ESL Podcast 343 - Being Alike and Different

adorable - very cute, pretty, and attractive, especially when referring to young children or animals

The baby looked adorable in her pink dress.

two peas in a pod - almost identical; very similar; like twins

Her sons are like two peas in a pod, except that Kensuke has brown eyes and Jun has green eyes.

mirror images - identical; very similar in appearance; like twins

The twins are mirror images of each other.

nothing alike - not at all the same; not at all alike; very different; completely different

Their food preferences are nothing alike. She likes salty, crunchy foods, and he likes sweet, soft foods.

distinct - different; easy to distinguish; easy to see the differences between two or more things

Howard has a distinct way of walking, so I can tell that it's him even when it's too dark to see his face.

polar opposites - extreme opposites; not at all alike; completely different

Those two friends have personalities that are polar opposites: Shane is always happy and Bertha is always depressed.

clashing - being very different and the opposite of something or someone else; not being a good match with something or someone else

They have clashing views on national politics since he is a Democrat and she is a Republican.

playful - always having fun; always wanting to play and have fun; not serious

Everyone likes to work with Frank because he brings a playful attitude to the office.

pensive - thoughtful; thinking about something all the time, especially when one is sad or worried

Maggie became very pensive after her husband died.

to get on (someone's) nerves - to bother or annoy someone; to do something that makes another person feel frustrated or angry

My brother gets on my nerves every time he comes into my room without knocking!

more often than not - frequently; often; most of the time

More often than not he sleeps until 11:00 on Saturdays.

You're telling me - a phrase used to show that what another person has said is obvious, or that one understands what another person is talking about because it is related to one's own experience

When Julie started complaining about how expensive rent was, I said, "You're telling me! I pay almost $1,300 per month for a one-bedroom apartment!"

precious - dear; very special and valuable, either because of money or for emotional reasons; something or someone that one likes or loves very much

This is the precious vase that I bought when I was in Phoenix last summer.

to crawl up the walls - to have too much energy; to be very nervous, anxious, bored, worried, stressed, or annoyed

Shannon was crawling up the walls, waiting to find out whether she had been accepted into medical school.

treat - something that is tasty and is eaten between meals, especially for children and pets

Our cat loves to eat crunch and salty treats.