ESL Podcast 570 - Guessing a Number
contest - a competition; an event where many people participate to try to win something
The contest's first-place winner will win a new car, and the second-place winner will win a new bicycle.
guess - an answer that one provides even though one doesn't know whether it will be correct, especially if it probably will not be correct
Go ahead and make a guess. How old do you think I am?
marble - a small, round piece of colored glass, rolled on the floor or ground as part of a children's game
Some glass marbles have become collectors' items and are worth a lot of money.
to take a stab at (something) - to make a guess or try to do something, especially if one probably will not be correct or will not succeed
Francine had never run a marathon before, but when her friends invited her to join them, she decided to take a stab at it.
calculation - computation; a combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division to find out how much of something there is, or to find the answer to a mathematical problem
The diners made a quick calculation to determine how much money they should leave as a tip for their waiter.
percent - one-hundredth; an amount equal to one part out of 100 parts
Is it true that 75 percent of the human body is made of water?
by - times; a word used to indicate multiplication or to talk about length versus width versus height
This bedroom is 12 feet by 16 feet. three-quarters or three-fourths, where "quarter" or "fourth" is used to talk about one-fourth or 25% of something
This recipe calls for cup of sugar.
diameter - the straight distance across a circle, cutting a circle in half
If you know the radius, you can find the diameter by multiplying the radius by two.
capacity - the amount of available space, the amount of something that can be held, or the amount of work a machine can do
This auditorium has capacity for 1,300 people.
to crunch the numbers - to make a mathematical calculation
The students were silent, crunching the numbers during their math test.
to increase (one's) chances - to increase the likelihood that one will win or be successful
Getting a college degree is a great way to increase your chances of getting a good job.
educated guess - an answer that one provides even though one doesn't know whether it will be correct, but that is based on some facts, experience, knowledge, or other information
I've never bought anything like that, but if I had to make an educated guess, I'd say it costs between $1,200 and $1,600.
to use what God gave (someone) - to take advantage of the talents and intelligence that one was born with, especially when many people do not have those talents and that intelligence
Sandra has always been good in the sciences, so she has decided to use what God gave her to become a doctor and help people who are sick and injured.
to beat (someone) out of (something) - to win a contest or competition against another person, getting the prize and not letting the other person win it
Shane has been running every day, training for the race because he wants to beat us out of the prize.
bring it on - an informal phrase used to show that one is ready for something to happen or is ready for another person to do something, often used for friendly competition
Are you ready to start?
Bring it on!
to pit (something) against (something) - to test one thing against another thing; to test how well one person can do something against how well another person can do the same thing
If you pitted a bear against a tiger in a fight, which animal would win?
random guess - an answer that one provides even though one doesn't know whether it will be correct, and that probably will not be correct, because it is not based on any facts, experience, knowledge, or other information
If you don't know the answer to one of the test questions, at least make a random guess. Don't leave it unanswered.