ESL Podcast 814 - Getting Rid of Bugs and Rodents

mouse - a small brown, grey, white, or black animal with fur (hair), a long tail, and a pointed nose

The cat likes to hunt mice.

rat - a small white or grey animal that is larger than a mouse, with a longer tail

If the city doesn't start picking up the garbage more often, we're going to have a major problem with rats.

rodent - the general category of small animals with fur (hair), long teeth, and a tail, that includes mice, rats, squirrels, and others

Normally, I don't like rodents, but I think squirrels are cute.

vermin - a small animal or insect that people do not like because they carry disease or cause damage

It's amazing how much damage vermin can cause once they get underneath a house!

apartment complex - a large building with many apartments for people to live in

This apartment complex has washers and dryers in the basement for all the tenants to use.

mousetrap - a device used to catch and hold a mouse so that it can be killed or removed

Does this mousetrap work better with cheese or peanut butter?

rat poison - a chemical substance that, when eaten by rats, kills them

Rat poison is very dangerous, so be sure to keep small children away from it.

to get rid of - to no longer have something; to eliminate or dispose of something; to throw something away

How are we going to get rid of all the bees in the backyard? -free - without something

These fruits and vegetables grow chemical-free.

roach - cockroach; a large insect with a hard body that lives in warm, humid places that are dirty and have a lot of food crumbs (small pieces of food)

Johannes' apartment in Washington, DC was dirty and full of roaches.

tick - a very small insect that bites to enter the body of a person or animal and lives under the skin, sucking blood and often spreading disease

After hiking, we always check our arms, legs, and neck for ticks.

flea - a small insect that cannot fly, but lives on the skin of animals or people, sucking blood and causing the skin to itch

The dog brought fleas inside the house.

to fumigate - to fill a room or area with a dangerous or deadly gas, usually to kill insects or animals

The landlord is fumigating our apartment, so we need to stay at a friend's house until Monday.

pest control - the practice and business of killing unwanted animals and insects in homes and other buildings

Adam had to call a pest control company, because there were a lot of ants in his kitchen.

bedbug - a small insect that lives on people's bodies and in carpets, clothing, and mattresses, sucking the blood of people and animals and causing the skin to itch

Once a mattress has bedbugs, it's almost impossible to get rid of them.

diligence - careful, thorough, and persistent work; full commitment to doing something

If this merger is a success, it will be due to the diligence of our finance and accounting team.

to pass - to forego; to choose not to have or do something; to decide not to participate or be involved in something

It seems like a great investment opportunity, but I don't have enough cash so I'm going to pass for now.

to make (one's) skin crawl - to feel nervous, disgusted, frightened, or anxious when thinking about something that is scary or unpleasant

The thought of speaking in public makes James' skin crawl.