ESL Podcast 333 - Quitting Smoking
smoke break - a short period of time during the workday when one stops working and goes outside to smoke a cigarette
My co-worker takes up to six smoke breaks a day! I don't know how she gets any work done.
to bum (something) off (someone) - to ask someone to give one something for free
Can I bum $0.50 off you to make a phone call?
pack - a small box or package of something
How much does this pack of gum cost?
cigarette - a piece of paper rolled around tobacco where one end is lit with fire and the other end is placed in one's mouth to breathe in the smoke
Some teenagers smoke cigarettes to fit in with their friends.
lighter - a small plastic or metal tool that is filled with gas, so that one presses a button to get a small fire, usually used to light a cigarette
Do you prefer to use a lighter or matches?
incentive - something that one gives to another person to encourage him or her to do something; something that makes someone want to do something
Some parents pay their children as an incentive to get better grades.
to quit - to stop doing something; to no longer do something
How old were you when you quit eating meat?
to go cold turkey - to stop doing something addictive (especially smoking or drinking) all at once, without gradually decreasing the amount
Mathias tried to go cold turkey to stop drinking, but he found that he needed professional help.
doomed - destined in a bad way; expecting to suffer in the future
We are all doomed to pay taxes until we die.
ashtray - a small square or round glass or plastic plate with raised sides, used to collect the small pieces that fall from a cigarette
All the tables in the smoking section of restaurant have small, white ashtrays.
stained - with a colored mark that is difficult or impossible to remove
Gunther's shirt is stained where he spilled red wine on it.
to butt heads - to argue or fight with someone; to disagree about something
Simpur and his wife are always butting heads about how they should spend their time off from work.
to each his own - a phrase used to mean that each person should be able to decide what he or she wants to do, or that each person likes different things
I hate the taste of olives, but Dennis loves them. To each his own.
bonus - money received in addition to one's regular payment; extra money received, often for good performance or for completing a special project
If the company does well this year, all of the employees will get an end-of-the- year bonus.
nicotine patch - a small sticker that is placed on one's body and gives one the addictive chemical nicotine, to help one stop smoking
Yelena used a combination of nicotine patches and nicotine gum to stop smoking.
lost cause - something that is hopeless; something that cannot be done or fixed
Trying to lose weight while working in an ice cream store is a lost cause. I always want to eat while I work!
willpower - the ability to do what one believe is right, even though it is difficult; the ability to control one's actions or thoughts and meet one's goals
It must have taken a lot of willpower for Raquel to ride her bicycle eight miles to work every day instead of driving her car.
no pain, no gain - a phrase used to show that one must suffer to get something, often used with exercise
Rick's legs were very tired after running 10 miles, but no pain, no gain.