Deck 1 Flashcards
Pendant
Necklace, a piece of jewellery
Scam
Someone try to get money from you
Spam
Unwanted email, usually an email from someone try to sell something
There’s a first time for everything
This is an usual event; this is something that does not happen very often, and often say to make a joke about something
I never like to go to swimming, but I went to my friends house and jumped in swim pool
Marked down
To reduce price, on sale
Dress pants
Pants for more formal events
Window display
Window shopping, vitrin(irani)
Parking structure
Like parking lot but it has more than one level
You’ve got a deal
Ok, I agree to your idea, I will buy that
To bring someone up to speed
To give them the information then need
I arrived late to a meeting, and I ask one of my co-workers: please bring me up to speed on what happened
Fill me: get information
Downsize
Lay off
In England, they called Redundancy
First thing
At beginning of the day, usually the business day
It is due fist thing morning
Resign /v
To quit,to leave
We use that verb specially for work formal setting
Also, political leaders can also resign, especially when they get in trouble
To take over something
To take charge of it, to be responsible for
To take over your project
Paternity leave
Like maternity leave but for men
To dump something in your lap
Someone give you work unexpectedly, usually your boss, and usually you don’t expected
An all-nighter
I am going to have stay up all night to finish my work
It looks like this may be an all-nighter.
We sometimes use verb Pull with this expression:
I am going to pull an all-nighter
To be swamp with work
To have a lot of work
I was swamped with work
To swamp something= to through water on it, like a boat in ocean, when it’s a storm, the boat can be swamped
To be on your way out
You are leaving
TGIF
Thanks God It’s Friday
Wannabes
A someone who wants to be something but it’s not
Hollywood wannabes
Out-of-work actor
Unemployed actor, someone who hasn’t job now
This being
We expect something
This being September, the children are going back to school:
Means this is September, so we expect that children go back to school.
Pastry. /peis.tri/n
A food made from a mixture of flour, fat and water, which is rolled flat and wrapped round or put over or under other foods and baked
To hold something, when you are at restaurant or cafe
Don’t add it, do not put it on there
The usual
I’ll have the usual=I’ll order what I usually get
I ordered the usual, latte
Bustling. /basl.ing/
To be bustling = to be very busy, to have lots of people coming in and out
Speaking of which
When you talking about something and you want to talk about something else that related to that same topic but it’s different somehow
I’m talking about Super Bowl and I am telling you about how they sell a lot of pizza, speaking of which, I had a pizza last night. Connect those idea since we were talking about that
You bet
Yes, sure, of course, very enthusiastic, you really want to
We will rock you
We are going to defeat you, you will lose
Super Bowl
When two best team play each other
Widow
Is a woman whose husband has died
Widower=is a man whose wife has died
Conquer. /v
Defeat enemies, fight
Ride, drive,fly, take
Ride=bicycle, train, subway, bus
Drive=car
Fly=plane
Take=take,subway,car,taxi,cab
Temperature is rising or falling
Rising goes up
Falling goes down
Meteorologist
Is a scientist, the person that study the weather
Toiletries
It is anything that you would use in your bathroom
Synonymous. /adj
Identical, equivalent in meaning
Columnist
A journalist who writes a regular column for a newsletter or magazine.
While you are at it
Since I was doing something at the same time, that was the same place or that was similar, I also did something else
Could you go to store and buy me some milk and while you are at it, could you get me some cereal for breakfast
To get down to business
I went to cafe yesterday and I was reading the paper, finally I decided to get down to business and work on my homework.
Go over
To review something, to look at it.
Passing line
Left most lane
Memoir
A written record of a usually famous person’s own life and experience, autobiography
To fall out of touch with
Opposite of keep in touch
Phase /n
Part of your life, time of your life
We have our study phase when we were school and then we may our work phase where we go out to find a job
biography
autobiography
biography: a book that tells the life of someone; if you write your own right story we call that autobiography. A book about a person’s life, written by person.
snag a spot
to get, to obtain, to catch something by acting quickly.
In a busy street, getting a parking spot can be difficult, so when you snag a spot means you get parking spot by coming early.
We get to(go) the Whiskey really early to find street parking and snagged a spot about 4 blocks away.
to sidetrack
to get sidetrack
to direct a person’s attention away from an activity or subject toward another one which is less important
I don’t want to get sidetrack, I want to focus the most important thing.
let’s take a road trip
let’s drive somewhere more on the spare of the moment
spare of the moment= without a lot of planning
to fall into the habit of
to start a habit- to get the habit
to be picky
to be very selective, usually implys someone who dislike very many things
only eat green vegetables. you are a little picky.
fast lane
fast lane in the highway
I’m living in the fast lane means that I’m doing many things and spending a lot of money.
some of my friends have become very successful, living in the fast lane.
psychiatrist
psychologist
psychologist has PHD degree.
psychiatrist: has a medical degree
indie
independent; describes music or films made by small companies which are not owned by larger
An indie movie label
real state magnate
someone who owns a lot of real estate.
apprentice /apren.tis/n
someone who has agreed to work for a skilled person for a particular period of time and often for low payment, in order to learn that person’s skill.
Most of the work was done by apprentices.
grease
animal or vegetable fat that is soft after melting, oily
The dinner plates were thick with grease.
procrastinate /verb
to keep delaying something that must be done. I’ve waited for very long time; waiting until the very last day(minute)
Some people when they have to the tax form the government, they waited until very last day.
I procrastinated and now I have to finally get rid of all the junk I’ve accumulated over years.
sheet
top sheet=is a second sheet that goes on top of the mattress sheet in between your blanket and you.
down comforter
comforter= is a big blanket; down comforter= is a comforter made out of feathers;
down jacket=very warm jacket
linen /lin.in/n
strong cloth that is woven from the fibers of the flax plant
pillow case
the piece of linen that we put over the pillow to keep it to getting dirty.
start in on
to begin with something
I need to start in on my homework.
dust /verb
to token a piece of cloth or rag and wipe the dust off the chair,….
dust /n and /v
I need to dust.
drapes
heavy curtain made with thick cloth.
shades
a piece of material fixed onto a wooden or metal roller that can be pulled down to cover a window, or pulled up to get light.
rinse off /rints/v
to clean it usually with water and soap.
I take out the shelves and rinse them all off.
to dump
to get rid of, to throw out, to put in the trash
I dump anythings that has passed its expiration date
to scrub
to clean very hard; to use a lot of muscles to clean something
I need to scrub clean of the grease.
to make ends meet
o be able to pay your gas, bills, phones,…but not much more.
so I have enough to pay for my necessity, the things I need in life not a lot more.
Other friends are struggling along and just making ends meet.
to touch base
to stay in touch, to keep in contact
Let’s touch base tomorrow about where we are going to go booling
pal
a friend
You are my best pal.
to catch up
to talk about what has happened since the last time they saw each other;
also it means getting up to the same point where other people are
If you miss two weeks of school, you have a lot of catching up to do
go on
to continue, usually we use that expression in talking about education
He went to the university of Mirland and then went on to Harward.
to swing by
to visit but not stay too long; to go somewhere just for a short time.
I am going to swing by the post office on my way to going to grocery store.
She plan to swing by L.A.
to backup
to go over it again, to go back to a certain point and start over again
Let’s backup for a minute
All of a sudden
very quickly
rowdy
to be out of control, noisy, and possibly violent
The concert-goers were pretty rowdy by this time.
to go Dutch
to share the cost, each person pays for own meal.
I frankly prefer to go Dutch when I eat out with friends.
opening act
warm up act, first band comes on the stage before the main or most important band comes on
rope off
to take a rope and put it around a place to prevent other people from coming there.
wrist band
a piece of plastic go around the wrist of your arm often used for bars in U.S when there is a concert or some sort to show you have ticket.
pick up where we leave off
to pick up=to start again
leave off= stop something
I left off in my book on page 29, I am going to pick up where I left off tomorrow=I would start on page 29.
we can use this expression for anythings that starts and stops, usually we were intruppted for some reason.
foot the bill
to pay for the bill
Whose going to foot the bill for this dinner..
Most people own their own cars, but not everyone can foot the bill for the car, plus the insurance, car.
fare
a term we use for taxi,train,bus,airplane,subway(the money that you pay for a journey on a bus)
cab
taxi
denomination
value, a unit of value, especially of money.
boonies
way far away from the main part of the city, suburb
one friend, who lives in the boonies, rides the train everyday.
in the shop
to be at the mechanic, the person who fixes my car
worse comes to worst
the worst situation would be, but it usually follow by expression of how we can get out of that situation.
worse comes to worst, you can always hop in a taxi.
genre /janer/n
a style, especially in thearts
I love watching movies. I like a lot of different genres.
The detective novel is a genre of fiction.
check in
check out
check in: to say who you are, when you arrive at a hotel so that you can be given a key for your room
check out: to leave a hotel after paying and returning your room key.
entertaining
amusing and enjoyable
road blocks
an obstacle, a problem
lead actor
main character, star actors in the movies
supporting cast
supporting actors, everyone in the movie, other actors
villains /vi.len/n
a bad person, abad person who harms other people or breaks laws.
an evil character in a novel, movie, play, or other story.
to go out of your way
to put in an extra effort, to do something additional, I’m going to do something that require a lot of work, but it worth it for me
don’t go out of your way to get me that book
slapstick comedy
people are calm down
throw you for a loop
to confuse you, to surprise you
life throw me a loop: something happend in my life that wasn’t expected.
plot twist
a change, something you don’t expect in the plot, twist means turn
screenwritter
someone who writes the story for a film
pull it off
to be successful with it, I finish, I complete it, to succeed in doing something difficult or unexpected.
Good screen writers or directors can pull it off.
it doesn’t do it for me
I don’t like it, it doesn’t get me excited or interested
seedy /sidi/adj
looking dirty or in bad condition
sure enough
just as we expected
sure enough, we see her get murdered
ruin
to spoil, or destroy severely or completely
be warned
be aware
experiment /v
to try something in order to discover what it is like
racial
race, the color of skin
medicaid
is for people who don’t have a lot of money, low income
medicare
mostly for people who are over the age of 65(eldery)
put an animal to sleep
killing that animal especially pets(cat, dog)
misspell
to fail to spell a word correctly
this essay is full of misspelling.
cordially
friendly, sincerely
honor someone
to remember him, to remember the good things he did
to gobble down
to eat too quickly(fast)
nose-bleed section
a place so far away from stage
box office
where ticket are sold
grab a bite to eat
to get something to eat
get dressed
we got dressed in our warmest cloths.
hang out
spend a lot of time in a place with someone.
get out of hand
go to such a extend that you can no longer control it.
die-hard
die-hard fans
someone who love a particular thing; it means very serious without fans.
There were more than 50 die-hard fans in line.
paid off
it is successful.
I passed on both
I refused, I declined
vibe
the feeling, the atmosphere about restaurant or night club
laid back
relax
The vibe in the restaurant is pretty laid back.
uptight
worried or nervous and not able to relax
ritzier, ritzy /rit.si/
very expensive or high class The ritzier restaurants in Beverly Hills.
courteous /ker.ti.es/
polite and respectful
starve
very hungry
I was starved.
course
meal, a part of a meal which is served separately from other parts
There are 2 forks(one for salad course, and one for the main course)
to die for
absolutely wonderful, great (about food)
The appetizers and desserts are to die for.
brave the elements
to go outside where the weather is not very good, it maybe rainy, clod,snowy.
sell out
sell all of tickets that are available
I was sure that the tickets would sell out fast when they went on sale Saturday morning.
to learn the ropes
to get used to, to get accustomed to, to be able to understand what the procedures are.
I started a new job yesterday, it’s difficult but i think eventually I will learn the ropes.
It took me awhile to learn the ropes.
ironically /ayranikly/adv
If you say something ironically, you say it as a joke or insult, because it is an inappropriate thing to say in the particular situation.
turn out
to become; to result in
This is turing out to be a very difficult assingment.
This turing out to be a beautiful day.
A mixed bag
there are good things and there are bad things(positive and negative things)
For me, going to the park is a mixed bag. I like being out side with the trees, but I don’t like flyes and mosquito.
spring cleaning is always a mixed bag for me.
riot /rayet/n
a noisy, violent, and under controlled public gathering
A group of angry people becomes noisy and out of control, often damaging property, and acting violently.
socialize medicine
pay by government
getting around
to travel, to go from one place to another
humble
not proud or not believing that you are important.
he’s very humble about his success.
Please accept our humble apologies for the error.
In my humble opinion, ….
cut out
stop it. to not do it anymore
clueless
not to know what is happening; not to know what is wrong
top brass
those who are president, vice president, chairman of the board, CEO(chief executive officer),all of the most important leaders in the company. the terms actually comes from military, generals, and high-ranking officers.
keep it to yourself
to keep something to yourself means not show anyone else, not to share it with anyone else; to keep secret
go too far
to do something that would normally be OK, but do it too much, do it in such a way hurts other people or bothers other people.
don’t get me wrong
eshtebah fekr nakon, don’t misinterpret me
tactful
to always say the right thing, to never give anyone offense, to never insult anyone, someone who very good with words and doesn’t cause any problem with other people.
to get your input
input means my advise, what I think, advise, opinion
to pick your brain
to get their opinion, to get their advise. to ask them what they think
tailgate
to come up behind someone and follow them too closely.
sometimes aggressive drivers in freeway want you to change lane so they can go infront of you and they will come right up behind you, that called tailgate
crosswalks
a place that pedestrian or a person who is walking can cross or to go other side of street.
surface street
normal street in city
pile up
multicar accident; 3,4, or more accident together
zip
to zip in and out of traffic; to go in and out of different lanes on the freeway very quickly
it’s very dangrouszipping in traffic
to gun your engine
to go real fast suddenly; to accelerate very quickly
in a flash
very quickly
I will be there in a flash if I take subway
octagonal /ok.taggenl/adj
eight-side shape
every once in a while
every so often- not everyday
commute
to go from your home to your job, usually for a long distance.
aggressive side
brings out people’s aggressive side
to be aggressive=to be forceful
I’ll treat myself
to give yourself a present, a gift
to get behind the wheel
to drive, to get behind the steering wheel
across town
on the other side of city
go through the city to reach the other part of city
lunar /looner/adj
relating to moon
dropout /n
someone who goes to school but doesn’t complete the school, doesn’t finish school.
elective /n
optional subject of study
3 strike and you are out
when you try to hit the ball but you missed and you get only 3 misses(3 strike) before you have to leave the game, you are out
make a deposit and withdraw
deposit: put money into my bank account
withdraw: to take out money
can
slang for butt
ground hog
same as woodchuck, 2th Feb is called groundhog.
If the groundhog comes out and see his shadow on Feb 2, means we have short winter, otherwise we have long winter.
to maroon /meron/
you are isolated, you are traped somewhere, we usually use that term for an island, so if get lost in ocean and you find an isoland, you are marooned there.
to toast
you’re raising your glass up(in drinking alcohol)
a scene /sin/
place
a big mouth
to say someone has a big mouth is something of an insult and it means that he/she talks too much that are always telling things to other people that they shouldn’t.
He has something of a big mouth.
to bad mouth
to say bad things about another person
Don’t bad mouth your friend, means don’t say unkind or unnice things about your friend.
come up to someone
to approach someone
an ego
your pride, your ego is how you feel about yourself. with someone has a big ego, they think they are very important.
it takes one to know one
when someone says something unkind, not nice about another person, that same person has those same negative or unkind qualities.
someone who has a big ego, who complain about another person with a big ego, it takes one to know one.
to talk behind someone’s back
to say unkind things about someone when they are not present
resolution
a promise that you make to yourself
My new resolution is to try to stop eating too much.
a backstabber
It is very close to talk about behind someone back; a someone who does something unkind to you behind your back, without you konwing
to cast about
to look for, searching
I am always casting about, searching for something to talk about.
We usually use this expression when we don’t know where something is
small talk
the thing that we say to someone else just to fill the time, not anything important. the weather, what movie they have seen,..
zip over
go or move very fast
as long as your arm
very long, usually when you are talking about list.
It is a list as long as my arm.
I’ve been meaning to
I’ve been wanting to but I’ve not done yet.
I’ve been meaningto call my mother
it something, we should have done, but we are late in doing. When we procastinate, wait too long something
to be down the street
usually means to be close to something
the post office is one block from the library, so we could say the post office is down the street from the library. It implys the short distance.
to be off to
to be going to somewhere; to be headed in the direction of somewhere.
Where are you off to? I am off to the supermarket
jump in
to go very fast, to get in, to go in
I jumped in my car to drive to gas station.
jumed in the shower.
roll out of bed
to get out of bed but somewhat reluctantly
when you are very tired, very sleepy and you don’t want get out of bed but you have to.
errands /n
Errends are things that we need to do usually personal things that required us to go out side of our house
moist /adj
moister,moistest, humid or rainy
bare /adj
not covered by clothing; laking clothing
bare skin
check out stand
I headed to the check out stand to pay for my items.
sidewalk /n
path for pedestrians
a paved path for pedestrians alongside a street
pave /peiv/verb=to cover an area of ground with a hard flat surface of pieces of stone, concrete or bricks
get a bite to eat
to grab a bite to eat; to go out to a restaurant or somewhere to get food for lunch or dinner, usually a small meal
admit
confess
It was sure good to see you again
goodbye to someone that we haven’t seen them for a long time
nice to meet you
pier /pi.yer/n
something goes out into the ocian from the beach,it is usually made of wood and people can walk out to the pier
geez
wow
geez already
hostess
hostess= for women
host=for men
I walked in with a friend and I was greeted by the hostess
mess up
to do a poor job, to do a bad job
screw up=mess up
a little more informal
to have your eye on
means you want something, typically use this expression when we want to buy something but we were not quite ready, we’re still thinking about it, but you are very interested in it.
I have my eye on an ipad, but I have not bought it.
accustomed /adj
be accustomed to (doing) sth
to be used to something
My friend and I split the bill, as we’re accustomed to do.
I am not accustomed to getting up so early.
check
bill
when we got our check, my friend and I split the bill.
frankly
in an honest and direct way.
If I frankly speak(or prefer)
to spoil
to tell someone end of story.
be over the hill
to be old or they are too old to do what they are doing.
disk jockey (DJ)
someone who plays records, CD or disks, and talks on the radio or at an event where people dance to recorded popular music.
a pain in the butt
a cause a lot of problem
cul-de-sac
a short road which is blocked off at one end
literally
actually
to take effect
to start, to begin
controversy /n
controversial /adj = a lot od disagreement or argument about something
inhale /v
to breath air
nominate /v
suggest, to officially suggest someone for an election,job,position or honour.
to take a crack at
to try something; to try something that may be you have in difficulty with or someone else have in difficulty with
here, let me take a crack at that tv set that isn’t working and you are going to try or fixing that.
two cents
or 2 cents worth=to give your opinion
sometimes it is usedto indicate some humility or some modesty about your opinion.
I don’t know for sure, but here is my 2 cents worth …
that’s whole different thing
it is completely different topic that would require much more explanation.
be/get carried away
to become so excited about something that you don’t control what you say or do.
There is far too much food, I’m afraid I got a bit carried away.
he had gotten carried away.
to act up
to cause you problems.
my stomach is acting up.
the childern are acting up. they are making noise and they are causing problem.
a burning question
is a question that is very important, extremly interesting question. very important question.
following you
to understand
do you follow me, means do you understand me
throwing out specs
to give someone information
specs are specification
specs for computer: hard,ram,…
humility /n
modesty
modesty /n
said when you want to say something good about yourself, but do not want to seem to think you are too important
Quite frankly, and in all modesty, we’d probably have lost the game if I hadn’t been playing.
whiz
to be a whiz at something= to very good at it. to be an expert.
sometimes with comupter, we use the term geek. computer geek means someone who expert, however, this is often a negative term. it implys that you don’t have social skills, you don’t relate well to other people, you have problems communicating with people.
I was born and raised in …
raised=grew up
to be a native of= to be born there
I’m a native of minisota.
I am from Minisota
happy childhood
the time when someone is a child.
she had an unhappy childhood.
rather /adv
very
actually, i did rather well in my exams
I grew up there with my rather large family.
grade school
elementary school
better late than never
it better that you do something eventhough it takes you a long time rather than never accomplish it.
pig
eat too much
I didn’t want my friend to think i was a pig!
over eat
to eat more food than your body need
Even though I tried not to, I still over ate.
charge slip
a piece of paper with your signature, it is ok to charge me for visa or debit
it didn’t go through (in swipe card)
it didn’t accept my card. it didn’t process my card.
ya-yas
to get your ya-yas
something that excite you, interest you, possibly a sextual meaning to it in terms of interesting or exciting.
own /verb
to have something that legally belongs to you
I don’t own an ipod.
to be behind the time
to not be uptodate, not be current, not be modern.
pick up (in shopping)
buying
lame
lame joke: not very good or very bad.
That movie was really lame.it was really bad.
swipe through reader
to pass it by something quickly
as if
he talks as if he knew something.
folk
people
20 deep
We got in line which was already about 20 deep(in 20 rows).
bouncer
someone whose job is to stand outside a bar,party, etc, to prevent people coming in who don’t belong there.
merchandise /n
goods that are bought and sold.
bad seat in the house
There wouldn’t be a bad seat in the house=there is not a bad place to seat in the bar or theater or in the concert hall.
lodging
It is a general term we use to cover any place where you are sleeping or staying over night or some temporary situation.
Lodging is more expensive at a hotel than in a campground.
start off
to begin by doing something
to head somewhere
to go somewhere
Where are you headed? I am headed to dinning room.
against all odds
something is very difficult to do and yet you do it anyway
swear
use rude words
poll
election
vow /verb
to promise
to be fit
you are healthy
thriller /n
to excite or to get someone excited.
set out
to begin, to start long trip(journey).
saucer /s^ser/
a small curved plate which you put a cup on.
cocktail
Drink(usually alcoholic one), made by mixing two or more.
dish
the parts of meal. a formal meal often has more than one dish(especially fancy meal like crab, lazania)
I spotted one of my favorite dishes, crab cakes.
a must
to be a must=something that necessary for me, that I absolutely must have
I told my friend that the crab cakes were a must.
baby boomer
people born between these 1946-1964
census
a count for official purposes, especially one to count the number of people living in a country and to obtain information about them
to project
to predict
sip /sip/v and n
to drink, taking only a very small amount at a time
This tea is very hot, so sip it carefully.
She slowly sipped (at) her wine.
generation X
people between 1965-1975
blockbuster
sells a lot of tickets(about movies)
something such as a book,play, or film that is either very large or achieves enormous commercial success
come cross
is to find something even though you are not necessary looking for it
I was going through my file cabinet, and I came across an old photo of my friend.
I wasn’t looking for it, but I found it.
a book or roll of stamps
a book of stamps comes with a small book of usually 20 stamps
a roll of stamps has 100 stamps in it.
to insure
insurance
you can send it insured if the contents are valuable.
priority (in post)
send package priority regular mail= first class mail priority = get a little faster usually in 2 to3 days express= it gets there next day or at most 2 days.
to take on the world
you are going to fight entire the world, try to be better than everyone.
chorus /kors/
is the part of the song that repeat over and over again.
song lyrics
are usually a type of story, so if you talk about the words or the lyrics of a song, you’re really talking about that story that the song is about
mo-town sound in music
mo is short for motor
motor city: Detroid, a city in U.S.A
nice weather we’ve been having
nice weather
taboo
is a subject that is forbidden or it is considered inappropriate to talk about. Or action that are considered inappropriate.
taboo subject
what time do you have?
what time is it?
to sneeze up a storm
sneeze a lot. It is a metaphor.
Metaphor: is a expression that we used that is like something else in this case(symbol).
to dwell on
to think about it but think about it to much.
don’t dwell on the past=don’t think about past too much because you can’t do anything about it
tracking /n
put student into different classes depending on how good students are.
bump into
to bump into means to meet someone that you were not expecting to meet.
run into=I ran into my friend at the supermark. i wasn’t expecting or planing to see him there but there he was.
to gripe
to complain, somewhat informal to say complain.
I’ve got better things to do than to listen to him gripe all day.
along /adv
Forward, moving forward
We were just walking along, chatting.
heart of hearts
what really truly believe, what you are really and truly like
I live in California but in my heart of hearts I still feel I am from Minosita: that is where my most strongest feeling rather lie.
deep-down: felt strongly and often hidden from other people.
keep up with the Joneses
try to be as good as your neighbor; trying to have as much money as someone else. to be competing; to be trying to be as wealthy as rich someone else.
We were never worried about keeping up with the joneses.
go right ahead
is a way of giving permission
can I use your car tomorrow? sure, go right ahead. meaning yes please do that
Can I ask you something? Sure, go right ahead.
I have got
I have
jump across the pond
when someone goes from US to UK and vise versa
pond=small lake
she is a complete knock out
she is very beautiful.
Coast
the land next to the sea
check off
go through items on list. to mark items on a list to show that they have been dealt with
HMO
Health Maintenance Organization
It is a private company that gives you medical service, they have doctor, hospitals, pharmacies. so you can buy insurance and be a member of a HMO.
It is expensive.
to make your exit
to leave, exit
I knew at this point it was time to make my exit.
to end up
- after a time of trying to do something else, what you do after you tried other things
- Destination
- I tried the oil, battery, it was ok. so I ended up take in it to a mechanic. It is last thing to do when everything else failed.
- Where are you going to end up? =what’s going to be your destination.
muggy
very humid, the opposite is dry
pass away
die, she/he has died.
I bet
- you don’t believe someone else
- you believe someone but the reason that is true because she/he did something wrong
- john is a best basketballplayer, i bet; means I don’t believe that
- John won basketball game, I say: I bet, he cheated.
there are no if’s, and’s, or but’s about it
there is no way to avoid the situation, or that something you are about to say is absolutely true.
there are no if’s,and’s,or but’s about it, I must do my homework today.
Antacid /n
a drug that reduces or neutralizes stomach acid.
neutralize /noocheralize/ = to make something ineffective
co-pay
co-payment, when you have medical insurance, usually you have to pay a small amount when you go to doctor and everything to get a prescription. The insurance company pays the rest.
suspense /n
- The feeling of excitement or anxiety which you have, when you are waiting for something to happen
- Uncertainly, the state or condition of being unsure or in doubt about something
bleak /bli:k/adj
- If weather or place is bleak, it is cold, empty and not welcoming or attractive
- If a situation is bleak, there is little or no hope for the future
- The house stands on a bleak, windswept moor.
- The economic outlook is bleak.
idiomatic /adj
characteristic of, or in keeping with the way a language is ordinarily and naturally used by its native speaker;
characteristic of a particular language or dialect
idiomatic french;
containing or using many idioms;
idiom: something different from the meaning of its separate words.
tip over
take end off something, to remove the end from something; tilt
unflattering
to flatter means to compliment to say nice things about a person. unflattering means unkind words, not nice words.
There is no verb for unflatter but there is verb for flatter.
a sticky situation
a difficult situation, a situation that possibly embarssing or difficult for someone to talk about, a sensitive situation.
cut off
to pull in front, to go in front of another car.
This is a negative expression that means that the personin front of you without looking or permission or made you slow down because they went in front of you so many people get angry when someone cut them off. pull infront of them in aggressive way.
drawback
disadvantage, something that will cause you difficulties
there are many drawbacks to commuting in L.A
to be mild mannered
to be very quiet, to be calm, to be peaceful
bring out
produce, cause to appear
responsibility brings out the best in her.
ever since
since
an ego to match
to match means the same as, the same size as, or the same amount as. He has an ego to match means his ego is also big.
advocate /ad.vo.kate/n
is someone who is in a favor and does something to in a favor of certain idea or certain person, in this case, the idea was for civil rights.
He was an advocate, he worked for that goal (martin loter King)
to be on break
I am on break now, take a break for 15 or 20 minutes
stain /n /v
a spot caused by dirt that is very difficult to remove.
stain to carpet, cloth
Stain as a verb: you can stain something means you can cause a stain on that thing
make time
to set aside time, to schedule time; to put some time aside for that person
I am glad she could make time for us to get together
urge /verb
advise, to strongly advise or try to persuade someone to do a particular thing
Lawyers will urge the parents to take further legal action.
way over my head
to be too difficult, something you don’t understand
All of that is way over my head.
to be a spring chicken
to be very young
I’m no spring chicken= he is probably old.
to become (something)
to be something, to turn into something
I want to become a good basketball player
file up
line, a long line of people
get hassled
to bother someone
venue
the palce where a public event or meeting happens.
intimate venue=close to each other
the faint-hearted
to be easily scared, people who are not brave.
It is not for the faint-hearted.
fits the bill
meets the requirement, it is a good answer to a problem, that give me what I am looking for
No matter what my mood is, I can always find something that fits the bill.
to outdo
to do better than the other persons
He is always trying to outdo the other guys.
what’ve you been up to?
what’s up
a falling out
an arguement, a fight, not necessarily a phisycal fight but when you have an disagreement with someone and this disagreement cause you to not talk to each other
I had a falling out with my friend last night.
mutual /adj
shared by both
mutual interests/friends.
someone we both know friend.
on the heel of
after, (could be positive or negative)
On the heel of tough year.
Hot on the heel of (if it is a good thing)
Hot on the heel of wining the game, the player went to the party.
wave aside
to wave means to take your hand and wave it to the air usually to say hello or goodbye.
To wave aside means to use your hand to tell someone move aside or to step aside.
I waved goodbye my firneds as he got on the train
reluctant /ril^k.tant/adj
not eager,
feeling or showing no willingness or enthusiasm to do something
I am reluctantto drive in this weather.
to get in and out
to get in and out of somewhere is to able to go, do what you need to do and then leave.
I was able to get in and out of the grocery store less than 10 minute.
to obsess about
to obsess about something is to think about it all the time, to always be thinking about it in your back of mind, to think about it too much
to step back up
to go back to where you were. set up to something means we are coming to the front of the line and ready to be waited on.
I steped up to the counter to buy an air line ticket
step aside
move oneway or another to move from in front of the another person, it is often used if you want to get someone out of your way
Please move from the front to the side
because your mind
because I love you
baptist church
one of protestant church
to be doctor
to change to philosophy, to make a document say something that it didn’t originally say, and you do that in order to fool someone or trick someone or believe something that is not true
to be on trial
when government is trying to accusing someone
undergoing examination before a judicial tribunal.
Tribunal /tri.biu.nal/n : a special court or group of people who are officially chosen, especially by the government, to examine (legal) problems of a particular type
curator /kyuretor/n
a person who in charge of where things are going to go and what art they are going to buy
artifact
something from another culture that you find usually under ground
archaeological /adj
study older ancient civilization
getty museum
a couple of museums
to hit the road
to leave, to go somewhere
What time we’re going to hit the road? We probably leave at 7 am.
I’ve got to hit the road.
to shoot the breeze
to talk about many different things usually for very long time
I can shoot the breeze all day long.
we are talking about many things but not necessarily much that is important.
colloquial /kolokoyal/adj
informal, spoken language, slang
now and then
every once in a while, not everyday, sometimes
the here and now
the present, what’s happing at this minute, at this moment.
to enjoy the here and now: means to enjoy what is going on in life right now.
to pull your weight
or to pull your own weight:
means to do your part, to do what you have responsibility to do.
isn’t pulling her own weight means they are not doing their own job
to get real old, real fast
to be boring, to be not interest anymore.
in age
for very very long time
radically /rad.i.kli/adv radical /adj
- supporting change
- extremely important; relating to the most important parts of something or someone; complete or extreme
We need to make some radical changes to out operating procedure.
vulgar /v^l.ger/adj
Rude; rude and likely to upset or anger people
It was an extremely vulgar joke.
Vulgar language.
myth
false story
afterwards
later
snooty
you think that you are better than other
barely /ber.li/
almost not,
by the smallest amount
We barely got any sleep all night.
a big thumbs up
to approve it, it is good
I give it a big thumbs up.
hop
take
you can always hop in a taxi
what with this and that
for a variety of reasons
I was going to gym today, but what with this and that I didn’t have time.
but, what with this and that, it’s sometimes hard to do
to be spoiled
to get everything you want and not be very nice about it( a appreciate about it)
spoiled brat= a child, who doesn’t behave very well because his parents have give him/her everythings that he /she has wanted and have never displined the child
- she’s behaving like a spoiled brat
- I wasn’t spoiled.
back then
back at the certain time, at that time
Back then, there used to be two daily newspaper, a morning edition and an afternoon edition.
prefer over
I prefer swiming over jogging (I like swiming more than jogging).
Fanatic /fenatik/n
Person who is too enthusiastic(strong interest) about something.
-religious fanatics
Someone who needs to get that thing
junkie
a junkie is someone who addicted to some drugs such as heroin or cocaine.
Informally, means anyone who is a fanatic, or who needs to get that thing.
some people are chocolate junkies. They have to get at least one piece of chocolate everyday.
to flip through
browse, turn the pages but not look very carefully
editorial page
It is the page where you have people’s opinion, people write letters, columnist
nothing beats lounging around
nothing beats=nothing is better than,
lounging around=sitting in comfortable chair, not working, relaxing, enjoying yourself.
don’t lounge around here=don’t be lazzy
Leisurely /adj
slow and relaxed
relaxed, unhurried, and enjoyable because done during free time.
to be on your way
to be going in that direction
I am on my way to store.
I am on my way home (no “to home”)
dispense /verb /dispens/
to make up and distribute(medicine) according to a prescription.
-give out
Also means: provide
There is a vending machine on the platform that dispenses snacks.
to be wait on
serve somebody by bringing requested items. any place that someone is going to help you in store, restaurant, …
to wait on= to help customers
I stood in line for a few minutes before being waited on.
to ring up a sale
to process a sale. To take your money, to put it in the cash register and give you your receipt for your purchase.
what else
what you are going to say is obvious, that everyone knows the answer.
I wanted to go to the movie last night, and my wife wanted to go to theater, so where did we end up? Well, what else? the theater, because my wife is always right.
disgrace /n,v
you are an embrassment,
you’re done something wrong,
you’re a disgrace, to bring shame or loss of respect on yourself by bad behavior
she’s a disgrace to the family.
he disgrace himself by froggeting the wedding.
of two minds about
you are not quiet sure which side of the question or which opinion you have.
not be able to decide
I’m of two minds about this.
opposite: make of your mind
sport verbs: ~ track, ~ skating, ~gymnastic
running track, ice skating, doing gymnastic
to be gifted
to have a special talent,
to have special ability
gifted in math or music
take your breath away
to be very impressed
to be single out
to be selectted from a group and it could be a good thing or bad thing.
The boss single out me for failing to finish my assignment or any work.
to envy
to want to have, a little more than just desire
I envy your inelegance
to be mediocre /midiuker/
to be not very good at something, it somewhere between good and bad.
I am mediocre at golf.
hay fever
hay fever is one type of allergies to different plants.
medication
A type of drug. Medication could be prescription medication or they could be Over the Counter Medication.1
[1] Over the Counter Medication. - which are drugs you can buy that and you don’t need a doctor prescription for.
1- medicine, OTC
when it comes to
when it comes to reading, I like Italian food.
crash
to any event or situation where someone doesn’t belong.
I guess this was to let employees in the bar know that we belonged there and we were not crashing the party.
groupy
to refer to someone very die-hard fan of a particular music group
undergraduate
A student who is studying for their first degree at college or university
graduate school
It is referred to anythings that you study after your bachelors degree (Master degree, PHD)
crepes /krep/
A thin light pan cake
When the waiter asked if we wanted any dessert or after dinner drinks, I just couldn’t resist getting the apple-filled crepes.
Too much of a bother
Too much trouble, causing problems
Kennel
It is a place that keeps pets (dogs, cats). When you go vacation and you don’t want to take them, you can bring them to a place where you can pay have them kept and that place called a Kennel.
Much too much
It’s very too much, it’s a lot, put more emphases of how much it is.
Much too much work.
Much too much money.
Nix /verb. Nixed
Refuse.
I nixed that idea= I decided that idea was not good. I rejected that idea.
To name something after someone
To give it that person’s name.
So, if the father’s name is Patrick and he has a son, and he names that son after himself, he calls or gives the son the name of Patrick.
To name something after someone=you give that person that same name
Merry-go-around
merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The “seats” are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gearwork to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music.
A Hoax
Something that someone makes up and gets other people to believe
False info
Something that invented
Semi-retire
Leave job, but also work as a part time
To draw a pension
I am drawing a pension from my company
If you put money into a fund, you can get a pension
A matching amount
A company (your employer) put in a dollar for every dollar you put in
401K
A special account, and 401K is just the name of the law or the regulation that the government setup. So, someone says I have 401K means they have a retirement account that they pay into, and usually or often the company they work for, will give some money into your account as well
I could use one
When you have a difficult time or you are in difficult situation for a long period of time and you need some relief or you need something to feel better.
For example, you worked hard and come home and say I could use a drink or I could use one if someone offer you a drink.
To care for
To care about
To care for=when you saying you like something or not.
I don’t care for movie that have a lot of violence.
To care about=you concerned that you are interested.
I care about environment. Means it’s important to me that we have clean air and water.
Let, Allow, Permit
Let= informal
Allow, Permit= formal
Allow or Permit + to + verb: permit him to watch
Let + verb= let you see movie
Allow or Permit + verb +ing : I allow smoking in my car
Let + verb
Allow or Permit is allowed. Smoking is allowed.
No passive for let.
I’ll take the fith
It refers to a constitution of USA, the constitutions which are the main government document has several amendments or changes to it, so after constitutions was approved in 1789, then were changes to it. The fifth amendments to the constitution says if you are arrested, you do not have to say anything that might show you are guilty.
So, it means you are not to say anything that it would show you did something wrong.
Did you go out drinking last night? And you say I take the fifth, meaning you don’t want to say or you are not going to answer that question because the answer might get you in trouble.
Incriminate yourself
You are giving evidence or showing that someone is guilty or someone did something wrong.
A house-warming party
The party we have when someone first moves into a new home, a new apartment, a condominium or any place they are moving to, it’s common for people to have a party to invited other people over to see their new apartment or new house.
It does’t matter if you are in apartment or in British called A Flat, or house.
Thighs. /tai/
Chicken’s leg.
Counter
A place where a customer walks up to and there is someone on the other side of counter to give them service. So, counter has a display or window which shows different foods and you can ask the person behind the counter and ask them something from there.
A return counter: to return an item you bought.
Produce department
It’s where it has fruits and vegetables in stores
Corn on the cob
Or Ear of Corn, when the corn grows, each individual piece of Corn called an Ear of Corn, and you take the outside of the corn off, the outside is called Husk (skin), and you can either take individual piece of corn and cut them off or you can leave them on the cob, and the cob is the corn with original part of the corn plant and you take that put it on barbecue .
Vegan. /vigen/
A strict vegetarian. Who doesn’t eat any animal products, like meat, dairy, …
Buns. /banz/
Buns are a piece of bread that you cut in half and put the meat in between. We use the term Buns for hamburger and hotdogs. If it’s just a flat bread, we don’t use the term buns, we usually call that a sandwich bread, when you cut off a loaf of bread
A loaf of bread /loof/
Condiments. /kan.di.mentz/
Things that you put on other foods. Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise /meiniz/ or sometimes we called it Mayo /meyo/
A tabloid
A very low quality newspaper, not a very good newspaper. The kind of newspaper that has story about celebrities and usually have many false or made up stories about celebrities. These are tabloids. It’s sort of insulting terms to use to describe a newspaper.
To go off without a hitch
To take place without a problem.
My project went off without a hitch means it was successful and you didn’t have any problems.
Reality Television/Tv
Reality means people on the show are not professional actors. They are competing and usually one person gets prize who win the show.
Scripted Dramas
It’s a drama where there is a script and professional actors act out that script. Reality shows are the opposite where amateurs or anyone who is not a professional try to impress judges.
Amateurs. /amachorz/
A none professional person in anything, like sport, art, ….
Contestant
A person who is part of the reality show or any sort of games.
Season. In tv shows
Each year is called season. And in US, the television season begins in September and ends sometime following summer.
Alliance
It’s when you find other people or other countries to be your partner to help you what ever it is.
Avian flu. /eyviyan/
Disease comes from different type of birds
Insurgence. /in.serg.ensi/
Insurgency
People in a country who are trying to over through or take over the government by violent, revolution or rebel.
Ait /ayt/
Alright
It was ait.
Mad
A lot
She has mad money, means she has a lot of money.
Brill
Brilliant
Emoticon /e.mo.ti.kan/
Icon. /I.kan/
When you put a little smily face for example in your email.
Celebrity /se.leb.riti/
famous people
A famous person
To make a spectacle of myself
A show or a fancy show that someone put on, when you say make a spectacle of my self, we mean to embarrass ourself, to do something that someone look at you and you would find embarrassing, laugh at you.
Draw attention to myself by behaving in ridiculous way in public
To go berserk /bizerk/
To go crazy, be out of control. To be acting in a wild way. Usually when someone get angry.
I’m whooped
Whoop=to defeat or beat someone in a game or competition by a very big score.
American soccer team was whooped by the Brazilian team, means they were defeated by them.
To whoop=to yell or to shout when you are happy or excited.
They won the game and began to whoop
Doozy
It’s a very difficult situation or something that may cause you lots of problem.
Watch your first step, it’s a doozy.
It was a doozy of storm.
Warrior
Soldier
Sling shot
You take a rubber band and you put a rock and pull it back it projects(throw) forward
June gloom
Something that is sad, when you say someone is gloomy means he is very sad and depressed
June Gloom when we have lot of fog in the city (in June or July)
A pacifist
Someone who doesn’t want to fight in the world, refuses to war in the world, and doesn’t believe in violence as way of solving problems.
Motherhood
The idea of being mother
How does she like the motherhood?
How she like being a mother
Emerald
It is a type of stone that is often green in colour and it’s a nick name for Seattle ( a city in Washington state). And Seattle has a lot of rain.
It’s famous because of Starbucks too
Seattleite
A person who living in Seattle
For New York it’s called New Yorker
On the spare of the moment
When someone does something without plan on it. Usually they do something that is a change of what they are doing right now, for example, they decide to leave or go somewhere.
Slam dunk
It’s a slam duck = means it’s easy and it’s going to happen. There is no doubt.
I asked her for a date. Did she said yes. Oh yes. It’s a slam dunk (it’s going to happen for sure)
Off the shelf
I bought my computer off the shelf
Shelf is opposite of custom made, specifically made for you,
So, you go to store and buy a laptop off the shelf, it’s not a custom made for you
Tailor
A person who make suits and pans.
Needless to say
Of course.
Home coming
Usually a football game and other celebrations that a school has when their graduates, people who have gone the school and left, come back to support the school and to show their interest to school. Usually in September or October.
Upon us
The fall is upon us means we are now in spring.
Christmas is upon us means it is now time for christmas.
Something is just around the corner
When we are very near to time to something.
Next week is just around the corner, means is just a few more days. Short amount of time before it happens.
School spirit
Interest or enthusiasm about your school. It is sort of like your loyalty to school and do something to encourage members of a sport team or the school to do better at some activities.
Jock
Informal expression referring to someone who p,Amy’s sports, football or basketball or hockey ….
To say he is a football jock means he plays those sports. Usually referred to boys.
To stand a chance
To have a chance, to have a possibility to being something
I don’t stand a chance of being elected.
Freshment
sophomore /safomor/
Junior
Senior
Freshment= 1 year of college sophomore= 2 year of college . . I am in the sophomore class.
You are in the class of the year
That’s the year you are graduate.
Pep rally
It’s a a gathering when all the student come together, usually in school’s gymnasium or gym and they cheer or encourage the team that’s going to play to the game.
A dance team or dance line, they are usually girls do special dances to music.
Alumni
Anyone who graduated. Alumni is plural. Alumnus is singular for man. I am an alumnus from university of Oxford. Alumna is singular for women.
Back in
At that time.
Back in 1970, people liked jazz music.
A studio apartment
A one room apartment. You just have one room.
Is up
Time is up.
Lease is up.
To hammer out something
To negotiate, to figure out, to come to a solution.
Terms to a negotiation are the specific points that you are negotiation about.
For example, for lease, it’s how long the lease is and how much the rent is, and so forth.
A break on something
A reduction, to cut or reduce.
I am going to give you a break on the price of the new car means I am going to reduce the price for you.
A exchange for
I give you something and you give me something.
I give you a break on rent in exchange for signing a two year least.
A counter proposal
After someone’s propose, you return with your own ideas.
He countered my proposal with another proposal.
Counter offer is the same as counter proposal.
To drive a hard bargain
You drive a hard bargain
Other person is very difficult negotiator, that negotiation is very difficult.
To bargain someone down
To get them to reduce the price.
Circulation
How many people read the magazine.
What is the circulation of Time magazine? Means how many people by it and read it.
Fortnight
Bi-weekly, every two weeks
To Abduct /abdakt/
To take a person without their permission.
Kidnapping.
Money ransom
A money demanded for releasing a prisoner.
People want money in order to return person.
Amber Alert
When a child is taken or abducted, the police when they have some information about who may taken them, for example the kind of car or perhaps licence plate of the car, this is warning to everyone to looking for that car. So they have a news announcement, public, signs in highways.
Fold-out map
Maps that are big piece of paper and folded several times.
Guide map
It’s a book and each page has a different section of the map.
Legend
It’s a little box in corner of the map that tells your what are different symbols are.
Sometimes it called Key.
Stream
A small river
Body of water
Lake
Rest stop
You can stop in highway and use bathroom and eat and get water.
Get out of here
When you don’t believe something when someone to tell you and difficult to believe.
He has something on him
He’s got something on him
One person has some information about another person, some information what this other person did wrong, will say I have something on you. Means I have some negative bad information about you.
You better not do anything because I have something on you.
Teeter on the brink
To be very close to dangerous situation.
Teeter on the brink of something
Country teetering on the brink of war = to be very close at war.
Teeter=walking in not steady way, like a drunk people
The brink= edge
Conductor
A person in charge of train.
Tell me about it!
You are working hard and someone else comes in, who also working very hard, and says: oh boy, I am really tired. And you say tell me about it!
Means you don’t need to tell me about it, I know already.
From my own experience, I know what are you talking about.
To throw in the towel
To give up. I am quitting, I am stopping.
Keynote
A keynote in business or university is a formal address or formal speech that someone gives to a large group of people. Usually we have a keynote at conference.
To sing someone’s praises
To compliment them, to talk about how wonderful they are
My father was singing my praises to my uncle.
CV
Curriculum vita, a list of your jobs and experience and education. Resume
A privilege
A special opportunity that only small number of people get to have. It is a privilege to meet the president. That’s small opportunity.
To land an interview/ job
To get/obtain a job.
Soul searching
Thinking very seriously, very deeply about your decision
I did a lot of soul searching.
To cast a wide net
To look a lot around many different areas.
If you are casting a wide net for a new employee, you would interview many candidate who wanted the job, that would be a casting a wide net. To look in many different places and areas.
Sector
A area or part of the economy or business. The public sector means government. Private sector means private organization.
To shoot a little lower
To be less ambiguous, to look for something less important
Mc, Mac
Mc=the person is from Ireland.
Mac=Scotland
Mc means son.
McDonald=son of Donald
Liberal
The people who are around the political left in US. They tend to be people who believe at the government should be involved in economy and take care of people and give more money to certain programs called social programs. They also tend to be and believe that should be strong separation between religion and the government.
Other countries, it means support economic policy that support something like free trade.
Conservative
Describe people who believe in very limited government, lower taxes, and they don’t want the government to be involved in economy in US.
Little league
League for children.
To Hock
To sell something/give something to someone who gives you money for it, but usually there is a certain amount of time that you can go and get it back or you can buy it back.
The person you sell called Pawnbroker.
Pawnbroker /p^n/: a person that buy things from people’s who needs money, usually the need money quickly and they have to go and hock their possession and usually after certain amount of time they will sell that to someone else. So you can go there and see the things that people brought in and buy them at really good price.
To be in hock: you are in debt. You own other people money.
Layover
When you have to stop in a different city before you get to the city you want to go
Opposite is direct. Direct fly.
Coat check
It’s a place where you can check or leave your coat and they give you a little ticket and you can come back and get your coat and jacket when you are done at the end of night in restaurant
Bellboy
He is a person who helps you with your luggages and takes it in hotel and take it up to your home.
Maid
The person who cleans your room in hotel
Concierge /konsiyer/
A person who gives you information about hotel, reservation, recommend good restaurant , and etc….
Usher /Asher/
The person who helps where you seat in theater
Satellite offices
Small offices in other cities.
Opposite of headquarters.
Something the right fit
It’s a good match for the person
Sound advise
Good advise
Cocky
Someone who is too confident. Who things he is better than everyone else.
Boast /bost/
To tell other people how good he or she is. It’s a negative term.
Ted used to boast : “I manage 10 people”
Meek
You are not confident enough that you are too modest about what you’ve done
Quite
Gentle
To make things up
Nice way of saying to lie, to not tell the truth.
Don’t make things up.
To walk all over me
To refer to a situation when a person doesn’t defended herself or himself when other people get to do whatever they want and the person doesn’t stop them.
They tell her/him what to do and they don’t listen to anything that she/he saying
Fellow worker/student
Someone who is like you, he is your co-worker or student too.
To be a team-player
To be corporate, work well with other people
To grab the limelight
To capture or get the attention of other people.
It is also a negative term referring to someone who always try to be the focus of attention.
To get around something
To avoid it. To find a way that you don’t have to do it
stethoscope. /s.teteskop/
The thing that doctor put on his/her ear and has a little disk that put in your chest to hear your heart’s sound.
abdomen. /abdemen/
The area above your waist and below your chest. The area that your stomach is.
Campaign
To advertise and talk about a person (a candidate who wants to be part of government) as well as a product or a service.
To pull something
To do something dishonest. To do something that is not right or to do something that violet or break some rule.
I thought he might try to pull something like this.
To have the nerve
To have the courage, to do something. it’s a negative term.
She had the nerve to get my money. She had confidence or ability to take my money to do something wrong.
I have the guts
The same as to have the nerve. To have confidence to be able to do that.
To top it off
If you have a situation where someone does something wrong and the other person says I don’t believe you and you say even there is more to top it off, even worse than that.
I ordered some food and to be delivered to my house and food delivery man comes one hour late and you say I don’t believe he was so late and then I say well to top it off he didn’t give me my change back.
To slack off
In a business setting not to work as hard as you should.
I am feeling kind of lazy, so I think I am going to slack off this week
A person who slacks off is called Slacker
Doesn’t lift a finger
Don’t do anything, he/she doesn’t help at all.
We use this expression for someone who suppose to help you, but doesn’t help you.
To get away something
You are doing something wrong but no one stop you
Well, he’s not going to get away with it. I’m going to talk to the senior vice president.
To handle it
To take care of it
Blow it off
To ignore it, not pay attention to it, not do it
Jeff: Well, can you think of another way to handle this?
Lucy: I wish I could. I don’t want to just blow it off, but we have to think of the fall out.
Are you to hand in your project today? No, I am feeling lazy and going to blow it off
Fallout
When you have a problem and going to affects other people
Literally, fallout is what happens after a nuclear bomb explodes and kills everybody, but in normal conversation for fallout is the result of situation or something bad.
Jeff: Well, can you think of another way to handle this?
Lucy: I wish I could. I don’t want to just blow it off, but we have to think of the fallout.
To fight your own battles
To do it yourself, to take care of problem yourself and not let your boss or somebody else do it for you
To be Ticked off
To be angry, to be really mad
I am ticked off.
Don’t tick her off
think straight
To think clearly, logically, correctly
To floor someone
To hit him or physically punch him and knock him down to floor
That makes two of us.
When two people agree on something or do the same thing.
I am feeling really tired and my friend says yeah, that makes two of us. Means me too. I am also tired.
Stigma attach. /estigma^/
People don’t think it’s very nice or think something wrong with it.
Stigma attached to online dating.
Bad reputation.
Lucrative. /lookritiv/
A business that you make a lot of money. Like dating company.
Skeptical /skep.ti.kal/
You have doubts, you are not sure
Wink
Blink
Close and open one of your eyes quickly
Blink: like wink but for both eyes
To come of
Come of it means to result in something, nothing happens.
Come of : result from
No good will come of it
Pulitzer /pool.it.zer/
A award for writers
Wrath /rath/
Anger. Mad. Something bad you are going to do to someone else because you are angry.
Sitting dock
Someone who very easy to attack or to hurt because they are out in area that they don’t have any protection.
You are sitting dock.
Obesity. /o.bi.si.ty/
Someone is very overweight.
Appetite. /api.tit/
When you feel hungry.
I have an appetite means I want to eat.
I have a big appetite.
Firm handshake
Limp handshake
Limp=without energy or will
Embrace
Hug
A blast
It is a lot of fun, very fun
A party or a trip or event was a lot of fun.
A whirlwind /verl.wind/
It went very quickly, doing many things in small amount of time
Lower key
Very relax, very calm
the rest of my trip was pretty low key.
He is very low key.
Make it back
Return,
What time did you make it back?
What time did you return.
Get in line
Stand in line
I am afraid
When we want to tell someone some bad news.
I am afraid that you failed the test.
It’s bad news when telling someone that they don’t want to hear it.
Oh, well
I guess I can do anything about it.
That’s just the way that it is. I can’t change it.
On the way over
On my way to somewhere.
A stub
When a ticket taker gives you back a part of your ticket, sort of a receipt( a little part of your ticket), is called stub.
When you go to theatre for example.
concession stand
If you want to buy food in a theatre or baseball or football stadium, you have to go to concession stand. They sells foods, shirts, and hats, popcorn, soda.
The big container of popcorn is called tub (t^b). A tub of popcorn.
Screening room
The place that you watch movies.
Outside is called lobby.
Previews
Commercial or advertisement for other movies that are going to be released. Usually, it lasts about ten minutes before you get to the actual movie you came to see.
To wolf down
To eat very quickly. When you are very hungry, you may eat you food very fast and the informal expression for that is to wolf down.
Parcel /p^rsial/
Another name for package.
To make heads or tails of something
To make sense of something, to understand something. Usually it’s very confusing thing
To drive down
Same as drive on. But most don’t say I am driving on street, instead they would say I am driving down to street. Means I am moving in certain direction.
Needless to say
Obviously.
Engine light comes on
We don’t say Turns On because there is not a person to turn it on. When the light turns on automatically or electronically control, we usually say it comes on.
To pull over
To pull over your car means stop it and move to the side of street or freeway.
Shoulder
Pull over on the shoulder= that’s the side of freeway or highway. We have special word for that, that place that you can pull over on freeway and that’s called Shoulder.
We don’t have Shoulder for street.
To pop the hood
To open the hood.
wiper fluid. /folo.ed/
Windshield is in front window in car.
It’s the liquid or soap that you put in your car that you can spray on windshield to clean it.
To pop out at
We use when we are looking at many different things and we are trying to identify something but we are not quite sure what that something is.
For example, someone gives you a list of names and says there is someone here you know, well you don’t know the name of person, so you look at the name and hope some names pop out at you.
AAA
American Automobile Association
It’s a national private organization, like an insurance company, and you can become a member, like 50 or 60 $ per year, and if your car breaks down or stops working, you can call them and they will tow you to somewhere to get your car fixed.
To cost an arm and a leg
To be very expensive and cost a lot of money.
To cash a check
To go to a bank or store and you give them a check and they give you money or cash back.
bulletproof glass
It’s a very thick window that we use for safety and security.
To speak up
Talk louder.
Also means just speak.
cashier’s check.
It a check that banks gives you with the bank’s name on it and not your name on it. We use casher’s check for extra safety when we are giving someone money. There are 2 types of checks, casher’s check and personal check. A personal check has my name on it and comes right out my account. Many people accept just casher’s check for large amount of money because the bank guarantee the money will be there.
small bills—10s and 20s
Bill is a piece of paper which money, like 1,5,20,50,100 bills
money burning a hole in my pocket
You have money now and really want to spend it and you are not sure what you are going to buy but you want to by something.
I have money burning in my pocket.
mull over
/mo^l/
Think about a fact,proposal,request deeply.
Handy
Convenient, easily available.
crapshoot.
Comes from a gambling game called craps where you roll 2 dice and there is a board and hope you get certain numbers.
Here means you are gambling and you really don’t know. It’s something that it’s unknown.
Crap=garbage
All set
They all ready. I am completely ready for something.
Are you all set for your trip to LA.
To veg out
To relax but not to do anything very intellectual, not do anything that requires any work.
Coming home, sitting down, watching TV and not doing anything very active.
Intellectual=to use the mind creatively
Get over
To recover from, to get over of effects of something means to get better from that situation.
Hectic
Hectic means lot of activity.
Hectic week is a week has a lot of activity.
an up and coming
An artist, a politician, a movie star who is not yet famous but it’s going to be famous, has become more popular.
ever since she was an up and coming artist 10 years ago.
a retrospective
For movies or arts in generals, it’s show that gives you the history of artist work from the beginning. For example, a retrospective of movies by the director Kodosava would include his early films as well as his later films.
To be versatile
To be able to do many different things.
wine and cheese reception
reception means party or celebration.
A party that’s very low key and quite party.
gracious. /ge.rey.shes/
To be nice, polite, kind.
Graceland
Home of Elvis Precly, and it’s located in Memphis Tennessee
Overdose
When you take too much drugs
Estate
Someone’s property or land usually has a big house on it and there is a large amount of land around house like garden.
The New England
The state of Massachusetts, including Boston
Boston has nickname of Bean Town. Newyork has nickname of Big Apple. Chicago has nickname of Windy City. Los Angles has nickname of the City of Angles. Harvard and MIT is located in Boston. CIT is located in California.
To have leg up on someone
To have the advantage, to be doing better than others. Or you have some talent, skills or quality that allows you do better than someone else.
I have a leg up on that job=I have especial advantage that will help me to do that job better than others
Leg up on someone or leg up on a job.
Flat out
Straight out, directly.
I told my friend flat out that I was not going to give him any money. Usually something that they don’t want to hear
A seeing eye dog
It’s a dog that especially trained to help people to who are blind.
Sight impaired=you are not able to see.
Impaired= you are not able to do something.
Hearing impaired.
To trip up
To make a mistake, to make an error.
I tripped up on last question=I made a mistake on last question.
I am going to try to trip him up=I am going to get him to make a mistake
To let someone down
To disappoint them. To do something that they don’t like.
I let my friend down.
The mark of
That’s the sign of, that’s indication of
The mark of a good actor is that he can remember all of his dialog.
In her/his/your book
According to my way thinking,
The way I see things.
In my book, it’s better to exercise early in morning.
chick flicks
Chick=informal and somewhat insulting term to refer to woman
Flick=movie
Movie made primarily for women.
Keep up
To be able to do all the works that is required.
Opposite of to fall behind.
Extra credit in class
When teacher gives an extra assignment that student can do so they can make up for perhaps a test that they did not do very well at, so they can improve their grade by doing extra credit. Not an assignment that they have to do but if they want to get more points for higher grade they can do it.
To pull up your grade
To improve your grade, increase your grade.
Local paper
Local newspaper. A newspaper that publish in local city and it’s not a national newspaper.
Hours of operations
The hours that stores is open.
To see for yourself/myself
Investigate it personally. Sometimes when people don’t believe you, for example I got an A on my essay and your friends says you did not, and you say, here see for yourself, means look at it yourself.
To have personal experience, to personally look at it.
stacks
The area that all shelves are in library.
Right then
Right at that time. Immediately
I looked briefly
at the collection but decided not to check out any right then.
Someone looks promising
The person has a lot of possibilities. Person promises or expects them do very well at the job.
To be personable
To be kind, to be polite, to be nice
perseverance. /per.se.viyerens/
To continue on your work even though there are many difficulties.
A runner has a great perseverance to continue when it becomes difficult.
To be Chatty
Talks too much
a little rough around the edges
It’s a person who has potential to do something but not quite ready, they haven’t got enough training and experience.
To be earnest
To be honest, to be sincere, to be someone who can be trust.
To have the air of
Appears to be, he looks like someone very intelligent
strike me as
Appear me as, seems to me as.
I see a very tall person and I say you strike me as being a basketball player.
bright and easy to get along with
Bright=to be smart
Easy to get along with=someone who is polite and easy to talk to and doesn’t cause any problems.
Fish ball
A small class ball that you can put your business card in restaurant. Every week or month the restaurant will have a Drawing and that means they pick one of the business cards and call that person and give them usually a free lunch.
Dry-eyed
They are not an emotional. Don’t have strong emotional feeling.
Killer app
Great application.
To coop up
To be inside the cage, we keep chicken on farms inside chicken coop, their cage. Here means I am inside the cage and I need to get out to have my freedom.
Smog. /sm^g/
Smoke. Pollution.
Gear
A general term to mean any sort of equipment that you need.
We use term Gear in electronic, I have my recording gear, meaning my machine or equipment. Also we use it sometimes for sports.
To be psyched
To be excited, to be really looking forward, to be very eager. Ready to go.
camper
A big truck that you can sleep in, it has bed and small kitchen
SUV=sport utility Viago
Truck
Back of car to store luggage.
kick back and relax,
Relax, very calm.
To dread + verb+ing
To really hate, to really not want something.
I dread going back to work when the weekend is over.
To be on the fritz
To be broken, anything machine like car
Go off (verb for alarms)
Did alarm go off? Means did it sound. Did you hear it?
The verb that we use for alarm is go off.
Hunt around
To look for, to look for all over the place.
compact
A small flat case containing face powder.
frantic /Fran.tik/
To be very concerned, to be very worried.
To serve you right
You deserve it that is just that happened to you.
He was too fast on freeway and the police man gave him a ticket. It serves him right.
Haghesh bod.
absent-minded.
When you forget things. Where is my shirt. I can’t find it anywhere. Here it is. I am wearing it. That would be very absent-minded.
Superstition
A belief that someone has about good luck or bad luck. Khorafat.
To Fling
You are throwing something very fast and hard because you want to hurt another person or hit them.
Fling plate or cup.
To cast
Throw something into lake or ocean. He casted his wedding ring into ocean.
Choir /kovayer/
A group of people who sing
Having said that
I love to go to LA, having said that I never go during the winter.
Going to say something that disagree or contradict from the first thing that we said.
To be preoccupied
You are worried about something, you are concerned about something.
To be occupied=you are busy.
To put someone down
To insult them. To say negative or bad things about them.
diplomatic
To be very polite, very careful, not to make anyone mad or to offend or bother anyone.
If you are a diplomatic, you can say something that mere difficult for someone to hear but you say it in a way that it doesn’t hurt them.
To get the better of
To be bothered by that person,
You try to not to be, but that person somehow continues to bother you. So, I tried to ignore my loud neighbour but he was making so much noise that he got the better of me. He made me mad even though I tired to resist it.
I don’t know, but I do know that sometimes he really gets the better of me.
To be fed up with
To be tired of. When something or someone is doing something wrong and they do it over and over again, finally you get fed up with them. You can fed up with a person or with a situation.
Lucy: Yeah, in fact, they’re fed up with him.
to run interference
To protect this person, to be a person in between someone else who may hurt or harm them. To protect another person after they do something wrong.
I keep having to run interference when our discussions get too heated.
discussions get heated.
Discussion gets emotional, very mad, very excited. It’s a negative term.
To put up with something or someone
To tolerate, to stand it, to be able to survive in a situation or with a person.
I put up with a lot of noise with my neighbour.
hairdresser
It’s a name we give to someone who cuts hair, usually for a woman.
Barber is for man.
bangs
It’s the hair in front of your head that comes down over your forehead.
split ends
It’s something that both man and woman can get on their head, and very end of your hair becomes separated.
roots are showing.
When you put color on your hair, and as you hair grows, the new hair doesn’t have any colour, right near your skin, that’s called root of hair.
station.
In hairdresser salon, the place where that particular hairdresser works.
To fit someone in to your schedular
You are very busy but you may have time. You make time for them.
trim
A trim is when you go to get your hair cut but you don’t want it to cut very much. Maybe a quarter of a inch or half inch.
To take it up an inch
To cut it an inch shorter.
do wonders with
To do something very difficult but end up with very good result.
I went swimming today and it did wonders for my health. Meaning it really improved and helped dramatically.
endnotes
Notes that goes at the end of notes or books.
To be hooked on
To be addicted to, to be really love it that you can stop.
My latest
It’s a short form of saying my latest habit, or latest thing that I am currently is doing.
To turn someone on to
To get interested in.
I have to thank my friend Gustavo for turning me on to those two.
Be careful of this expression. Without “To”, to turn me on, means having romantic interest in each other usually related to something sexual.
the other day
Some days recently, perhaps last week or two
I hopped in my car
I got into car very quickly or right away.
To inch forward
To move very slowly, inch by inch
Lean over
Bend over
I’ll have
When we are ordering at restaurant, the most common expression is I’ll have a …..
You can also say I’ll take a ….
Low voice
Bam voice.
Opposite is high voice.
To pull forward
To move your car up or forward.
We use this term usually for car.
Telethon
You have a television program usually goes all day or two three days.
Dystrophy
It’s a medical term that refers to the fact that muscles stop working properly. The muscles becomes weak and this is a decease that affects young children.
to Pledge
It’s a promise you give to someone or something.
a Raffle
It’s when you sell tickets to win a prize, it’s kind of lottery, but it’s done by private organization to get money for a charitable group.
a Rummage sell
It’s similar to garage sell, it’s when you have things that people don’t want they give you or donate to you and then you sell those things.
to Grip, to clutch
Holding very tightly: I am griping the steering wheel. When the hand goes around something smaller or something that you put your entire hand around, for example grip a microphone or pen.
to Clutch: to hold something very tightly. She was clutching her purse so that no one can steal it. It’s usually used for bag and purse.
A pastime
A national pastime
It’s an activity when you have extra time, free time, it can be hobby or sport.
Plain field
Baseball diamond, base in baseball game in diamond shape
Pitcher
In baseball, He is the person that throws the ball.
Catcher=the person that catches the ball
Shortstop
The player that plays near second and third bases in baseball
Outfield
It’s the space that had very end of the field divided in three section, left, centre, right field.
To be out in left field
To be a little crazy, to have ideas that are not normal.
A base (in baseball)
It’s a small square that you have to as a person who is hitting the ball and running, you have to go to each of the bases which are in this big diamond, you have to run in each of the bases before you can score points. So, the first base, the second and the third, and you go back to where you begin and that is called the Home Base
Also, Home Base is often used by people to describe their headquarters or the place that they have the main operations or business.
Batter
It’s someone who hits the ball with the bat. That person swing the bat to hit the ball.
And the purpose of baseball is to have the batter to hit the ball and be able to run around three bases and back home to score point.
Balls and strike in baseball
A strike is when a batter swing at the ball and misses or when the pitcher throws the ball into strike zone and the batter doesn’t swing at it and hit it.
Strike zone is an area between knees of player and his chest
If the pitcher is able to throw the ball into that area and the batter doesn’t swing at it and hit it that’s strike. The batter is out after three strike if he doesn’t hit it.
Dugout
The area that your team is sitting and waiting to play and also called Coaches
The ball
Sometimes when a pitcher throws the ball outside of strike zone, that is too high or too low and those called Ball.
If the pitcher throws 4 balls and all outside of strike zone then we say that the player from offensive team gets a Walk, and they get to go to first base and another batter comes up. Of course if the next batter comes up and hits the ball very far and it’s not pot by any defensive team then players can go to the second base and … And eventually comes to home base and they score a point. If they hit the ball and one one players catches the ball before it hits the ground the batter is automatically is out. If it gets the ball after hitting the ground and runs to base and put his foot on it before the batter or the runner arrives in the base the runner is also out. A runner is a player that is on one of the bases and runs to the next base.
A home run
When the batter hits the ball a very long distances and it goes beyond the play field we call it a home run and that means the it goes all bases and goes back home and scored and any other runners on the other bases they also score points.
To strike out
To fail at something. To try something and fail.
A ballpark estimate
A ballpark is the place that you play the game.
A ballpark estimate means a rough estimate or guess at something.
How much is cost to buy a house in LA? Give me a ballpark estimate.
To through a curve ball
To give them something unexpected and causes you problem.
My boss told me he wants to go to New York. He really throw me a curve ball.
Compromise
You disagree with someone about something and you decide that I change my idea a little bit you change your idea a little bit and then we compromise. We agree on something that neither of us wanted it originally but we decide that it’ ok if we don’t get everything that we want it.
A commitment
When you say I am going to do something, promise to do something. Yes, I will definitely do that
On the road
An expression we use to say that we are traveling. I am on the road this week means I am traveling this week usually for some business purpose
overhead transparencies
It’s a piece of plastic that is clear and you write on it and you put it on overhead projector which is basically a big lamp with a mirror that project or show what is on transparency upon a big screen
a Wardrobe
All of the clothing that you can wear. Also, it’s a place that you put all your clothing like a tall cabinet
a Basket Case
It usually refers to someone who has mental or emotional problems and they have so many problems that they can’t do what they suppose to do in their job. Here is kind of joking: I’m pretty much a basket case when it comes to picking my wardrobe. Means I am not very good and useless and can’t do a very good job.
Bicep
Tricep
Bazo
Poshet bazo
button-down collar
A Button is on your shirt and you put your button to a little whole called button hole and keeps shirt from coming off you from opening in front.
The collar is part of the shirt that goes around the neck, yaghe.
Button-down collar shirt is a collar that has buttons on the top front that keep it attached to the reset of shirt.
Slacks
Pants. More formal pants. A pair of slacks.
khaki
It’s yellow brownish material that you can make usually pants out of. khakis originally used for military dress but now you can buy khakis with that materials
buckle
A belt has a buckle, used to keep belt together.
Sagak
to splurge
To spend a lot of money on something. I am going to splurge on dinner tonight and order the Newyork steak. You can splurge on anything.
to pull out all the stops
To do the maximum possible, to do as much as possible.
bangle or a chain bracelet
Chain one is made of little pieces we called those little pieces a chain links and it’s flexible and has little chains. A bangle is solid and it’s one piece
rubies. /roobiz/
Red or purple stones.
sapphires
Blue stones,
Gems stones
Precious stones. /pershes/
Expensive stones
bands
A ring with non stone on it. Wedding band.
pearl necklace
pearls are not stones but they are a very hard substance that you find in an oyster. Oyster is like shelves.
clasp
It’s a lock on the back of necklace and really hard to do. It holds the necklace together.
Hometown
It’s a place that you born, where you raised, or grew up
family reunion
It’s when you have grand mom, grand pa, your uncles, aunts, cousins, anyone with that last name or related to you comes together, a big party.
immediate family
It’s your mother, your father, your brother and sisters, and your bother and sister’s wife or husband, in-laws and their children.
Extended family includes other part of your family like grand pa and mam, uncles and etc.
To cater a party
Catering
To provide a food. Usually a professional cook and the cooks helpers come and cooks the food and they are responsible for foods and drinks.
casseroles
A dish that has rice, potatoes, or pasta, some sort of starch(type of rice and pasta) and all these are mixed with meat, often hamburger or ham or turkey or chicken and some sort of soup or creamed soup, like creamed mushroom.
To be the guest of honor
The party was being thrown or put on or it was organized for me and my wife. We were the guest of honor.
An anecdote
Story, usually funny story about something. You can have an anecdote about what happened to you yesterday and usually anecdote is funny or entertaining somehow.
residential
That’s a neighbourhood with lots of house and apartments, not a lot of business or factories. Mostly houses and apartments
To live kitty corner
To be kitty corner
Imagine that you have two street that crossed, the building that is in south west corner is kitty corner from the building of north east corner. It’s diagonal. So, this house is kitty corner meaning it’s diagonal, not right next to me but diagonal across the street
keep very late hours
You stay up and you don’t go to bed until very late
To be at your wits’ end
You don’t know what to do, you’ve tried everything else, you can’t think of solution. You are disparate.
Wits is another word for intelligence.
To have your wits’ about you=to know what you are doing, to have some intelligence.
For something worked out in the end
It came to successful conclusion or resolution that the problems solved.
stage fright
It’s when you scared or nervous when you have to stand up in front of people and talk.
fright=scared
give me butterflies
I have butterflies in my stomach means my stomach feels not good because I am nervous, because I am scared of something. Usually when you have to give a presentation, people get nervous and sometimes they get butterflies in their stomach
Whew
Sounds to express the relief. I am so glad this day is over.
running roughly
It’s not functioning, it’s not working correctly
Opposite of running smoothly
Something/someone no worse than most
He is not any worth than any other or most other, he is about the same, in terms of something, here, honesty.
set me back
How much is going to set you back?
Informal way of saying how much is it going to cost you.
Set back (as a noun)=disappointment, something that moves you backward instead of forward either in terms of finance, money or something else. You can have a set back on your job meaning you didn’t get a promotion or get a raised.
It set me back 20$, we mean it costs me 20$.
To rip off
To steal, to have somebody steal something from you often because they are cheating you, they cheating you on some sort of business or transaction or situation.
I am feeling I am ripped off by grocery stores or gas station because the price of gas is so expensive.
Someone taking your money but not taking your money honestly to what they give you.
To be straight with someone
Being honest with them, you’re telling them the truth.
He is not being straight with me, meaning he is lying to me.
That’s different than “To be straight”.
To be straight=to be heterosexual (men like woman and woman like men)
To dust off
1) remove dirt
2) start using it again but it’s being a long time since I have used it.
interest-bearing account
It earns interest, you get money for keeping your money in that account.
An overdraft protection
When you write a check for more that what you have in your bank account.
It a service that many banks offer and if you write a check for too much money by mistake the bank will loan you the money that you don’t have in your account in order to cash the check
money market account
It’s type of account that earns a little more interest than other regular saving account.
toll-free line
You don’t have to pay for the call,
800 numbers
the only game in town
There is no one else that you can call, or he is only person can do the certain thing.
He is only game in town.
I won’t hold my breath!
Don’t hold your breath
I don’t expect anything happened.
I don’t think this person call me back in this case or story.
Halloween
Hallow=holy or sainted, someone who is saint in Christian tradition or holy and who’s now in heaven
En=evening
Pagan /pegen/
Someone who doesn’t believe in one of major religions
odds and ends
Whatever is available in your house, could be a paper bag, crayons, old hats…..
A variety of things that you have their present in your house.
I liked dressing up in a costume that I pick out at the store or, more often, we made out of
odds and ends at home.
Deceive /disiv/
Try to fool people or other people
To eat to your heart content
You eat as much as you want until you are satisfied.
We usually use this expression for food.
make-shift pumpkin patches
pumpkin patch is a field or place where they have pumpkins.
A make-shift store is an empty parking lot or where a place there was not anything or no building and sometimes they open up a stores there.
A make-shift is an adjective that means improvised or not plan out a head of time, usually temporary and not a permanent solution to something.
To scoop out
To take a spoon and take out something with spoon. For example, you can scoop out a ice ream.
Carve
Carve into something means you are putting some figures or some pictures on hard surfaces. It could be wood or stone.
jack-o-lanterns
The word we use for the carved pumpkins is called a jack-o-lanterns.
Lantern is a lamp to light. You put candle inside the pumpkin.
Doorstep
They are steps leading up to your front door.
bobbing for apples
A container or barrel of water and there are apples in water and you have to get apple in the water without using your hands. You have to bite apples.
Blast
It was a lot of fun. It was really enjoyable.
The party was a blast.
Warlock
A man who has a magical powers.
Witch is a woman who has magical powers.
Phone tree
It’s when you call a business and you don’t get a real human being and you get a recoding. And recoding gives you options. For example, for sales press 1 , …
Reservation agent
A person works at car rental company or an Airline is called an Agent.
We don’t say reservation Clark or reservation sales person, we say the reservation agent. We use that word for insurance, FBI.
Compact car
Sub-compact car
A small, usually car with two doors and not a big car.
Grand total
When you have several smaller totals and you add those together to get the grand or final totals.
The rental fee would be $32.25 a day, giving you a grand total of $62.50 for the two days. The grand total includes fees and taxes.
F as in Frank
When you spelling something and there is a letter that you think they may missed here because there some letter that sounds like f and s , m and n, sometimes to make it easier for the other person give a word to make it easier.
Odd hours
You don’t work in normal hours from 9 to 5. Also, when you do not have a regular schedule like some days works noon to 5, some days work from 8 to 12, etc
In time to
You get there before dead line, before it’s too late.
Did you get there in time?
to Get off work
To be finished with work.
I get off work at 5 means I am done working at 5.
Latchkey program
It’s a program where kids who go to school can go to a special place and there someone to take care of them until parents to the parents come and pick them up usually after 5 or 6 in the afternoon
A rolling admission
It’s when there isn’t one day or date dead line to getting to or applying to school. You can join to program at any time in the year.
Supervision
Looking after or taking care of, a person who is supervises
It’s hard to come by
It’s difficult to get
Has it tough
They have a difficult situation
Mount Rushmore
Mount is short for mountain. Mount Rushmore is located in a place called Black Hills. It’s a area in western part of state of South the coda. It’s in north central of US. Back in 1920, a group of people decided to create something so that other people come there and see it. They created a Monument. Mount Rushmore is a monument to four American’s president, Gorge Washington (first president), Thomas Geferson third president, Ebrahim Lincoln sixteen president, Tedor Rosevelt earliest 20’th century. They have their pictures carved into the mountain.
A Monument
It’s a building or statue in honer of someone.
Chisel /chizel/
A piece of metal you use to break up rock or put some sort of decoration into rock or stone
The dog days of summer
The days or weeks in July or August when it’s very hot. When there is a lot of humidity.
Indian summer
When it’s get warm during the fall usually in October or November.
A harvest moon
It’s the full moon, closest to September 23th.
September 23th we called it Autumnal Equinox.
Optical illusion
It’s when something looks like one thing but it’s not. Of course moon looks bigger but it’s not.
Cut to the chase
To get to the point. To get to the most important part of what you saying.
To jaywalk
To cross the street illegally. You can get a ticket for jaywalk.
Jay=someone who is stupid.
You prove someone wrong
You demonstrated or showed them they were wrong. You provided them evidence or convinced them that they are wrong.
cubicle
It’s a small office but usually it doesn’t have it’s own door and walls don’t go up to the ceiling. Divided by small walls.
how are you settling in?
How are you getting used to or custom to new situation. How are you adjusting or adapting to new situation.
I appreciate you + verb + ing
I appreciate you taking the time to help me out with this software
hairy
Difficult. Could be some cause problems.
Well, it’s a good idea to have the manual ready, since it can get a bit hairy.
May I trouble you to
A polite expression to ask something ….
May I trouble you to show me how to print reports out from the program?
Estate
The money, property and things that someone owns
Probate
When you bring the will to the court and that court is called Probate court.
An heir /air/
The person who gets money from someone is called Heir. So you inherit money and someone who get money call an heir.
To contest the will
You go to the court and you say there is something wrong with that will. If you can prove it, then court will cancel the will or will is not valid.
No big whoop
No big deal.
Primordial soup
Primordial= from very beginning, from earliest time.
Primordial soup means when earth many many million years ago, when basic element of life comes together. A place the life could begin.
It will come in no time
It will come very quickly, very soon
A Gizmo
A gadget, it’s often used when you don’t know the name of something.
He had some little gizmo that he could break his phone.
Contraption
It’s a word for a machine of some sort but usually it’s a machine that is very poorly made or very complicated or perhaps deangerous because it is not safe.
a candid photograph
It’s one that people don’t prepare for, or people are not necessary posing. You are not really expecting that someone is taking a picture of you.
Pose=put yourself to certain position where you look good.
I thought it would be nice to take some candids for the happy couple.
to strike out on your own
To go alone, to go without anyone else. We usually use this expression for something that maybe difficult or for going on an adventure somewhere.
It’s different than Strike out means failing.
Blown away
You are completely overwhelmed. That was much more that you thought.
I was blown away by all the options.
Disposable
Dispose means to throw away, to get rid of.
Camcorder
A video movie recorder, usually small
To make my head spin
I was confused, usually confused by too many choices, ideas, or information
Point-and-shoot
It’s a camera that you don’t have to focus, or adjust for the light. You just point it to direction and you shoot or take a picture
Roll of film
In the old days and still for many cameras that are not digital, we have a roll of film
To get it develop, for a roll of film
You have to take the film and it has to be put in certain chemicals so that the pictures come out and you have to print or shine light through the roll of film after roll of film developed, we call that Negatives, and you shine through negatives on a sensitive paper and you get the picture.
Glossy
Matte
It’s a type of picture that surface is shinny. The opposite of Glossy would be Matte.
To justify
To explain, to give a good reason for.
Now all I have to do is justify the new camera to my wife.
Primary election
General election
The primary election is when you choose the representative from each party and the General election decide who will actually win that particular office.
We called the position in the government like president, Vice President, the governor…. These are called Offices.
season tickets
You have a ticket for all the plays at this particular theatre company
opening night
It’s the first night that the play is being performed
a will call
It’s when you order or reserve ticket but you don’t actually get them send to your home or you don’t go and pick them up in advance. You call, you make a reservation and you picked up at will call window.
best seats in the house
They are very best seats that where available in entire theather. Any place that you are viewing or watching something.
orchestra section
We call those seats that are closest to stage the orchestra section.
to dim a light
To turn it off very slowly.
intermission
It’s a break when people can get up and use the bathroom and get a drink and so forth.
to flicker
Lights are going on and off quickly
standing ovation
Everybody stand up and claps
superb
Excellent.
I owe you big time
I owe you a lot. I owe you a grate deal. I really much appreciate what you have done.
calls for
That’s what it says, that what it says should happen
ambitious
You are trying to do a lot probably too much.
When someone is ambitious means he wants to be successful and wants to do better.
For plan to be ambitious means that it’s trying to do a lot and perhaps too much.
groundwork
Foundation, the work that has to done before anything else can be done.
To lay the groundwork.
To scrap
To get rid of it. To cancel it. To decide not to do something.
That may be, but remember that one of the reasons we scrapped the Miami plan was because the budget was too big.
to go back to the drawing board
You have to start over
don’t see eye to eye on this
We don’t agree on this.
see eye to eye= we are agree on this
on top of that
In addition to
To be turn around
To be all turn around
You are not sure which direction you are traveling in.
Hang a left
To take a left or to go left
aft
Back of a vehicle, in this case aircraft.
compartment
A place that something stored or keep something. In the aircraft, it’s a space above you.
elastic band
It’s something that stretches and we use those to keep tubing in our head.
seat cushions
It’s what you are sitting on in the airplane and seat cushions can be used in emergency as flotation device.
flotation device
Something that can not sink. It’s floating on the water. So, flotation device keeps you on top of water.
To be on board
To be on the airplane. To be physically on the airplane. The opposite is deboard.
To tamper
To change it or do something that it doesn’t work.
lavatory
Bathroom or restroom.
compliance
It’s a noun verb is comply. To follow someone’s order. To do what you are told to do.
placards
Sign
To stow something
Store it or put in in certain place that it is safe.
carry-on luggage
The luggage that you take to airplane. The opposite of carry-on luggage is checked luggage. The checked luggage is down below under airplane.
overhead compartments
Or overhead bins. The place that you put your luggage.
Recline
Lean on the relax position on the chair.
You lean to seatback on the chair.
The opposite is upright. (To be straight).
To be in a rut
You are doing the same thing over and over again until you get bored. Same routin.
To get bogged down
You are slow down or you get stuck in certain position.
A bog is very wet muddy ground that if you put something on it, it will sink and it’s hard to get it out.
Bummer
Something that you don’t like and unfortunate event.
Oh boy, that’s a bummer. Means that’s a bad thing or unfortunate thing.
To take a peek
To take a look, usually a quick look.
To be hopping
To be very busy, to have lots of excitement. Usually when we talk about a dance club or a party as being hopping means a lot of people there and there are lot of excitement there.
Cover charge
It’s how much you have to pay to get into a dance club. That fee or price is called cover charge.
How much is the cover for that club.
To veg
To relax, not to do sort of thinking or anything that make you have to work.
Luncheon
Another word for lunch but it implies something more formal and for a business reason.
To pick up the tab
To pay for,
Tab is another word for the bill or check.
Who’s picking up the tab meaning who is paying for this.
The company was picking up the tab and it was up to me to set a day and time.
banquet room
A private or separate room where people can have events and parties.
a corkage fee
/kork/ and /korkage/
a corkage is when you have a bottle of wine or champagne there is a little thing at the top of bottle that is like cap that keeps wine in the bottle.
a corkage fee means they charge you for each bottle of wine that you bring in that you don’t buy at restaurant.
nearby
Not far away
A garment district
A garment is piece of clothing. It’s something that you wear. And a garment district is usually a place that you can buy cloths cheaper than other places. It’s a place that factories will often sells cloths directly to the public.
to bargain
You are going to try to get a lower price than the price that the person selling it once to give to you for. And you don’t normally bargain in a regular store in US, but you can bargain in certain places and the garment district many different people selling different things all next to each other.
Stall
When you to a market that is lots of different people selling, usually we talk about each little store as a Stall. It’s a small place in a market when someone is selling their goods.
Come in
Do you have that particular purse,in this case, in other color.
Does this come in any other colors?
It can be used for sized as well.
Does this come in large?
Can you do better on the price?
This is very standard question in English when you are trying to see if the person is selling it will lower the price.
A bargain. /noun/
A good deal.
That’ same bargain, means that’ same very good deal.
Is that your best offer?
Is that the lower price you can give me?
shop around
To go to somewhere else to buy thing or to look at things.
I think I will shop around.
Break on a price
It’s a discount, it’s a lower price.
That’s not much of a break on the price.
Give a break on the price.
You drive a hard bargain.
Someone who likes to bargain a lot, try to get an absolute price. You are to try to get much lower price that I want to give.
split the difference
We are going to take the price right in the middle. So, 50 and 54, the split would be 52.
banquet room
A private or separate room where people can have events and parties.
a corkage fee
/kork/ and /korkage/
a corkage is when you have a bottle of wine or champagne there is a little thing at the top of bottle that is like cap that keeps wine in the bottle.
a corkage fee means they charge you for each bottle of wine that you bring in that you don’t buy at restaurant.
nearby
Not far away
A garment district
A garment is piece of clothing. It’s something that you wear. And a garment district is usually a place that you can buy cloths cheaper than other places. It’s a place that factories will often sells cloths directly to the public.
to bargain
You are going to try to get a lower price than the price that the person selling it once to give to you for. And you don’t normally bargain in a regular store in US, but you can bargain in certain places and the garment district many different people selling different things all next to each other.
Stall
When you to a market that is lots of different people selling, usually we talk about each little store as a Stall. It’s a small place in a market when someone is selling their goods.
Come in
Do you have that particular purse,in this case, in other color.
Does this come in any other colors?
It can be used for sized as well.
Does this come in large?
Can you do better on the price?
This is very standard question in English when you are trying to see if the person is selling it will lower the price.
A bargain. /noun/
A good deal.
That’ same bargain, means that’ same very good deal.
Is that your best offer?
Is that the lower price you can give me?
shop around
To go to somewhere else to buy thing or to look at things.
I think I will shop around.
Break on a price
It’s a discount, it’s a lower price.
That’s not much of a break on the price.
Give a break on the price.
You drive a hard bargain.
Someone who likes to bargain a lot, try to get an absolute price. You are to try to get much lower price that I want to give.
split the difference
We are going to take the price right in the middle. So, 50 and 54, the split would be 52.
To settle down
To get married.
I want to settle down means I want to get married.
settle down also means to be calm and relax.
Hey kids, settle down means don’t be so excited.
To play the field
You want to date or go out on date with other people, you want to see different people before you get married.
I could tell that he still wanted to play the field before getting married.
A soul mate
A someone who thinks like you and has the same opinion
To be bright
To be intelligent, smart.
He is very bright guy.
To be witty
You say clever things, you can think of a funny or interesting way to say something
Big on something
You really like that thing.
I am big on watching football on Sunday.
To tell the truth, I’m not big on blind dates.
the other day
Recently.
Could have been yesterday or last week.
public relations officer
Someone who deals with media or the press for the company.
Public relation in General is making sure your company or your business has good image and people get accurate information about you.
To make a move
Leave the job and to go to different company.
The truth was, I was thinking of making a move myself.
perks
A benefit that a company or organization gives you.
Usually we use this word associate with job.
This job has lots of perks.
Something suit you
It’s a good fit for you or a good match for you.
It can be for job the color of your hair.
Working at a university is the really suits me.
Suit is noun of sue as well.
You can file a suit for the guy that damage your car.
sight unseen
I didn’t look at it, I didn’t have a chance to physically go there and see what it was like before I booked it.
So, If I am going to travel to another city such as LA and I booked a hotel room and I have never seen the hotel, then I am booking it sight unseen.
To be run down
It’s old, it needs repairs, they are many things that’s broken or dirty.
You can have a run down hotel or run down car.
housekeeping
The word that we give to the department in a hotel that cleans and makes the bed, and changes the sheets and towels and so forth.
To make up a room
My room need to be made up.
It needs to be clean.
Make up also means invented. I made up story.
Maid
The person who cleans the room in hotel.
re-stocked the mini-bar
Minibar is the little refrigerator and they are usually a little bottles of alcohol that you can buy, they are not free and they will charge you when you check out. And re-stocked means to put things in there. So, if they restock the mini bar that means I took something out or drank something and now they are put the new ones back in. Mini bar have soda pops and Pepsi as well.
To get the run-around.
You are not getting straight or honest answer from people. Or they are not doing what they are suppose to do to help you.
To socialize
To talk to other people, to have conversation with other people, often the people you work with or people in the same line of work or same type of work. But you can socialize with anyone, just means talking and being friendly and having conversation with people. We use “to socialize” when we are talking about party or a reception.
A reception
It’s the same as party but it’s not quite as active. When you say you are going to have a reception that often means in professional sense that there may be some foods or drinks but there are not any dancing. At least not in business or conference reception.
However we use that word for wedding, the party that we have in wedding is called the wedding reception.
A keynote
It’s a speech that someone gives to a large group of people at the a conference.
registration packet
When you go to a conference they usually give you some information, sometimes a bag that has the schedule when the all meetings are and etc. this would be the registration packet.
luncheon speaker
It’s a person who speak at a lunch. Lunch and luncheon are pretty much the same, but luncheon is the word we use for a little more formal meal at lunch time.
ethics
What is right and what’s wrong. It’s a problem of ethics. We are saying what is right thing to do and what is the wrong things to do in terms of the morality or whether is good or bad thing. For example, honesty should be part of the ethics in every profession.
a panel discussion
a panel discussion is when you have two or three or more people, usually setting up at a table in front of the room, we call it “Panel” and those people each going to have a chance to talk about a certain subject.
ground-breaking study
It’s something new. Something that the whole new area of research. It’s the first or something that you do when you start something.
Will you excuse me?
I want to do something else, in this case, talking to someone else. I need to leave now, I need to stop talking to you? In polite way.
Tell me all about it.
This is an expression we use when you want someone wants to tell you all of the details. It’s a polite way of inviting the person to share their story or their problem.
To be secretive
To keeps secrets. Not tell other people. To keep things to yourself.
To run around with
Someone is associating with, hanging around, in the company of other people. He has friends who are not good for him.
wrong crowd
People that are going to cause you problems. They are going to have bad influence on you.
he’s running around with the wrong crowd.
curfew
The time that someone suppose to be back home.
I have 10 o’clock curfew. I have to be home by 10 o’clock.
Well, he’s become friends with a couple of older boys who are in a band. And one night last weekend, he came home really late, way past his curfew.
To get it off my chest
Usually there are some problems or something that you want to tell someone, if you them it, you feel better.
Sometimes, it’s not easy being a parent. Thanks. It helps to get it off my chest. You’re
always so easy to talk to.
my door is always open
You can come and talk to me anytime you want. I am available to you to talk to.
A round of golf
You are playing either 9 holes or 18 holes. And round of golf could be either of those.
room service
If you want to get food at hotel and you want the food delivered to you, you call room service.
I’d like an order of
I want to have
I’d like an order of the calamari and a slice of cheesecake.
Calamari is squid, type of sea food. Mollusk, you fired up in oil.
appetizer or the entree /^nterey/
An appetizer is the first course what you have before your main course. And that main course is called entree.
hit the spot
When something hit the spot, we mean the food was really satisfying and I am no longer hungry.
The Pilgrims
Some of the first settlers or colonist came from Europe to US back in 1620.
A motto
An official expression, slogans.
For example, in US, if you look at the coins you will the motto in God we trust.
The more the merrier.
The more people that come, the better ideas. So, you want as many people come as possible.
Merrier= happy
To carve a turkey
Means to cut the meat of turkey.
fixings
All of the other things besides the turkey or main course or side dishes.
stuffing
Bread crumbs usually with some other spices, onions, or what you put inside the turkey. Also, you can good it outside of turkey.
Yams.
Sweet potato.
go wild
You are going beyond what normally do.
Also means getting very excited.
Don’t get wild.
To root for someone or team
You are hoping that they will win.
I am rooting for them to win national championship.
fistfight
When two people hit each other with fist.
That was a relief
Something bad could have happened, but it didn’t.
Hi, could I speak to Kevin?
Kevin: This is Kevin.
Hi, May I speak to Kevin?
RSVP
It’s a french word and means to call someone back or tell them you are going to in this part in this case. So, when you have party, you often ask people RSVP-ed. We use it as a verb.
I have RSVP-ed means I would be in party.
Just out of curiosity
We are asking a question that doesn’t necessary directly related to the topic we have been talking about.
orthopedic surgeon /ortopidek/
A surgeon that works on your bones. If you broke your leg and you needed a surgery, you would go to orthopedic surgeon.
Retail
Store that sells to general public, like grocery stores or department stores
To moonlight
To work as an additional jobs.
I have my regular job, but I want to make some more money. So I could moonlight as a waiter at a restaurant.
She works part-time in retail and moonlights as a tour guide on the weekends.
bring your appetite
They don’t want you to bring anything for the party, but just come ready to eat. So it’s polite way of saying you don’t have to bring anything to my party and just come and enjoy.
Just come and bring your appetite.
hospitality
Relating to the business of housing or entertaining visitors.
intense
Something that is very serious or very difficult. Something that involves very strong emotion.
To made the comment out of
The reason I made this comment.
To make the comment out of ignorance means the person didn’t know.
To be ignorance means you don’t know.
He made the comment out of ignorance, not malice.
malice /malis/
To have bad or evil intention.
To be puzzled
To be confused
To get somewhere in the nick of time
You get there just before it’s too late. To get there right at or just before time you are suppose to be.
The penthouse floor
It’s top floor of building, usually a tall building.
If you live in apartment or condominium, the top floor is often the best floor and it’s the most luxurious. But here it just means the top floor.
Don’t bite my head off
Don’t get very angry with me.
teeth chattering
To chatter means to bite up and down very quickly. If you teeth are chattering you are either cold or very nervous about something.
To pour my heart out
To tell something to someone else that’s very personal or very emotional and it’s usually a sad thing, not a positive thing.
chill out
To relax, to be calm.
a frog in my throat
You are having problem speaking because you are nervous. He doesn’t know what to say.
To beat a mile a minute.
You are very nervous. Your heart is beating very fast.
live and learn
You made mistake and you learn from your mistakes. Learn from your experiences.
Reunion
When you have a meeting or a party with people from your old high school or college class and in US is very common most high schools have Reunion every five or ten years.
bombshell
Something that is a big surprise, incredible surprise. It could be a bad or good surprise.
leaning against
You haven’t made a decision, you are not sure it’s yes or no, but thinking it’s going toward certain direction.
I am thinking about not going, I am leaning against going but I haven’t made final decision.
I told her that I was leaning against going.
be a trip
It would be a lot of fun or very exciting or very interesting. I was in grocery store and I saw Tom Cruze. That’ a trip.
what had become of someone
What happened to them. You haven’t heard/seen about them.
what had become of my old friend John.
To gave me a second look
To pay attention to them, to look at them. He wasn’t interested to me romantically.
flew into
Past of fly into
I hailed a taxi
To hail a taxi means to put your arm out and to get a taxi to stop. Stand out in the road and put your hands up and wave to hail a taxi.
incidentals
All the other things that you might use in hotel rooms. For example, if you call telephones, each call would be 50 cents or using minibar.
bitterly
Extremely
dense fog
A heavy fog
drizzle
Light rain
Snow flurries
When snow is falling but it’s also some wind. So it’s a little hard to see when it’ snow flurries.
Flurry.
A blizzard
So much snow that you can see barely in front of you. Snow storm.
froze my buns off!
Buns= your butt
Get your buns over here means get yourself over here.
froze my buns off means you are extremely cold not just your buns but your whole body.
To plow
When you have a big truck and in front of truck there is a big piece of metal and that metal pushes or moves snow off the side of the road
sleet
A combination of freezing rain and snow.
fender benders
Fender= it’s front part of your car. Close to bumper. Very front of the car.
fender benders means small car accident.
hurricanes
Big storm.
To scrape
When it’s cold and particularly is rain, there is going to be ice in car and scrape your windshield to get rid of ice.
To kick back
Relax, to sit down and not doing anything
to flip on the TV
Turn on TV
what’s on?
What’s program is currently is showing on TV.
what’s on TV tonight? Means what program are showing tonight.
Primetime
It’s the time when the new shows, the most current programs and comedies and dramas around.
It’s usually 3 hours long every night and that’s when most important popular TV program are showing. It’s between 8 to 11 pm.
A rerun
It’s a TV program that has been on before but now it’s been showing again.
syndication
This is a TV program that individual TV stations across the country have bought in order to show on their station.
The opposite of syndication program would be Network programs.
Network programs are one of the programs come from 5 major companies or 5 major networks.
Ken Jennings
A person who won 2.5 million dollars on the game show Jeopardy and he became very famous in US.
So much for trivia
So much for = give up! no longer hope for it.
I went to store and they didn’t have what I wanted. So much for that. Meaning I am giving up.
Trivia=small little facts, not very important
Sitcoms
Situation comedy. It’s a comedy show that has some sort of story. Usually we are following a group of people. For example, Friends, Mash, Seinfeld.
To be desperate
You have done everything else you can do and you have no other choices or other options.
What does it mean to say someone is “out of the woods?”
they are no longer in danger
What is a “time bomb?”
a bomb that will go off at a set time
Genocide
نسل كشي
VIDEO:
What is a “clean slate?”
a new beginning
What does “out of the blue? mean?
describes an event that happens unexpectedly
What does it mean to say you “a few tricks up your sleeve?”
you have secret options you can use
What does “wiggle room” mean?
to make small changes to a plan or schedule
What does it mean to “put someone on the spot?”
to put them in a tough or uncomfortable situation
Resilient
Able to recover from difficult situation and conditions and unexpected changes
What does it mean when you say something “sounds screwy?”
it sounds strange. It doesn’t make sense.
The real McCoy
If a person tells you that something is “the real McCoy,” they are telling you that it is the real thing. It is not a copy or replacement. There is nothing false about “the real McCoy.” And, not only is it the real thing, it is the best version that exists.
