ESL Podcast 776 - Getting Praise and Recognition

golden boy - someone who is very successful, gifted, talented, and admired by many people

Jorge is the golden boy of our town, who did well in school and went on to earn a Nobel Prize.

to recognize (someone) - to publicly talk about someone's actions or accomplishments, praising them and drawing others' attention to them

The mayor recognized the firefighters for their bravery.

commendation - praise; an award or honor recognizing someone's accomplishment; a certificate of appreciation and gratitude

When Maggie retired, she received the CEO's commendation for her 30 years of contributions to the company.

to bask in (someone's) reflected glory - to be pleased to be around someone who is very successful and admired, often used sarcastically to show one's dislike for someone or to make fun of someone

Growing up, it was hard for Chelsea to bask in her older brother's reflected glory as he made world records as a swimmer.

honor - recognition and praise received from a powerful person or from an organization

Receiving a Pulitzer Prize is an honor for any journalist.

glory hound - a person who wants and tries to get a lot of awards, honors, and recognitions

Jun is such a glory hound, always applying for awards and telling everyone about his accomplishments.

galling - annoying and irritating, especially when something seems unfair

It was so galling when Janice received the promotion instead of me. I've worked here much longer than she has.

praise - compliments; nice things people say about another person or thing because they like it and admire it very much

The newest version of the software has received a lot of praise from early users.

as much as the next guy - a phrase used to emphasize that one's feelings, opinions, or desires are normal and common, not unusual

Brian wants to be rich as much as the next guy, but there's no way he'd ever steal to get more money.

limelight - spotlight; with a lot of attention from other people and/or the media

When Lisee saved that little boy's life, she was in the limelight for a few weeks.

exceptional - extraordinary; very good; superior to others

Pilar is an exceptional singer who has performed in the best theaters in the world.

modest - humble; not talking about one's talents or accomplishments; not wanting to receive attention for one's skills and abilities from other people

Shanaia is so modest that she starts blushing when people thank her for what she has done.

mere mortal - an ordinary person, not someone with special powers or abilities, often used sarcastically to contrast with someone who is acting superior

Does the boss really expect us to be able to finish all this work within one week? Doesn't she realize we're mere mortals?

to leave (someone) in the dust - to beat another person in a competition or race; to be superior to someone in some way; to win

Wendy is the best student in physics class. Her performance on tests leaves all the other students in the dust.

to give (someone) a hard time - to criticize someone, often in a teasing or joking way, especially to make that person feel bad about something he or she has done

I can't believe you're still giving me a hard time about crashing your car. That was years ago!

to give as good as (one) gets - to reciprocate; to tease someone as much as that person is teasing oneself; to take revenge in a joking way

Yes, you really tricked me. But remember that I give as good as I get, so watch out!

long memory - the ability to remember things for a long time, especially when talking about how one has been treated by other people in the past

Francisco has a long memory and never forgets what other people have said about him.