ESL Podcast 562 - Buying Fake Products

designer - with a particular label or brand, especially in fashion

Why would you pay $200 for a pair of designer jeans when regular jeans cost just $25?

steal - a bargain; something that offers very good value for a small amount of money; something that was sold at a very low price

At just $55 each night, getting a room at this four-star hotel is a steal!

imitation - a copy; fake; not an original

Chantrelle doesn't have enough money to buy a fur coat, so she bought an imitation fur coat instead

the real thing - an original; not a copy or a fake; what something actually claims to be

I know that a lot of websites are lying when they say they'll help you become a millionaire in just a few weeks, but this one is the real thing!

genuine - real; not fake; original

Is that a genuine diamond ring, or is it cubic zirconium?

straight from - directly from; without any intermediary or middleman

Mark says he heard it straight from the CEO: we're all getting a 5% raise this year.

markdown - discount; a reduction from the normal selling price

At the end of the winter, you can find great markdowns on winter jackets in most department stores.

dirt cheap - extremely inexpensive; at a very low cost

If they're selling a car dirt cheap, there's probably something wrong with it.

knockoff - a copy; an imitation; something that is being presented as if it were real or original, but it really isn't, especially in fashion

Is that a Gucci handbag, or is it a knockoff?

a sucker for (something) - a person who likes something very much and can easily be tricked into thinking that he or she is getting that thing even when it isn't real, or can easily be convinced to buy something

Heather is a sucker for new technology and it's really easy for salespeople to get her to buy new things.

bargain - a good deal; something that offers very good value for a small amount of money; something that was sold at a very low price

The grocery store is selling mangos for just $0.20 each - what a bargain!

to fall for - to be tricked by someone or something

Edgar is used to having girls fall for his smooth talk and compliments, but he's not a very nice person.

line - something that someone says, usually to trick another person or to get another person to do what one wants that person to do

For years, Kryzstoff has been making money by using the same line, telling people that his brother has been arrested unfairly and he needs their money to help set him free.

ripped off - cheated; having lost money because one was tricked

We were ripped off by a taxi driver who charged $30 for a ride that normally costs just $7.50.

whatever you say - an informal phrase used when one does not believe what another person is saying, but doesn't want to continue arguing about it

• That's why I think the Republicans should win the next elections.

• Whatever you say. Let's change the subject. We'll never agree.

there's a sucker born every minute - an informal phrase meaning that many people can be tricked very easily

You actually believed him when he said he would pay you back? There's a sucker born every minute. He never pays anyone back when he borrows money.