ESL Podcast 273 - Telling Secrets to Parents
to be supposed to do (something) - to be expected to do something; to have an obligation or agreement to do something
The person who leaves the house last in the morning is the one who is supposed to lock the door.
deal - an agreement that one person will do one thing if another person does another thing
Sonya and Dmitrius made a deal that she would help him with his math homework if he would help her study history.
to tell on (someone) - to tell someone that another person has done something bad; to tell someone about a bad thing that another person has done
Brothers and sisters often tell on each other to their parents.
tattletale - a child who often tells an adult when another child does something wrong
Katya was the tattletale when she told the teacher that Billie had put frogs in the classroom.
to swear - to promise that what one says is true
I swear that I didn't know that your ex-boyfriend would be at this party.
to hold up (one's) end of (something) - to do what one must do in an agreement; to do what one has said that he or she will do
I held up my end of the agreement by completing the work, so now Kathy needs to hold up her end and pay me for it.
off - canceled; over; finished; ended; no longer valid; not valid anymore
Chandler and Rachel got in a fight and broke up, so the marriage is off.
to spill the beans - to accidentally tell a secret; to accidentally say something that shouldn't have been said because another person asked one to keep it a secret
Who spilled the beans about Gwen's surprise birthday party?
to put the blame on (someone) - to say that something is another person's fault; to say that another person's actions are the reason that something bad happened
You can't put the blame on Jeremy for breaking the vase. It wasn't his fault that he fell down and accidentally hit it.
liar - a person who tells lies; a person who lies; a person who does not tell the truth
If you are a liar, other people won't trust you.
to mean to do (something) - to intend to do something; to have the intention to do something; to want to do something; to do something on purpose
Colleen didn't mean to be late for the show. She was stuck in traffic.
come on - a phrase used to show that one doesn't believe what another person has said; a phrase to encourage someone else to do something
Come on, Desmond. Stop saying that. We both know it isn't true.
chore - something that one has to do regularly, usually around the home
When Rob was a child, his chores were to milk the cows and feed the pigs every morning.
to warn - to tell someone to do (or not do) something because something bad will result
Steve warned everyone to work hard yesterday, because the boss was very angry.
on notice - aware of something; given a warning
The government put people in southern Florida on notice for hurricanes.
to be dead to (one) - to no longer be part of one's family or one's friend; to no longer be important to someone else
A mother must be very angry to tell her son that he is dead to her.