ESL Podcast 478 - Having Plumbing Problems
plumbing - related to the water that moves through a building, and especially the long, metal tubes that the water moves through
The neighbors are building a new house, and today, they're working on the plumbing and electricity.
plumber - a person whose job is to fix problems with the way that water moves through a home or another type of building
Quick! Call a plumber! There's water all over the floor of our living room!
toilet - a large, usually white thing in the bathroom that has a large hole on top that one sits on to urinate (get rid of liquid from one's body) or defecate (get rid of solid waste from one's body)
There were only two toilets in the women's restroom at the stadium, so there was a long line of women waiting to use them.
to flush - to move water through something to clean it, especially a toilet
The toilet stopped flushing because someone had put too much toilet paper in it.
to overflow - to have water coming over the top of something and out of it, because there is no more room for it
After the heavy rain, the river overflowed and all the homes around it flooded.
check - a word used to show that one has heard and understood what another person has said, and perhaps has added it to a list
Did you close the windows and lock all the doors?
Check.
sink - a large, open container that holds water and is used in bathrooms and kitchens to wash one's hands, face, dishes, and more
Please put your dirty dishes in the sink. We'll wash them later.
to stop up - to become blocked; to be clogged; to stop working properly because something else is in the way
Because of this cold, my nose is stopped up and I can't breathe very well.
pipe - a long, hard, plastic or metal tube that water, gas, or other things move through, often underground
What can we do to make sure our pipes don't freeze when it gets too cold outside in the winter?
leaky - with water coming out of something very slowly, one drop at a time
They have a leaky roof, so their carpet gets wet whenever it rains.
garbage disposal - a small machine that is underneath one's sink and cuts food and other things into very small pieces so that they can be taken away by water as it moves through the pipes
He put some pieces of lemon in the garbage disposal to make the kitchen smell better.
to drain - to make the water move through something or away from something
The city drains the outdoor swimming pool every fall and doesn't fill it again until the spring.
busted - broken; not working
He hit the wall when he got angry and now he has a busted hand.
faucet - a piece of metal above a sink or bathtub that water flows through, with a piece that one moves with one's hand to make the water start or stop moving
The faucet with an "H" is for hot water, and the faucet with a "C" is for cold water.
stuck - not moving; not able to be moved; not able to change positions
The clock is stuck, so it always looks like it's 5:24.
to shut off - to turn something off; to stop something from continuing
Please shut off the lights when you leave the room.
booked up - unavailable because one's schedule is full and one already has appointments at a particular time
I'd love to meet you for dinner, but I'm booked up until next Wednesday.