ESL Podcast 524 - Talking About Failure
to go over - to happen and be perceived by other people as being good or bad
His liberal speech didn't go over very well with the conservative audience.
flop - a failure; something that doesn't work as planned; something that doesn't work correctly
The party was a total flop. Hundreds of people were invited, but only three people came!
to bomb - to fail; for an event or project to be very unpopular and disliked; to not be successful in any way
Jacques had planned to ask Helene to marry him, but he was so nervous that he bombed and she couldn't even understand what he was saying.
retread - something that has already been done once before and is now being repeated
I registered to go to the conference again this year, but I hope it isn't just a retread of everything they talked about last year.
not in the least - not at all; not even a little bit
Are you enjoying your new job?
Not in the least. It's horrible and I want to quit.
harsh - very direct and negative and perhaps rude
Try not to be so harsh! Instead of saying, "That orange dress is ugly," try saying, "I think you'd look even better in a pink or yellow dress."
dismal - depressing and negative; not good or optimistic
In this economic recession, sales have been dismal and the company might have to close some of its offices.
tactful - very polite and with a lot of respect, especially when sharing bad news or criticism
Is there a tactful way to tell Jeremy that his breath smells bad?
to boil down to (something) - to be the same as something else, once all the extra, unnecessary details are taken away
Some universities have better academic programs than others, but her decision of where to study will boil down to the cost of tuition.
pathetic - deserving sympathy and making one feel sad because something is so sad, useless, and without hope
Gina thinks it's pathetic to see old men trying to date girls who are in their early 20s.
to jump up and down - to be very excited about something, possibly jumping up and down because one has too much excitement and energy
The children began jumping up and down when their father said they could get a dog.
to be bound to - to be certain to happen; to have to happen; to be very likely
You're bound to make a lot of money if you become a heart surgeon.
to come around - to finally agree with someone after one has had a different opinion for a long period of time; to be persuaded to change one's opinion to agree with another person
Medina has been asking her parents to let her pierce her ears for years, and they're finally coming around.
to not know the meaning of the word "quit" - to be a person who never quits or gives up; to be a person who always does what he or she has planned to do, no matter how difficult it may be; to be very persistent
Jolene doesn't know the meaning of the word "quit"! Even though she has received hundreds of rejection letters, she keeps applying for more jobs.
to rework - to revise and improve something, usually because it still isn't good enough
She finished the first draft of her essay last night, but she still needs to rework it before giving it to the teacher.
what the heck - a phrase used to show that one plans to do something, even though it probably will not be successful
I know I'm on a diet and shouldn't eat this ice cream, but what the heck? I can always start a new diet tomorrow.
humiliation - strong feelings of embarrassment caused when other people laugh or say bad things about what one has done
Vicente hated the humiliation of being laughed at by all the other students in his class.
that's the spirit - a phrase used to encourage another person, showing that one thinks another person has the right attitude, sometimes used with sarcasm
That's the spirit! With an attitude like that, you'll definitely succeed.