ESL Podcast 475 - Hiring a Hitman
sniper - someone who is very good at using a gun and shoots people from a hidden place where he or she cannot be seen
How does the U.S. government protect the president from snipers?
discreet - very quietly, not drawing attention to oneself, keeping a secret
She agreed to date him only if he would be discreet, not telling his friends about it.
hitman - a person who is paid for killing other people illegally
The movie is about a hitman who makes $1 million each time he kills someone.
to make (oneself) scarce - to disappear; to make oneself unseen or very difficult to find; to leave a place
When his parents are mad at him, he makes himself scarce until they have calmed down.
I'm your man - a phrase used to show that one can do what another person needs to have done
If you ever need your house painted, Alexei is your man! He has all the tools and more than 10 years of experience painting houses.
a thorn in (one's) side - something that is very annoying, unpleasant, or painful and will not go away
That student has been a thorn in his teacher's side all year, and she'll be very glad when he graduates.
to take (someone) out - to kill someone; to murder someone
What are the police doing to learn who took him out?
specialty - expertise; something that one is very good at and has made his or her profession or job
He's a good farmer and his specialty is growing tomatoes.
down payment - money that is paid initially, before a service is provided, usually as a percentage of the total cost
She had to make a $4,000 down payment on the new car.
balance - remainder; the difference between the total cost and the down payment; money that still needs to be paid
Jill asked her client to pay 40% at the beginning of the project, with the balance due when the work was finished.
to finish (someone) off - to kill someone after having hurt or injured them already; to finish killing someone
In the movie, the bad guy told his friends to hurt the mafia leader, but not to finish him off until later.
to make a drop - to put money in a secret location so that someone can come and get it later
The kidnapper told the child's parents to make a drop on the corner of 7th Avenue and Swanson Street.
to spot - to find; to see and identify
You'll be able to spot her in the crowd because she's wearing a big orange hat.
target - something or someone that one is looking for or aiming at, especially to attack
How often do you practice shooting at targets?
disposable - something that can be thrown away after it is used only once; something that is inexpensive and can be replaced easily
We forgot to pack our camera, so we bought an inexpensive disposable camera for our vacation.
to pay good money - to use one's money for a particular purpose, especially when the speaker thinks it is not a good use of one's money
I can't believe that anyone would pay good money to buy that desk. It's so ugly!
prerogative - one's choice or decision, especially when other people may not agree with it
Dropping out of school in your prerogative, but I think it's a bad decision.
standards - the principles or rules that one follows about what is right or wrong, good or bad
I'm not prepared to take a job at half the salary of my last job. I have my standards.