This episode’s vocabulary
Tenant
noun — a person who pays rent for the use of land or a building.
Lodger
noun — someone who pays for a place to sleep, and usually for meals, in someone else's house.
To get on like a house on fire
idiom — if two people get on like a house on fire, they like each other very much and become friends very quickly.
From the off
phrase — from the beginning, when someone first starts to do something or a process first starts.
Talkative
adj. — talking a lot.
To oblige
verb — to please or help someone, especially by doing something they have asked you to do.
To chat
verb — to talk to someone in a friendly informal way.
To revolve around someone/something
phrasal verb — to have someone or something as the main or most important interest or subject.
Aerial yoga
noun — a form of exercise that combines traditional yoga with the use of special hanging straps and strips of cloth to support you off the ground.
The gift of the gab
idiom — the ability to speak easily and confidently in a way that makes people want to listen to you and believe you.
Reassuring
adj. — making you feel less worried.
Trustworthy
adj. — able to be trusted.
Fortunate
adj. — lucky.
To miss out
phrasal verb — to not use or not have an opportunity to experience something good.
Questions and answers
Rory, are you ready?
I'm very ready.
Off you go. Rory story.
Well, I know a lot of people who can talk for hours on end. But I suppose the easiest one to talk about would be my new friend Peter, who will one day be my tenant, actually. Or my lodger. Depends on who you ask about these things. We met through a wild swimming club I joined last year, and pretty much got on like a house on fire from the off. Which was great. I suppose one of the reasons he's so talkative is that he's a scientist. So he's used to talking things through in order to work them out and I'm quite happy to oblige. Since that's how I usually understand things as well. We first got to chatting about his work. He's a PhD student at quite a prestigious university in my country. And studies tropical parasites, which I think most people would say is a pretty interesting subject. It's not like it's unimportant and without consequences, either. Over the course of our discussions, I discovered he can't do things like go near livestock, because he could be accidentally infected with the parasites he's studying. And so might pass that on into the food supply. That is highly unlikely. But it's a fun fact that you can learn about somebody. So why not mention it? Aside from the tropical parasites, our conversations usually revolve around things like aerial yoga, which he is very into. And I have tried out, actually. We went to a class together. And we also talk about regular yoga, where the opposite is the case. And he comes to that with me sometimes. I think we've also chatted about various mutual friends that we have and our plans for the future. I wouldn't quite say he has the gift of the gab since he's so young and relatively inexperienced, but we get on well enough. And indeed, we have to, because like I say, he'll be my tenant come this summer, and he'll look after the house while I'm away on business, which is quite reassuring. I suppose it should be obvious by now that I consider him to be quite responsible and trustworthy. And hopefully, he feels the same about me. It's quite fortunate that we met, actually because otherwise I'd have no one to look after things and I'd have missed out on some great conversation as well.
And do you often meet this person now?
Yeah, I have to. We're signing various legal agreements and things.