ESL Podcast 531 - Describing Fabric Patterns

to pick out - to choose; to select

They went to the mall to pick out some new clothes for school.

upholstery - material used to cover furniture, like chairs and couches

They chose some heavy green upholstery that matches the color of their walls.

fabric - soft, flexible material made from cotton, wool, silk, or other things

Ingrid bought some beautiful fabric to sew a dress.

checkered - with a grid-like pattern, with vertical and horizontal lines crossing each other at regular intervals, creating many small squares of the same shape

Besides chess, what other games are played on a checkered board?

eyesore - something that is ugly and very unpleasant or even painful to look at

That old house is such an eyesore! I hope someone buys it and fixes it up soon.

subtle - not drawing attention to oneself; not easily noticed; easy to ignore

Lia says there's a subtle difference between these two colors, but they both just seem blue to me.

bold - very strong, bright, and attention-grabbing because something is unexpected

Mitch always wears bold shirts with lots of bright colors, because he wants to be different from all the other men who work at the bank.

to make a statement - to do something that is different, unique, and interesting; to communicate an idea without using words

When the war began, Harold wore all black to make a statement about his feelings against the war.

polka dots - a design with many small circles

They bought a white blanket with black polka dots.

pattern - a repeating design; a design that repeats itself many times, especially on fabric, wallpaper, or wrapping paper

They bought a baby blanket with a beautiful pattern of teddy bears, boats, and flowers.

busy - with a lot of small things to look at, so that one's eyes don't know what to focus on; with too many small details

That blouse is too busy. I think you'd look more professional if you wore a blouse in a solid color.

stripes - a design with many vertical or horizontal lines

This magazine says that wearing clothing with vertical stripes can make you look thinner.

crazy about (something) - very excited and interested in something; liking something very much

Everyone's crazy about this new TV show. You have to see it!

tacky - unattractive and inappropriate; in poor taste, showing that one isn't good at knowing what is attractive or appropriate

They always decorate their home with tacky holiday ornaments that nobody else likes.

a sight for sore eyes - something that is very pretty or attractive, especially after one has been seeing ugly things for a long time

After months of being in the city, the ocean view is a sight for sore eyes.

solid - with only one color and no design or pattern

Most homes are painted a solid color, with another color used around the doors and windows.

shade - hue; a particular type of a color, like light pink or dark green

We want the kitchen walls to be yellow, but we still haven't picked a shade. Do you think a dark yellow or a light yellow would be better?

to boot - in addition; a phrase used to put emphasis on the last thing that one has said

He's tall, handsome, kind, polite, and he has a good job to boot!

dull - boring; uninteresting

The date was very dull. He spent the whole time talking about the new accounting laws.