ESL Podcast 263 - Getting Older

to lose (one's) train of thought - to forget what one is saying, sometimes in the middle of a sentence or idea

The director lost her train of thought in the middle of her presentation and had to start over.

senior moment - a moment of forgetfulness; when one forgets something, as older people may do

If your grandma has a senior moment once a week, it's probably not a problem, but if she starts forgetting things all the time, it's a good idea for her to see a doctor.

welcome to the club - a phrase used to show someone that one has had the same experience that he or she was just describing; a phrase used after someone describes an experience that one has had

Bernard was talking about how difficult it is to take care of his children and I said, "Welcome to the club!" because I have three kids myself.

over-the-hill - too old to do something well; very old

Luisa's daughter told her that she was over the hill and shouldn't be driving anymore, and Luisa told her daughter to mind her own business.

geezer - a rude word for an old man

I gave Ron a dirty look when he called that man a geezer to his face.

middle-aged - not young or old; not too young nor too old

The newspaper had a story about middle-aged men who want to change their lives completely by buying an expensive car or dating younger women.

to age - to become older

Leticia hadn't seen her parents in one year, so she was surprised by how much they had aged when she visited them last week.

absent-minded - forgetful; often forgetting things

Camilo is so absent-minded that his wife has to remind him to take his keys with him every morning.

senile - not thinking clearly because one is getting older; unable to remember things

When I become senile, I don't want to move to a nursing home. I want to stay in my own house with a nurse to take care of me.

to not be able to stand (something) - to not tolerate something; to strongly not like something; to strongly dislike something

Karen can't stand to be near people who are smoking. It makes her cough.

to be treated - to have someone act a certain way around oneself; to have someone behave toward oneself in a particular way.

Even though he's 26 years old, he's treated like a little child by his parents.

ageism - discrimination against old people; unfair treatment of people because they are old

Because of ageism, it is sometimes very difficult for people older than 60 to find a job.

gray hair - hair that has become white, silver, or gray with age

Many women think that gray hair makes them look old, but many men think it makes them look dignified.

not all there - not thinking clearly; senile; a little bit crazy

We went to visit Wendy in the hospital, but she's still not all there after the operation and she didn't recognize us.

sharp - intelligent; able to think quickly and clearly

The new vice president is very sharp and she does her job very well.

you've got a point - a phrase used to show that one understands what someone else has said; a phrase used to show that one agrees with what someone else has said

When Janet told her husband that she was worried about how much television the family was watching, he said, "You've got a point," and they began only watching one hour each day.

productive - doing a lot; producing something; working well, quickly, and efficiently; useful and worthwhile

Sean had a very productive afternoon: he finished a project for work, cleaned his house, cooked dinner, called his brother, and answered three emails.