ESL Podcast 518 - Learning Self-Defense
self-defense - the physical skills and ability to protect oneself when one is attacked by another person or animal, so that one does not get hurt and/or can stop the attack
Lex asked his wife and daughters to take a self-defense class, because he was worried they lived in a dangerous neighborhood.
to size up - to assess; to determine the characteristics of something, including how big or important it is
The soccer players were looking toward the other team, sizing up the players.
harmless - not able to hurt oneself; unable to cause damage, usually because someone or something is very weak
Most doctors think that drinking a glass of wine in the evening is harmless, but drinking an entire bottle may be bad for your health.
threatening - dangerous and scary or frightening; with the potential to cause injury, harm, pain, or damage
Can you be sent to jail for saying threatening things against the president of the United States?
hand-to-hand combat - fighting between two people without using any weapons; fighting between two people using only their hands and bodies
When they ran out of bullets, the soldiers began fighting through hand-to-hand combat.
to defend - to protect someone or something from attack by fighting against the attacker
Is it better to try to defend yourself or run away from the danger?
martial art - one of many fighting styles from Asia where people learn to defend themselves without weapons, using only their body
Have you studied any of the martial arts, like karate or judo?
to beat up - to hit another person many times to cause pain or injury
Ahmed was beat up by a bigger boy at school today.
to confront - to deal with something directly, especially if it is scary or dangerous
I think we should confront Maggie about her gambling problem.
pumped up - very excited and interested; eager to do something
The kids are really pumped up for our beach vacation next month.
adrenaline - a chemical made by the body when one is excited, frightened, or angry, increasing one's heart rate and breathing
If a loud noise scares you, your heart starts beating more quickly because of the adrenaline in your blood.
to defuse - to make a dangerous situation safer; to make something become calmer
The policeman tried to defuse the fight by shouting, "Everyone please stay calm."
to harass - to bother or annoy; to do something that makes another person's life more difficult or less pleasant
The female employees felt harassed by the male employees' comments and jokes about their bodies and appearance.
to do some damage - to do something that has an impact and changes a situation, perhaps making it worse
Wow, there's a lot of work to do today. Let's get started and do some damage.
mindset - a way of thinking about something; perspective
Do you think Jim has the right mindset to finish this difficult job?
instinct - something that one knows naturally, without having studied or learned it; knowledge or feelings that one is born with
How do birds know to fly south in the winter? Is it instinct, or do they learn it from other birds?
punch - the act of hitting a person or thing very hard with one's fist (closed hand)
The boxer won the match with his first punch.
offense - the act of attacking another person or thing, especially when one has not been attacked first
The company's sales team has a strong offense, always trying to take customers away from other companies.