ESL Podcast 410 - Being Evasive
ask away - a phrase used to invite someone to ask whatever questions he or she wants to ask; a phrase used to let someone know that he or she can ask anything
I'd like to ask you some questions about your experience in our store today.
Okay, ask away.
to come up with (something) - to think of something; to have a new idea
Where did you come up with the idea to open a Vietnamese restaurant?
let me tell you - a phrase used to show that one knows a lot about a topic and can answer another person's questions; a phrase used to show that one knows more about something than another person does
Let me tell you about what that neighborhood was like 20 years ago.
grown-up - adult; a person who is more than 18 years old
When I was a child, I thought that being a grown-up would be exciting and lots of fun, but really it's a lot of work!
pipsqueak - an informal term for a small, unimportant person; a young child
Bruno doesn't like his new employee and he calls her a pipsqueak when he's out of the office.
to mind (one's) own business - to pay attention to one's own life and the things that are important to oneself, not paying attention to things in other people's lives or things that one shouldn't or doesn't need to know about
Shimo was asking a lot of questions about my personal life, so I told him to mind his own business.
no comment - a phrase used to show that one does not want to answer a question or talk about a topic, often used when people don't want to answer questions from reporters (journalists)
Mr. President, could you please explain why you spent more than $200,000 in travel last year?
No comment.
confidential - information that should not be shared with other people; secret information
Bank employees often work with confidential information, like how much money people have.
personal - relating to a single person, not needing to be shared with other people
Maurizio left his job for personal reasons. No one really knows why he stopped working here.
never you mind - a phrase used to tell someone that he or she doesn't need to know something and should stop asking about it
Daddy, do we have enough money to buy a new car?
Never you mind. Your mother and I will take care of the family's finances.
peace and quiet - tranquility; a time and place where everything is calm
Jake often leaves the city and goes to the mountains to enjoy some peace and quiet.
don't "(something)" me - a phrase used to show that one is not happy with what another person has said; a phrase used to show irritation or annoyance with what someone has said
Don't "oh, Mom" me. You're not going anywhere until you clean your room.
to wait and see - to wait and see what will happen in the future; to show that one will make a decision later, depending on some later event(s)
They decided to wait and see how much the tickets would be before they decided to go to the concert.
out of (something) - without something; not having any more of something
The store was out of limes, so I bought some lemons instead.