ESL Podcast 358 - Surfing the Internet

to surf the web - to browse or navigate the internet; to spend time visiting websites

How many hours do you spend surfing the web each day?

Big Brother - the idea that the government, large companies, or individuals are watching what people do when they think they are alone

At work, I often feel like Big Brother is watching my every move.

blog - a website that has information written on a single topic, often by one author or one group of authors, so that each time they make a new entry, it is listed at the top of the page

Julie started a blog so that all her friends and family members can read about her international travels.

forum - a website where many people who are interested in the same topic can exchange ideas, questions, and answers, posting their text on the same site

Do you know if there is a forum for professional musicians in this city?

history - a record of all the websites that one has visited in a certain period of time, stored in an Internet browser

I found a great website last week, but now I can't remember the URL. Let me check to see if it's still in the history.

cache - temporary computer memory; a place on a computer where data is stored temporarily

Don't forget to delete the cache after you finish working on a public computer.

to check up on (someone) - to monitor someone's behavior, often without his or her knowledge, especially to find out whether he or she is doing what he or she is supposed to be doing

Marybeth put a hidden camera in the living room to check up on the babysitter while she was at work.

to install - to put a software program on a computer so that it can be used at any time

Have you installed the latest version of Skype?

plug-in - a part of a software program that makes the program work better or in a new way

These plug-ins let you record macros within the browser you're using.

to download - to save something from the Internet onto one's computer

How often do you download music files from the Internet?

scare tactic - a way to make someone afraid of doing something; a way to make other people do (or not do) something by making them scared or frightened

Paolo told his daughter that if she ever died her hair pink or blue, he would cut it off, but it was just a scare tactic.

to mess around - to spend time doing something that is silly or not productive, especially when one should be doing other things

Mike thinks that if he doesn't keep his children busy in classes and camps, they will spend their whole summer messing around, not doing anything useful.

to dig (one's) own grave - to do something that will create future problems for oneself

If you tell your wife a lie about where you were last night, you'll be digging your own grave.

questionable - probably not good, truthful, useful, or helpful; of doubtable quality or truthfulness

The medical value of those herbal teas is questionable. Ask your doctor before you start drinking them.

pop-up - pop-up window; a small window that opens in one's Internet browser when one opens other pages, usually when one doesn't want them to

When she visited the news website, a pop-up appeared, asking her to complete a short customer survey.

tab - the area in which one of several websites opens within a single browser window

This browser lets users open websites in several tabs, instead of needing to open multiple windows.

in hot water - in trouble; in a difficult situation

Brianna knew she was in hot water when she lost her aunt's credit card.

to cover (one's) tracks - to hide what one has done; to do something so that other people cannot see what one has done

The accountant was stealing money from the company and tried to cover her tracks, but eventually the business owner found out what she was doing.