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Blog criado por Bruno Coriolano de Almeida Costa, professor de Língua Inglesa desde 2002. Esse espaço surgiu em 2007 com o objetivo de unir alguns estudiosos e professores desse idioma. Abordamos, de forma rápida e simples, vários aspectos da Língua Inglesa e suas culturas. Agradeço a sua visita.

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quinta-feira, 13 de outubro de 2011

Cartoon: Last Chance Saloon


This cartoon by Schrank from The Independent relates to the phone hacking scandal which has engulfed Rupert Murdoch's media empire and led to the closure of the News of the World.
The cartoon shows News International's Chief Executive Rebekah Brooks drinking in the ruins of the Last Chance Saloon. The giant figure of Rupert Murdoch is the only thing stopping her from falling off the edge of the cliff along with others involved in the scandal (and many who were not). Meanwhile, vultures circle overhead.
EXPLANATION


For the moment, Rupert Murdoch continues to give Rebekah Brooks his 'total' support. However, an increasing number of people, including Labor leader  Ed Miliband, are calling for her to go, so one wonders how much longer she can survive, especially if more damaging revelations appear.
IDIOM


If you say that someone is "drinking in the Last Chance Saloon", you mean that they are faced with a situation beyond which hope or good fortune will greatly diminish.
 Last Chance Saloon was a popular name of a type of bar in the United States which began to appear in the 19th century. Saloons situated near areas where alcohol was not easily obtainable frequently took the name as a literal indication to customers that this was their final opportunity to imbibe before progressing to an area where obtaining, selling or drinking alcoholic drinks was prohibited.
The expression often lends itself to newspaper headlines, as it describes a complex situation in a relatively scant number of letters. Home Office minister David Mellor in a December 1989 television interview asserted: "I do believe the press - the popular press - is drinking in the Last Chance Saloon". The ethics of the British press were then being scrutinized by the Calcutt Committee and the phrase caught on. In another example, John Major's 1995 attempt to stave off critics by calling for a Conservative Party leadership election was famously headlined in The Independent as "John Major's Last Chance Saloon" (source:  Wikipedia)

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