ESL Podcast 625 - Being Famous and Anonymous

getup - an unusual outfit; strange clothing that one does not normally wear

Did you see the getup that Dan wore to the costume party?

to stay under the radar - to be unnoticed; to not draw attention to oneself

The boss gets angry very easily, but if you do your work quietly and stay under the radar, you won't have any problems.

mob - a large group of people who want the same thing

The store's customers usually stand in orderly lines, but sometimes they form a mob, fighting over the things that are on sale.

disguise - something that changes one's appearance to hide one's true identity

In this movie, undercover police officers use disguises to become part of criminal gangs and learn more about how they break the law.

to recognize - to identify something; to know what something is because one has seen, heard, or read about it before

When Penny got a new haircut, I didn't recognize her.

famous - very well known, often recognized by people whom one has never met

The actor became famous all over the world after being in only one popular movie.

to have (one's) name in lights - to have one's name displayed on a large, lit-up board in front of a theater when one is performing, letting people know which shows they can see

He dreams of having his name in lights, but so far he has been in only one school play.

privacy - the state of having information about oneself kept secret so that few people or no one knows it

If we value our privacy, we should stop post personal information on social networking websites.

fame - being famous; the state of being very well known, often recognized by people whom one has never met

Many writers dream of fame, but few of them actually become famous.

to overestimate - to think something is bigger or in larger numbers than it actually is

We overestimated the number of people who would come to our party, so now we have a lot of leftover food.

adoring public - fans; the people who admire and respect a celebrity and want to know everything about the celebrity's personal life

When he was first elected, the president liked to interact with his adoring public, but as his popularity decreased, it became less enjoyable.

plastered - hung or displayed in many places; easy to see because something is everywhere

Her bedroom walls are plastered with certificates for her academic achievements.

anonymity - the state of being relatively unknown; without other people knowing one's name or identity

Yurok grew up in a small town where everyone knows each other, so when he moved to Houston, he struggled with the anonymity of a big city.

incognito - in disguise; without letting people know one's identity

Restaurant reviewers go to restaurants incognito so that they can experience the food and service without being treated differently than other customers.

fan - a person who admires and respects a celebrity very much

Sean is a big fan of Britney Spears and tries to learn all he can about her.

review - an article written in a newspaper or magazine stating why the author does or does not like a book, TV show, movie, play, song, or restaurant

Let's read the reviews before we decide which movie to go see.

infamous - famous for the bad things that one has done; very well known, but in a negative way

The school cafeteria is infamous for serving bad-tasting food.