ESL Podcast 418 - Getting Bad Service
lousy - poor quality; bad; not very good
That's a lousy movie. I saw it last week and I'm sure you won't like it.
five-star treatment - very good customer service that makes one feel like a very important person
Our hotel is the best in the city, always giving five-star treatment to all our guests.
service industry - the businesses and people who work by providing services to other people
Hair salons, restaurants, and hotels are all examples of businesses in the service industry.
civil - polite and formal but not friendly
Even though we don't like our neighbor, we need to be civil to her.
counter - a long, flat surface like a table where the customer stands on one side and the employee stands on the other side and where things are bought and sold
Jarrod put the milk and eggs on the counter and waited for the cashier to tell him how much they would cost.
to be waited on - to be served by an employee; to have an employee ask what one wants to buy and bring that thing to oneself
At the restaurant last night, we were waited on by a young waiter with pink hair.
couldn't have cared less - a phrase used to show that something is extremely unimportant to oneself, less important than anything else
I thought the professor would be mad that I was coming late to class, but he couldn't have cared less.
to acknowledge (someone) - to recognize that someone is there, looking into one's eyes and/or saying hello, even if one does not have time to speak with or help that person
The secretary was on the phone when I walked into the office, but he acknowledged me by looking up and smiling.
to take a breath - to stop speaking for a short period of time so that one can breathe in air
The children are trying to say the long poem without taking a breath.
dirty look - scowl; a way of moving one's eyes, nose, and mouth to change one's facial expression and show that one is angry or not pleased about something
The librarian gave us a dirty look when we were making too much noise in the quiet library.
practically - almost; virtually; nearly
We practically had to sell everything we owned to have enough money to pay for food last month.
to interrupt - to begin speaking while someone else is speaking; to suddenly stop someone from speaking before he or she is finished
I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but do you know where the bathroom is?
chutzpah - nerve; the courage or confidence to do something that other people probably wouldn't do, usually because they would be scared to do it
You showed a lot of chutzpah when you told that man to stop smoking on the bus.
to take responsibility for (something) - to agree that something was one's own fault and accept the consequences (the things that happen as a result)
I drove too quickly and now I need to take responsibility for it by paying for the ticket that the police gave me.
infuriating - something that makes one very angry and upset; very annoying
That woman is so infuriating! I hate listening to her give her opinions.
to complain - to say that one is unhappy about something and wants it to be changed
The new camera we bought on the Internet didn't work, so we called the store to complain.
to overreact - to react to something too strongly; to act like something is more important than it really is
When Chrissy got 70% on her math test, her parents overreacted, telling her that she couldn't go out with her friends for four months and making her study math for two hours every afternoon.