ESL Podcast 538 - Finding the Perfect Gift
gift - present; something that is given to another person, especially on a birthday or holiday
Meghan receives birthday gifts from her parents, grandparents, and all of her aunts and uncles.
present - gift; something that is given to another person, especially on a birthday or holiday
Ties and socks are common presents for Father's Day.
to knock (someone's) socks off - to impress someone very much; to do something that surprises someone in a good way, usually because it is very good, nice, and unexpected
It sounds like you really knocked their socks off in the interview! You'll definitely get the job.
gift certificate - a piece of paper that one buys at a store and lets one spend a certain amount of money at that store, usually given to another person as a present
For his birthday, Joao asked for gift certificates to his favorite clothing store.
gift card - a small, rectangular piece of plastic that looks like a credit card and lets one spend a certain amount of money at a specific store, usually given to another person as a present
They gave her a $50 gift card to the bookstore as a graduation present.
to pick out - to choose; to decide which one of something one would like to have or buy
Why did we pick out such an ugly color of paint for the bathroom walls?
to put thought into (something) - to think about something carefully, considering all the options or considering another person's opinion
Bettina hardly put any thought into college, and just decided to go the university closest to her parents' home.
to rack (one's) brain - to spend a lot of time thinking about something, especially when it is very difficult and one cannot find the answer or solution
Eberhard has been racking his brain for months, trying to figure out how he can make enough money to pay all of his bills, but it seems impossible.
to get carried away - to go overboard; to do too much of something; to take something to an extreme
Harold always gets carried away decorating for Halloween, putting pumpkins and ghosts all over his house and yard.
to please (someone) - to make someone happy and satisfied
Arpad tries to please his parents by always getting good grades at school.
it's the thought that counts - a phrase used to show that even though something didn't work as planned, one appreciates the effort and consideration that went into doing something
I planned a beautiful picnic in the park for my girlfriend, but it was ruined by the rain.
Don't worry about it. It's the thought that counts.
disappointed - unhappy because something isn't as good as one wanted it to be, or because something didn't happen as one had expected it to
We were all really disappointed when the company lost its biggest client.
to hold (something) against (someone) - to not forgive someone for something that happened; to be angry at someone for something that happened in the past; to blame someone for something that happened
How can you still hold it against me for hitting your car? That happened years ago and I paid for the repair.
to boggle (one's) mind - to confuse someone; to be very surprising for someone; to be difficult or impossible for one to understand
Gunter is an award-winning researcher, so it boggles my mind how he always complains about his career.
to work (oneself) up - to become very angry, excited, or worried about something
Paola always works herself up before her parents come to visit, trying to clean her house perfectly before they arrive.
to return - to take something back to the store where it was bought so that one can exchange it for something else or get one's money back
You can return purchases to our store for 30 days with the original receipt.