ESL Podcast 847 - Experiencing a Blackout

to blow a fuse - to use so much electricity in one circuit (path) in a building that the fuse (a protective device) shuts off the electricity

If we use the microwave, the blender, the coffee maker, and the toaster at the same time, it blows a fuse.

blackout - a period of time when there are no lights, usually because no electricity is available

During times of war, the country sometimes had planned blackouts to conserve energy.

pitch black - extremely dark, without any light

Last night, the sky was so cloudy that we couldn't see the moon or any stars, making it pitch black outside.

power outage - a period of time when there are no lights, usually because no electricity is available

It's common to have power outages during strong windstorms, but the power is usually turned back on within a few hours.

circuit - a path for electricity to follow between two points

Which of these circuits is for the kitchen?

overloaded - with too much demand for something, so that it stops working and is no longer available

As soon as the company announced the sales prices, its phone lines and website were overloaded by too many buyers.

electricity - power; energy carried through wires or cables, used to make machines operate and to provide light and heat

Their electricity bill is highest in the wintertime when they use an electric furnace to heat their home.

power grid - a network of utilities and the users of electricity, connecting them to supply electricity when and where it is needed

Are there regional power grids, or is the entire nation using a single power grid?

citywide - across a city; covering the entire area of a city; not leaving any part of the city unaffected

The police officers are reporting a decrease in crime rates citywide.

candle - a solid piece of wax that surrounds a string that is lit on fire to provide light from a flame as it burns very slowly

Make sure you blow out all the candles before you fall asleep, or you might accidentally start a house fire.

there's no telling - a phrase used to mean that it is impossible to know what will happen or how or when it will happen

There's no telling how many young people were killed in the war.

rolling blackouts - the controlled shutdown of power in one area for a certain period of time, followed by another area and then another area, used to distribute energy fairly and keep the system active when people are demanding more energy than what is available

Almost everyone lost power for a few hours during the rolling blackouts, except for people in homes near the hospital, which never lost power.

surge - a sudden increase that lasts for a short period of time

Toy companies experience a surge in sales in the months before Christmas.

darkness - without light; blackness

Some people say that living with depression is like living in darkness.

perfectly - completely; entirely; a word used to emphasize the adjective that follows it

Why are you throwing out that perfectly good food? Put it in a container and I'll take it to work for lunch tomorrow.