ESL Podcast 389 - Getting a Cold
cold - an illness that is very common, especially in the winter, but not very serious; an illness that often includes sneezing, coughing, a runny nose and other symptoms
Some people think that you might get a cold if you go outside when your hair is wet.
contagious - sharing an illness with other people; able to transfer one's illness to another person
Harold went to work while he was contagious, and now all his co-workers are sick.
to play hooky - to not go to school or work when one is supposed to, usually because one wants to do something fun
Jake played hooky from school on Wednesday, going to the movies instead of his classes.
to run - for a nose to have liquid coming out of it when one is sick or cold
Shannon's nose was running all day, so now the skin below her nose is bright red.
puffy - swollen; larger than usual, seeming to have air or water under the skin
After Terrence accidentally closed the car door on his finger, it became puffy and very painful.
hoarse - a voice that sounds strange and is lower and rougher than usual, often because one is sick or because one has been shouting for a long time
Janice cheered loudly at the basketball game last night, and today her voice is very hoarse.
fever - a body temperature that is higher than normal, usually because one's body is fighting against an illness
Having a fever of more than 103 degrees can be very dangerous.
nasal decongestant - a medicine that helps to clear one's nose so that one can breathe more easily when sick
Do you sell any nasal decongestants that won't make me sleepy?
eye drops - a liquid that comes in a small bottle and is put in one's eyes to make them less red or itchy, especially when one is sick
Wendy has horrible allergies, but she uses eye drops to stop her eyes from turning bright red.
cough medicine - a liquid medicine that one drinks to stop oneself from coughing (pushing air out of one's throat and mouth very quickly while making a quick, loud sound when one is sick)
This cough medicine won't make your cold go away, but it will make you feel better because you won't be coughing as much.
to suck - to use one's tongue to hold something in one's mouth, often to get the flavor of it without biting or chewing
Does your baby suck his thumb?
throat lozenge - small, hard candies with medicine in them that one puts in one's mouth so that the liquid comes off and goes down one's throat, making a sore throat feel better
When she has a sore throat, she uses throat lozenges and drinks hot tea.
to sneeze - to push air and a little bit of liquid out of one's nose very quickly and with a lot of force, usually making a loud noise at the same time, especially when one is sick or has allergies
When they cleaned their garage, there was a lot of dust in the air and it made them sneeze.
to contaminate - to make something dirty or impure
People are worried that the chemical factory is contaminating the river.
Kleenex - a brand of tissues, or very soft pieces of paper, that one uses to clean one's nose or wipe away tears
Frannie always carries Kleenex in her purse when she goes to see a sad movie.
to blow (one's) nose - to put a tissue (a very soft piece of paper) or a small piece of fabric in front of one's nose and blow air out of one's nose very strongly and quickly
Oliver didn't have any tissues, so he blew his nose on a paper towel.
germ - bacteria; a very small thing that cannot be seen without a special tool, but that can make people sick
That bathroom is very dirty and must be full of germs!