of examples here. Yeah. So and oh yeah like I was saying
Madonna's song material girl you know. I am living in a material world and you
know I am a material girl. Well basically it was the same idea. All right. And we
have two examples here. Let's look at the first one. If
you really want to impress her get her a diamond necklace. Don't you
know diamonds are a girl's best friend. Okay.
Or number two here. I don't know if you really can propose
without getting her a diamond ring. Don't you know diamonds are a girl's
best friend. All right. So we might hear it used this way.
Okay. Anyway, I hope you got it. I hope it was clear. I hope it is informative. Thank you
for your time. Bye-bye.