ESL Podcast 914 - Wanting Peace and Quiet
downtime - a period of time that is not scheduled, when one has time to do what one wants and relax
Enjoy these next few months before your baby is born, because this is the only downtime you'll have for years!
peace and quiet - calm silence; a period of time when one is not exposed to loud noises or other people
The people in the apartment upstairs are so loud that we never get any peace and quiet.
good night's sleep - a night of uninterrupted sleep, allowing one to feel well rested in the morning
Drinking a glass of warm milk and listening to classical music at bedtime helps Mariah get a good night's sleep.
to (one's) satisfaction - meeting one's needs and making one feel content
The restaurant owner came to our table to ask whether the meal was to our satisfaction.
to turn off the ringer - to disconnect or deactivate the part of a phone that makes noise, so that even if people call, the phone is silent
Before every performance, the theater manager reminds the audience members to turn off the ringer on their phones.
unsolicited - not asked for; not requested
I know you haven't asked for my help, but I'm going to offer some unsolicited advice anyway.
knock - the sound of one's knuckles (the bony parts of on the back of the hand at the base of the fingers) hitting against a door to let others know that one wants to enter
Did you hear a knock at the door, or was that just my imagination?
to turn down (one's) bed - to pull back the blankets and prepare a bed for one to sleep in it
We stayed in a great hotel where they turned down our bed and put a chocolate mint on the pillow each night.
do-not-disturb sign - a small piece of paper that hangs on the exterior door of a hotel room to inform hotel staff and others that they should not knock on the door or make noise, because the person inside wants to be left alone
If you forget to take down the do-not-disturb sign before you leave for your meetings, the hotel's housekeepers won't clean your room or wash the towels during the day.
interruption - a distraction that intrudes on what one is doing, making one lose focus and stop
Let's find a place where we can talk without any interruptions.
alarm - a loud noise that warns or alerts people to a danger and demands some reaction
When Elliot burned the lasagna, the whole family and all the neighbors heard the smoke alarm.
to go off - for an alarm to begin making a loud noise
Why is your alarm going off at 6:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning?
to be evacuated - to be told to leave a place, usually to protect oneself from a fire, storm, or another type of danger
How did the local government decide which neighborhoods needed to be evacuated due to flooding?
vast - very large, extensive, and far-reaching
The vast wealth of large corporations is greater than the wealth of some countries.
conspiracy - a secret plan by many people to do something that is harmful and against the law
The CEO believes some of his employees are engaged in a conspiracy to sell company secrets to competitors.
to rob (someone) of (something) - to take something from someone without permission; to steal from someone
No matter what you do or say, you cannot rob people of their memories.