PE 10/29 At the Birthplace of the Olympics

* right up/down one’s alley: very appropriate to one’s interests

ex> I’ve bought us tickets to a concert I think will be right down your alley.

ex> The community center has announced some cooking classes that are right up my alley.

* everything under the sun: everything imaginable or possible

ex> I’ve tried everything under the sun to get my cat to do tricks, but she still refuses.

* quash: to suppress; subdue

ex> We have to quash these rumors that we’re going out of business.

* hiatus: an interruption in a sequence or process

ex> The doctor recommended I take a hiatus from work while I’m recovering.

Note> When your favorite TV show is on hiatus, that means there are no new episodes – not forever, just for a little while. If someone has to leave her job for a time, she’s going on hiatus. The key thing about a hiatus is that it’s an interruption of something that was happening, but it’s not a permanent break.

* in person: while one is physically present

ex> Watching videos of live performances is not as exciting as seeing the performers in person.

* enable one: to make it possible for someone to do something

ex> Having a larger telescope will enable us to see the planets more clearly.

Note> More recently, this word has developed the specialized meaning of offering help that perpetuates rather than solves a problem. A parent who allows a child to stay home from school because he hasn’t studied for a test is enabling irresponsibility. The spouse who makes excuses for his hung-over partner is enabling alcohol abuse.

* look something up: (정보 등을) 찾아보다

Like many English expressions with the same structure, the object can be in the middle or at the end. For example, one can look up a recipe, or one can look a recipe up. Other examples of this form include hand in, turn on, and tear down.

ex> I’ll have to look it up on the rider her agency sent us.