ESL Podcast 1029 - Types of Vandalism
vandal - a criminal who destroys or damages public property, or private property that belongs to other people
Some vandal knocked over our mailbox last night.
to tag - to paint the name of a person or organization on a wall or similar surface illegally
Rival gangs are competing to see which one can tag more buildings.
graffiti - large, colorful paintings, sometimes with words, placed on walls, buildings, and vehicles illegally by people who do not own the property
The students were suspended for putting graffiti in the school bathrooms.
punk - a rebellious young person who breaks the law and does other things that people dislike
I don't care if you dress like a punk, but don't pierce your nose or do anything else that's permanent.
to egg - to throw raw eggs at a building or vehicle that belongs to someone else, so that they break open and make a mess
The teenagers thought it would be funny to egg their teacher's house on Halloween night.
to get out of hand - to become out of control and become a problem, especially if something started gradually and continues to worsen
We don't mind if employees occasionally check their email at work, but lately, their personal use of computers has been getting out of hand.
to have (one's) tires slashed - for the wheels of one's car to be cut with a knife so that the air is let out and the car cannot be driven
They left their car on the street in a bad neighborhood for just a few minutes, but when they got back, they found that their tires had been slashed.
to key a car - to scrape away some of the exterior paint on the side of a car in order to cause damage
Someone keyed our car while we were grocery shopping. Do you think we'd be able to see who did it on the store's surveillance video?
to trample - to step on something repeatedly and heavily so that it is flat, especially a plant
The deer ate all the lettuce and trampled the carrots in our garden.
to go downhill - to deteriorate; to become worse
Our sales are going downhill. How can we find new customers?
to patrol - to walk or drive through an area to observe what is happening and look for dangerous or illegal activities
In response to the increased crime rate, more police officers are patrolling the area at night.
neighborhood watch - a group of people who agree to work together to watch and pay attention to what is happening to improve the safety and security of the area where they live, calling the police when necessary
A well-organized neighborhood watch has a list of the email addresses and phone numbers of everyone who lives in the area, as well as information about when people are going to be out of town.
suspicious - making one think that something illegal or harmful is happening, even though one does not actually have proof
Who ate the cookies? Your breath smells like chocolate, and that makes me suspicious.
response time - the amount of time needed for someone to react to something, especially the amount of time that passes between when a request is made for emergency assistance and when the ambulance or police car arrives
It's hard for ambulances to have a good response time when there is so much traffic on the roads.
to go after - to pursue or chase and try to catch someone
The police went after the shoplifter, but they weren't able to catch her.
vigilante - a civilian (not a member of the military or the police force) who tries to catch and punish criminals without the legal authority to do so
The border towns have vigilantes who volunteer to look for illegal immigrants.
go ahead - an invitation for someone to do something, often used sarcastically when one does not really want someone to do something, but will not do anything to stop that person from doing it
Go ahead and drive without insurance. See what happens.
make my day - a phrase used to challenge someone to a physical fight when one believes one will win the fight
Do you want to fight? Try to punch me. Make my day.