ESL Podcast 670 - To Forgive and Forget
voicemail - a system for recording audio messages from people who call one's telephone number when one is not available to speak with them
Press 7 to repeat the voicemail message, or 9 to delete it.
RSVP - an abbreviation of a French phrase, Répondez s'il vous plaît, meaning "Reply, if you please," often used on invitations to request that the recipient let the organizer know whether he or she will attend.
The party is next Thursday, so please RSVP by Tuesday so that we can be sure to buy enough food.
to play innocent - to pretend not to understand what another person is talking about, especially when one has done something wrong
Don't play innocent with me! I know you read my diary.
correct me if I'm wrong - an informal phrase used when one is fairly certain that one is correct, but wants the other person to tell one if one is incorrect
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you tell me that James had no brothers?
knock-down, drag-out fight - a violent, long fight in which people hit each other, making each other fall down
The spectators became very excited as they watched the knock-down, drag-out fight.
much less - a phrase used to emphasize something that is part of what one has previously said, meaning that if A is true, then B is certainly true
Mahmoud is a vegetarian who never eats eggs or milk, much less meat.
water under the bridge - something that should be forgotten and is no longer important, often used when talking about a fight or an unpleasant relationship
That all happened more than 30 years ago, and as far as I'm concerned, it's water under the bridge.
to err is human, to forgive divine - a famous quotation from Alexander Pope, an English poet, meaning that everyone makes mistakes, but it is unusual and very special for people to forgive other people's mistakes
We all need to learn to accept others' apologies. After all, to err is human, to forgive divine.
to rant and rave - to complain loudly; to say in very strong words the reasons why one is angry, or to talk repeatedly about one's anger
Whenever Geraldo returns from doing business at the bank, he always rants and raves about the poor customer service.
to hold (something) against (someone) - to hold a grudge; to refuse to forgive someone for something bad that he or she did in the past
I can't believe you're still holding against me the fact that I broke that sculpture! I was only three years old at the time!
overdramatic - with very strong emotions and feelings, doing and saying things with a reaction that is stronger than necessary, especially to get attention from other people
Samantha was sad when her cat died, but her sister became very overdramatic, crying for days and insisting on a special ceremony for its burial.
spat - an unimportant disagreement or fight that doesn't last for very long
How often do you and your wife have a spat?
to forgive and forget - to decide that something is no longer important and stop being angry at someone for what happened or for what was said
I was very angry when Viktor said those things last week, but I've decided to forgive and forget. I hope we can be friends again.
selective memory - the ability to remember only certain things, forgetting about other things, especially when they match one's bias or one's ideas about how something should be
Traci remembers that vacation as the best time of her life, but she has such a selective memory! She has completely forgotten about getting bitten by mosquitoes, getting sick, and having her purse stolen.