ESL Podcast 284 - A Friendly Rivalry

to rub (one's) nose in it - to remind someone that one has something that he or she doesn't have; to not let someone forget that one is better than him or her in some way

Baudette did much better on the exam than I did, but I wish she wouldn't rub my nose in it.

left and right - at every opportunity; repeatedly, frequently and from all directions

The company is hiring new employees left and right because its business is growing very quickly.

to gloat - to brag; to show that one is very proud and happy about something that is going well in one's life, or about something that is going poorly in another person's life

I know that you're happy about your new job, but if you keep talking about it the other employees will think that you're gloating.

commission - the amount of money that a person receives for selling something, usually as a percentage of the total amount

At this company, sales representatives have commissions of 20%.

to turn the tables - to change a situation completely so that what was bad for person A and good for person B is now good for person A and bad for person B

Scott was always a better football player than Alec, but the tables were turned last year when Alec hurt his ankle.

smug - very proud, thinking that one is better than another person

Tatiana was very smug when she got the highest grade in the class.

to flaunt - to show one's good luck, money, beauty, or success to other people to get their admiration and/or to make them envious

Did you see how Jane was flaunting her new diamond ring in the meeting?

subtle - almost unnoticeable; not easy to notice; not easily seen; not drawing attention to oneself; hidden

The subtle music in the elevator is supposed to help people relax.

to put (one) in (one's) place - to do or say something that makes another person stop being too proud or arrogant; to do or say something that makes one equal with another person in some way

When Bernard said that his job was much harder than staying at home with the kids, his wife put him in his place by going away for two days and making him take care of the kids without her.

testosterone - a hormone (chemical) that is very strong in men and having too much testosterone can make them aggressive and ready to fight with each other

With a husband and four teenage sons, Krista often jokes that there is too much testosterone in her home.

to duke it out - to have a fistfight to decide something; to fight by hitting another person so that the winner wins the argument

The two men are duking it out because they are in love with the same woman.

to get (something) over with - to end something that is difficult; to finish something that is unpleasant

You and I have been angry with each other for two weeks. Let's talk about it and get this argument over with.

friendly rivalry - competition between two friends that is not serious to see which person can do something better than the other one can

The two cousins have a friendly rivalry to see who can make the best hamburger.

If you say so... - a phrase used to show that one doesn't really believe what another person is saying, but isn't going to argue about it

Laurie is worried about moving to Alaska and every time her sister tells her how much she's going to like it, she just says, "If you say so..."

to get in the way - to interfere; to prevent someone from doing what he or she wants or needs to do

When Rudy and Yvonne started arguing at the party, we didn't say anything because we didn't want to get in the way.

ego - self-importance; the feeling or opinion that one has about oneself

Simon has a huge ego and thinks he's better than everyone else.