PE 12/9 Renting an Apartment

Calm down, Collin. What are you all riled up about?
* rile up: irritated or angry
ex> I hate to see you get so riled up over a video game. Take a break and have some dinner with me.

Sounds like you're in a tough spot!

I've lived in my apartment for eight years and my key money was only 2 million won back then. Prices have really gone through the roof in the last few years.
* go through the roof: to rapidly climb in price
ex> When the U.S. and Spain declared war on each other in 1898, the price of sugar went through the roof.
* key money: 보증금, 권리금

Well, beggars can't be choosers. At this point you may have to settle for less.
* beggars can't be choosers: if one is really in need of sth, they can't be picky about what they get
ex> Look, this is all I can offer you for your car. Beggars can't be choosers.

You might want to look at CraigsList. It's always chock-full of people looking for roommates.
ex> By the time they arrived to the restaurant, the lobby was chock-full of diners waiting for tables.
ex> The football stadium is chock-full of people.

It's either that or go back to my parents' house with my tail between my legs.
* tail between one's legs: a reaction that's cowardly or weak
ex> When the smaller kids confronted the bully as a group, he ran from the playground with his tail between his legs.

PE 12/6 Decorating the Christmas Tree

We're just going to get sick of looking at it by the time Christmas rolls around.
* roll around: to happen or arrive again
ex> Every time my birthday rolls around, I am afraid that no one will remember and make a fool of myself telling everyone.

Do we have to go over this every year? It's a tradition in my family to put up the tree on the first Friday in December.
* go over: to review something that has already been learned or discussed
 = run over; look over; read over
ex> The performance is in only one hour, so I think we should go over the finale one more time.

Don't be so flippant about my family's traditions just because your family's long-standing tradition is to not get together for Christmas.
* flippant: dismissive or disrespectful
ex> The teenager gave a flippant answer when the police officer asked him what he saw.

We're starting a new one this year: we'll have a knock-down, drag-out family argument over Skype on Christmas Eve and then not talk to each other again until Easter.
* knock-down, drag-out: very angry and violent
ex> The board of directors engaged in a knock-down, drag-out fight over who would succeed the chairman.

You mean the funny looking ones made out of macaroni and dough? I thought they were devoured by mice last year.
* devour: to eat all of sth quickly or hungrily
ex> After the marathon, John devoured an entire pizza, two chickens and two liters of milk.

PE 12/5 The Grand Canyon!!

Well, it took about 17 million years for the Colorado River to cut the canyon out of the rock. And the rock layers show a mind-boggling 2 billion years of Earth's history.
* mind-boggling: something that is so large, old, or complex that it's hard to understand
ex> The most mind-boggling thing to me is trying to comprehend the universe as an endless space.

A couple of Native American tribes occupy parts of it. And the Hopi considered it hallowed ground and made pilgrimages here.
* hallowed ground: a sacred place; a burial site
ex> To many people, the National Cemetery is hallowed ground containing the soul of the nations' heroes.

Well, be happy we have a room at the Bright Angel Lodge tonight. We would freeze our butt's off tonight.
* v. + one's butt's off: to exert oneself at something
ex> The marketing team worked their butts off to make the new advertising campaign a success.
ex> It was so hot this summer that I sweated my butt off just walking to the bus stop.

I'm not that scared of heights, but I think this might give me palpitations.
* palpitations: irregular or pounding heartbeats
ex> The climb up to the top of the Status of Liberty gave the old man palpitations.

I thought you had nerves of steel? Don't be such a chicken.
* have nerves of steel: to be calm when faced with danger
ex> The key to being a successful athlete is to have nerves of steel when under pressure.

PE 12/4 Cutting Costs

They just turned the thermostats way down, so the heat won't go on until it drops below 12.

You might as well spit in the wind, because the union rep signed off on it already.
* spit in the wind: to do something futile; a useless act
ex> Telling my kids to clean up their rooms is as useful as spitting in the wind.

I feel so out of the loop. Will they at least give us a chance to give our opinions and reject the plan?
* out of the loop: not knowing what is going on
ex> I hate being kept out of the loop when it comes to important decisions.
ex> After his two-month vacation, Pat felt totally out of the loop at the office, like a new employee.

The one that you bailed on so you could go play cards with your friends.
* bail (out) on: to not show up to an event; leave in the middle of something
ex> This party is really boring. Let's bail.
ex> I didn't mean to bail out on you last night, but something important came up.

Oops, I guess I totally blew it that day. Well, what's the plan then?
* blow: to fail at something
= botch it up; mess it up; screw it up
ex> Although Carl studied hard, he felt that he blew it on the exam.

The plan is that we should wear multiple layers of clothes and we may bring in a small blanket from home if we wish. But they did splurge and get a new coffee machine, so we can at least stay warm on the inside.
* splurge: to spend money on something unnecessary
ex> At Christmas time, my father would always splurge on gifts for my sisters and me.

PE 12/3 Baz Luhrmann's Speech - Part 1

The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience.
* long-term: with consideration for a future time
ex> My long-term plans are to learn French and become a winemaker.
* meandering: 종잡을 수 없는

Oh, never mind.
* never mind: don't worry or think about something
ex> Never mind the noise coming from the engine, it's just an old car.

You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.

In 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
* recall: to remember something
ex> I recall you saying something about buying me lunch today.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm. on some idle Tuesday.
* cross one's mind: to have a thought suddenly occur to you
ex> It never crossed my mind that you and James were brothers, despite having the same last name.
* blindside/be blindsided: to strike or be struck suddenly and without warning
ex> Bill was blindsided by love when he met Elaine for the first time.
ex> Just when it seemed life was going well, she was blindsided by a devastating illness.

PE 12/2 Rake the Leaves!

My sentiments exactly. Grab your work gloves, we're taking care of that mess we call a yard.
* my sentiments exactly: (I'm) in complete agreement
ex> A: I think the city skyline always looks better under a full moon. B: My sentiments exactly.

I was thinking more along the lines of a drive to the park to feed the ducks bread.
* along the lines of: similar to
ex> The idea of this movie is something along the lines of "Gone With The Wind," except set in modern-day Norway.

Even though it's in the backyard, it's been getting on my nerves every time I look at it.
* get on one's nerves: to annoy or irritate
ex> If you want to go far in this organization, you'll have to try your best to not get on Mr. Conway's nerves.
note>> nerve (n): courage that allows you to do sth that is dangerous, difficult, or frightening

I thought you were going to get your hands dirty, too!
* get one's hands dirty: to do physical labor; engage in illegal activity
ex> The owner of the large dairy farm still liked to get his hands dirty a few times a week and help with the milking.
ex> The mafia boss never got his hands dirty - that's what his lieutenants were for.

After you build the fence for the compost pile, dig up the garden, and trim the bushes I'll be ready to lend a hand with raking.
* lend a hand: to assist with sth  = give someone a hand
ex> Ever since I was a teenager, I would go down to the homeless shelter once a week to lend a hand.

PE 11/29 Stuck in the "Friend Zone"!

I need your opinion on something kinda personal, but I think it might be right up your alley.
* right up one's alley: something that a person is apt to be good at or like
= one's cup of tea; fits one like a glove; be cut out for it
ex> That new sci-fi movie seems to be right up my alley.

You know we've been like two peas in a pod this semester.  We eat lunch and dinner together practically every day.
* like two peas in a pod: very close; inseparable
ex> As twins, they did everything together and even dressed the same, like two peas in a pod.
ex> Ever since they were little, Tom and Jenny were like two peas in a pod.

So far, so good! Have you been on any real dates?
* so far, so good: when you say that sth is progressing nicely, although a problem could occur
ex> It's been two weeks and we haven't had a problem with the new computer program. So far, so good.

I think I'm starting to get the picture. It sounds like you're trapped in the "friend zone."
* get the picture: to understand sth
ex> I think I get the picture: you're quitting school to become a famous artist. right?

You can make a bold move, but you risk upsetting the balance of your relationship.
* upset the balance: to disturb sth that is already working well
ex> When my brother moved back home, it upset the balance in the house and created tension between my parents.