ESL Podcast 313 - A Suspicious Neighbor
shady character - a suspicious person; a person whom one thinks probably does bad things
Mr. Arquize is a shady character because he never says "hi" or even looks at me when we pass each other in the street.
to shoot the breeze - to chat; to talk in a friendly way about unimportant things
Janet spent hours on the phone, shooting the breeze with her old friend.
shifty - looking dishonest; seeming guilty; suspicious; acting uncomfortable as if one would like to end the conversation or to leave
When we asked Orest about what he used to do, he became very shifty and tried to change the topic.
line of work - career; area of work; field of work
When he asked me what line of work my wife is in, I told him that she's an electrical engineer.
evasive - trying to avoid answering a question or giving a reply directly
Most Americans become evasive if you ask them how much money they make because they don't like sharing that information with other people.
busybody - a nosy person; a person who is too interested in other people's lives and wants to know everything about them; a person who doesn't respect other people's privacy
Zelena is such a busybody! One time she even read her neighbor's mail!
neighborly - friendly with one's neighbors; helpful toward one's neighbors; trying to be a good neighbor
Edna is very neighborly and always gives a homemade pie to people who move to the neighborhood.
to kick (someone) out - to rudely tell someone to leave a place; to force someone to leave a place
The young men were kicked out of the bar for fighting.
serial killer - a person who kills many people in the same way, one after another
There have been three deaths by fire in the past month, and the police think that they might have been done by a serial killer.
I wouldn't put it past him - a phrase meaning that one believes another person may have done something; a phrase meaning that one believes another person may be capable of doing something bad
When the failing student got 100% on the test, the principal asked the teacher if she thought he had cheated. She said, "I wouldn't put it past him."
peace and quiet - tranquility; calmness and relaxation; a place and time where there is no noise or interruptions and one can relax and do whatever one wants
Carolina is going to the mountains to find the peace and quiet she needs to write her book.
to mind (one's) own business - to not get involved in other people's private lives; to focus on one's own affairs and not worry about what other people are doing
Kelly thinks we should talk to Mike about his divorce, but I think we should mind our own business and not say anything about it.
entitled - deserving of something; with the right to do, know, or have something
If you buy this tourist card, you'll be entitled to enter all of the city's museums for free for one day.
to leave (someone) alone - to not bother someone; to leave someone in peace; to not talk to someone; to stop interfering in another person's activities
Bernice had a difficult day, and when she got home she asked her family to leave her alone for a half-hour.
to take no for an answer - to accept that the answer is no; to accept that another person doesn't want to do something
Get out of bed! I've decided that we're going to spend the whole day together doing fun things, and I won't take no for an answer!
poor - unfortunate; a person whom one feels sorry for; a person whom one feels bad for; a person who deserves one's pity or sympathy
The teacher is giving those poor children more than six hours of homework each night. It's too much!