ESL Podcast 878 - Recovering from an Illness or Injury

extension - an additional telephone connected to the same line (phone number) as another phone in the same home or building

Why am I hearing so much noise from the kitchen? Did somebody pick up the extension in there?

speedy - rapid; quick; not taking very long; happening soon

Thanks for sending such a speedy reply to our note.

recovery - the moment at which one feels better after one has been sick or injured; the moment when one has full use of one's body again

The doctors anticipate a partial recovery within the next few days, but it could be years before Nakasuro has a full recovery.

bed rest - time spent lying down in a bed, usually because one's body is very weak and needs to rest

The doctor ordered bed rest for Lia in the last two months of her pregnancy.

to take it easy - to relax and not try to do anything that is difficult or challenging

Hal has been really busy at the office these past few weeks, so he's looking forward to taking it easy on the beach next weekend.

greasy - with a lot of oil and fat, especially when talking about food or skin

When Brent finished eating the fried chicken, his hands were really greasy.

spicy - with a burning hot flavor, usually produced by hot peppers

Candee doesn't like spicy foods, so please don't use pepper in the soup.

dehydrated - with the liquid taken out of something; without enough liquid in one's body, so one feels ill and weak

People who run long distances on hot summer days need to drink a lot of water so that they don't become dehydrated.

to stay active - to use one's body for physical activities, especially to maintain or improve one's health

What can we do to encourage people to stay active after they've broken a hip?

to get in the habit of - to become accustomed to doing something; to begin doing something regularly, so that one continues to do it without thinking about it

How can we get our kids in the habit of turning off the lights when they leave a room?

to sit around - to spend time in a place without any particular purpose, maybe bored and not interested in anything

I'm tired of sitting around and watching TV. Let's go hiking instead!

starve a fever, feed a cold - a phrase reflecting a traditional belief that someone who has a fever (a high temperature caused by illness) should not eat, and someone who has a cold (a stuffy or runny nose and/or a cough) should eat a lot of food to get better

When Hank started to sneeze, he ordered two large pizzas, saying, "Starve a fever, feed a cold!"

adage - proverb; a common phrase repeated many times by many people, usually with wisdom or advice

When Juan and his girlfriend broke up, people tried to comfort him with an old adage: "There are other fish in the sea."

to alternate between - to switch back and forth between two things; to first do A, then do B, then do A, etc.

For major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, they alternate between his parents' home in Colorado and her parents' home in Nebraska.

heating pad - a thick, flexible piece of fabric that has electrical wires inside that produce heat, used for relaxation and/or pain relief when applied to the skin

Wynona's feet are always cold, so she often puts a heating pad at the bottom of her bed.

ice pack - a small container filled with water or a similar liquid that is put in a freezer to freeze and then held against one's skin, used for pain relief and/or to reduce swelling from an injury

The doctor advised putting an ice pack on Becca's knee for 10 minutes every half-hour.

cold - a minor illness, usually with a stuffy and/or runny nose, headache, sore throat, and cough

Pierre caught a bad cold, so he won't be coming to work today.

sore - describing a body part that hurts and is producing pain

Olivia ran for the first time in months, and her legs were sore the next day.