📙 Part 2: Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way

This episode's vocabulary

stand out (phrasal verb) – to be very noticeable or better than other similar things or people. → Among all the candidates, her confidence really made her stand out.

handyman (noun) – a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically for a home. → We called a local handyman to fix the leaky faucet and the broken shelf.

fall to pieces (idiom) – to break into many pieces; to start having serious problems. → After the main investor pulled out, the entire project began to fall to pieces.

acting up (phrasal verb) – (of a machine) to fail to function properly. → My car has been acting up all week; I think I need to take it to the mechanic.

the blasted thing (expression) – a way of showing you are annoyed with an object. → I can't get the blasted thing to work, no matter how many times I restart it.

at a loss for words (idiom) – unable to speak because you are so surprised, shocked, or upset. → When she saw the surprise party, she was at a complete loss for words.

come round (phrasal verb) – to visit someone in their home. → Why don't you come round for dinner on Friday?

smooth out (phrasal verb) – to make a surface flat and even. → He used sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges of the wooden table.

go smoothly (collocation) – to happen without any problems or difficulties. → We were worried about the presentation, but in the end, everything went smoothly.

know your way around (something) (idiom) – to be familiar with a place or a particular subject/piece of equipment. → He really knows his way around a computer, so he fixed the software issue in minutes.

fix things up (phrasal verb) – to repair or arrange something. → My dad is great at fixing things up around the house.

in a tight spot (idiom) – in a difficult situation. → Losing my wallet on vacation left me in a pretty tight spot.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Describe a person who solved a problem in a smart way. You should say who this person is, what the problem was, why he or she solved it, and explain why you think he or she did it in a smart way.

Rory: Well, there are a lot of people like this in my life, but the one who stands out the most right now is my dad after he helped fix a door in my apartment. When it comes to who he is, well, he's my dad, so the connection should be fairly obvious. But to tell you a bit more about him, he's become a sort of local handyman in his neighborhood and goes around helping people when things, well, fall to pieces, basically. He's been doing that for a while now, and he's always been up hand with tools, so it made sense for him to come and help out when my house was acting up.

With regard to what the problem actually was, it was a bit annoying, actually. I had paid someone to paint a door in my apartment, and they'd layered on the paint so thick that it had actually made it impossible to close the blasted thing. Now, normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but this was the bathroom door, so it did compromise the whole privacy element of this somewhat. I was at a complete loss for words when I found this out. I didn't think anyone could be so stupid. But there I was with a bathroom with no functioning door. So in terms of how dad solved it, after he came round to have a look, he suggested using a sander, which is a kind of tool that's usually used for smoothing out wood surfaces, and that would reduce the amount of paint on the door. So once the layers had been reduced, the door would fit the frame again. Surprisingly enough, it actually went pretty smoothly, and soon enough, the door was back to normal again. And I think everybody living here was quite happy with that arrangement because no one wants a door, a doorless bathroom.

To explain why I think he did it in a smart way, I'd never have considered doing something like that. I don't really know my way around a toolshed, so something novel like that wouldn't have easily occurred to me. So I'm pleased that he was there to fix things up. Otherwise, I'd have been in a pretty tight spot.