ESL Podcast 539 - Spending Time with Family

loved one - a person whom one loves, usually a close relative

While traveling overseas, Marcus wrote to his loved ones at least once a week.

to report (someone) missing - to officially say that one does not know where another person is; to tell the police or another authority that nobody knows where someone is, and that he or she might be in trouble

Maggie called the police to report her son missing, but the police said they couldn't do anything until at least 24 hours had passed.

busy season - a time of year when there is a lot of work to do, and much more work than at other times of the year

A tax preparer's busy season is in March and early April, before the April 15th tax deadline.

to stop to smell the roses - to relax and take time to do things that are unimportant but very pleasant

Once we finish remodeling the house, we hope to have time to stop and smell the roses again.

to come out of (one's) ears - to be too much of something; to overwhelm a person with a large quantity

They have three huge apple trees in their backyard, so each fall, they have apples coming out of their ears!

wrapped up - absorbed; very involved in something; thinking about something so much that one forgets almost everything else

Tania is wrapped up in her new baby and doesn't seem to have time for any of her old friends.

to miss out on - to not be able to enjoy something; to lose or waste an opportunity

We were out of town last weekend, so we missed out on the music festival. Hopefully we can go next year.

to take it from (someone) - to listen to someone's advice; to learn from another person's experience

I dropped out of school when I was 15, and it was almost impossible to find a job. Take it from me: stay in school.

to take (something or someone) for granted - to not appreciate something; to think that one will always have something or someone in one's life and stop making an effort to keep it, him, or her

Xavier always took his good health for granted and never exercised, but when he got older he started to get heavier and have trouble walking up the stairs.

quality time - a period of time when one truly focuses on another person, trying to get as much enjoyment as possible from being together and trying to build a strong relationship

Lucille usually watches TV with her husband in the evenings, but she'd like to have some more quality time with him.

to slip by - to pass almost unnoticeably; to happen without one noticing

Philona always thought she'd be married by the time she was 30, but time slipped by and now she's in her late-30s with no plans to get married.

to work (one's) butt off - to work very hard; to put a lot of effort into doing something

Gunter worked his butt off to become vice-president, and he doesn't respect employees who aren't willing to do the same

at what cost? - a phrase used to talk about something that one was able to achieve, but with a lot of negative consequences

Some athletes use steroids to become champions, but at what cost? They destroy their health and die young.

stranger - a person whom one does not know; a person whom one has not met

American children are taught that they shouldn't talk to strangers.

to end up - to become

If you don't start exercising and eating healthier foods, you're going to end up like your neighbor who weighs 300 pounds.

cautionary tale - a story about something sad or dangerous that happened to another person, and that makes one want to change one's behavior so that the same thing doesn't happen to oneself

When Ingrid's parents lost all their money in the stock market, she took it as a cautionary tale and decided to never invest her money that way.

to consider - to think about something in a certain way

Stanley always considered himself to be a fast typist, but he can't keep up with the new receptionist.

public service announcement - an advertisement on the radio or television that is not for a money-making product or service, but instead tries to change people's behavior to make society better in some way

Have you seen the new public service announcement that describes things we can do at home to save water?