ESL Podcast 661 - Demanding an Apology
uncalled for - inappropriate and unacceptable; not reasonable
I know you're frustrated we didn't get the contract, but yelling at your employees is uncalled for.
apology - a statement where one says one is sorry for what one has done, regrets it, and wants to ask for the other person's forgiveness
The newspaper printed an apology for misquoting the mayor.
chill out - an informal phrase used to tell someone to relax or calm down
Chill out! It was just thunder and nothing to be scared of.
to cross the line - to go too far, often when one has been playing around or joking, but did something to make any other person very mad; to take something to an unacceptable extreme
We know students often work together on the homework assignments, but you really crossed the line when you put your name on someone else's essay.
to freak out - to become very upset and worried about something; to react so strongly that one loses control of one's actions and/or words
Gerry freaked out when his TV stopped working in the middle of the most important football game of the year.
get over it - an informal phrase meaning that one should stop thinking or worrying about something that happened in the past and begin to act as before, as if the thing had never happened
You and Jenna broke up more than two months ago. Get over it and start dating other women!
to hurt (someone's) feelings - to make someone feel bad, usually by saying something that is insulting or offensive
It really hurt my feelings when you forgot our wedding anniversary.
for God's sake - a phrase used when one is very frustrated and thinks another person is being unreasonable
For God's sake, I just need one dollar! I know you could lend it to me if you wanted to.
to take (something) back - to retract what one has said; to have another person pretend that something never happened or was never said
I'm sorry for what I said. I said it without thinking and I wish I could take it back.
sorry - filled with feelings of regret for what one has done or said; wishing that one had not done or said something, especially when it hurt another person
Blake says he's sorry his campaign ran such negative political ads, but nobody believes him.
to regret - to feel bad about something and wish that it had never happened
Do you ever regret your decision to stop working as an attorney and instead work for low-paying nonprofit organizations?
to owe (someone) - to be indebted to someone; to need to give someone something or pay someone a certain amount of money
How much do you owe the city in parking tickets?
cruel - mean; intending to hurt another person; wanting to cause problems or pain for someone
The soldiers were very cruel to their prisoners.
over the hill - old; past the best years of one's life
Young people often think 40-year-olds are over the hill, but 40-year-olds tend to think that term better describes 60-year-olds.
to take years off (one's) life - to shorten one's life; to do something that makes one more likely to die sooner, often used when one is exposed to something that is very annoying, frightening, or frustrating
That horror movie scared me so much it took years off my life!