📙 Part 2: Describe an activity you enjoy doing occasionally that is a bit expensive
Ever wonder what our native expert Rory does on his Friday nights? Turns out it's an expensive solo activity that he thinks makes him sound like a total cheapskate and a loner. Find out why!
This episode’s vocabulary
A cheapskate (noun)- a person who is unwilling to spend money:
My dad's such a cheapskate that he cuts his hair himself.
A loner (noun)- a person who likes to do things on their own without other people:
He was always a loner at school.
Toppings (noun)- a substance, especially a sauce or pieces of food, that is put on top of other food to give extra flavour and to make it look attractive: pizza topping;
What toppings did you put on your ice cream?
Chow down (phrasal verb) - to eat, especially in an informal situation:
Diners stare at the TV as they chow down. You can't just chow down on a slice of pizza in class.
Vital (adj.) - necessary or extremely important for the success or continued existence of something: The existence of a strong opposition is vital to a healthy democracy.
The kidneys play a vital role/part in removing waste from the blood.
A courier (noun)- a person or company that takes messages, letters, or parcels from one person or place to another: I want to have this package delivered by motorcycle courier.
Be worth it (collocation) – enjoyable or useful despite the fact that you have to make an effort: It was a long climb to the top of the hill, but the view from the top was worth it.
Retreat (verb) - to go to a quiet safe place in order to avoid a difficult situation:
When he's done something wrong, he retreats to his bedroom. OR to go away from a place or person in order to escape from fighting or danger:
When she came towards me shouting, I retreated (behind my desk).
Drop into (phrasal verb) - To fall into something; pass quickly and easily into a habitual state or manner.
A food coma - is a colloquial term for the sleepiness or drowsiness that follows a large meal, often the Thanksgiving feast. This occurs because the body has to divert blood and energy towards digestion in lieu of other functions.
Indulge (verb) - to allow yourself or another person to have something enjoyable, especially more than is good for you:
The soccer fans indulged their patriotism, waving flags and singing songs.
I love champagne but I don't often indulge myself.
A weirdo (noun)- a person who behaves strangely:
What did he mean by that? Weirdo!
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Questions and Answers
Maria: Rory will describe an activity he enjoys doing occasionally that is a bit expensive. He'll say what the activity is, when and where he enjoys doing this, why he enjoys doing it. Could you start speaking now?
Rory: Well, this is going to make me sound like a total cheapskate and loser slash loner. But, uh, I think that my pizza nights are quite expensive. Um, so just to explain further, every week I order the biggest pizza that I can find with all the toppings I can get my hands on and just chow down essentially before going to bed. I think it's the thing that I look forward to the most during the week. And frankly, it's probably a vital part of my routine now that I think about it. And I do it every Friday or Saturday evening since the other night I'm either at the gym or working or I'm just too tired because there's a lot of stuff to do. It takes ages to come, probably because the courier or the delivery person is traveling so far and there's usually so much stuff on the blasted thing that it must be quite heavy. And it does take quite a while to prepare, but I think it's totally worth it and I pay a lot of money for it. So, um, but in terms of like where I actually have it, I just have it at home. Um, I'll see the guy at the door and then I'll retreat to my room and get to work. And I usually watch videos or read the news, but I'm doing it. But I take my time to finish. I always feel great afterwards. If a little bit full, I can just like drop into a food coma and it's all good. Um, uh, it's a little bit sad because I just do it by myself, but I spend my week talking to other people and hanging out with them and, you know, so sometimes it's actually quite a good idea to spend some time alone and just indulging myself as opposed to other people. Um, and it's like my reward for getting through the week and doing a good job. Um, well, I think it's important to give yourself such things, to stay sane and take care of yourself, plus all the calories that I get from it I'm probably going to be like a monster in no time.
Maria: And what about your friends? What do they think of this activity?
Rory: This is actually the first time I've mentioned this, my friends now are probably all laughing at me and making fun of me for being a weirdo.