First date taught: 11 April 2023
1D – Collectors
Theme: Collectors and the things they collect. Discussing collocations for the word “thing”.
momento (n) – a thing that you keep or give to somebody to remind you or them of a person or place; (SYN: souvenir)
wanderlust (n) – the strong desire to travel far away and to many different places
precious gemstones (n) – a rare valuable stone, such as a diamond, that is used in jewellery; examples are emerald, ruby, sapphire, and diamond
minerals (n) – a substance that is naturally present in the earth and is not formed from animal or vegetable matter, for example gold and salt. Some minerals are also present in food and drink and in the human body and are essential for good health.
gem / gemstones (n) – a precious stone that has been cut and polished and is used in jewellery
crystals (n) [C1] – a clear mineral, such as quartz, used in making jewellery and attractive objects; a small piece of a mineral that some people believe has the power to bring health or happiness
semiprecious stones (n) – less valuable than the most valuable types of jewels; the term “semi-precious stones” does not mean that they are less beautiful than precious stones. Examples include amethyst, topaz, peridot, citrine, aquamarine or green tourmaline.
gravel (n) – small stones, often used to make the surface of paths and roads
limited run / limited edition (n) – a fixed, usually small, number of copies of a book, picture, product, etc. produced at one time
condition – If you talk about the condition of a person or thing, you are talking about the state that they are in, especially how good or bad their physical state is.
wear and tear (idiom) – the damage to objects, furniture, property, etc. that is the result of normal use
bad condition – very often this will mean that there is significant damage or issues with the product that will interfere with usage and will likely need significant repairs if the product will be used in the future
poor condition – well used, and you can see a lot of wear and tear however it is still in usable condition although may include more significant scratches and damage that is typical with signs of frequent usage
good condition – some minor imperfections which refer only to a cosmetic condition, and do not interfere with the primary quality of the object; often will include some light scratches or scuffs on the outside of the object
near-mint condition – cosmetic aspect is excellent, and they show next to no signs of previous use, although it may be second-hand
mint condition – new or as good as new; in perfect condition (may even still be in original packaging)
personification – (literary device) the practice of representing objects, qualities, etc. as humans, in art and literature; an object, quality, etc. that is represented in this way, so that it would be relatable to the reader or consumer
stripping that personification (v) [C1] – to remove a layer from something, especially so that it is completely exposed (in this case, it referred to a process of removing all personification regarding an object or thing so that it is no longer relatable)
living thing (n) – a person or animal (often used sympathetically or affectionately)
relatability (n) – the quality of being easy to understand or feel sympathy for
expensive (form.) – pricey (inf.)
expensive (adj) – costing a lot of money
pricey (adj) – costing a lot of money
one thing led to another (idiom) – If one thing leads to another, there is a series of events in which each event was caused by the previous one
yadda yadda yadda (inf. idiom) – used when you are talking about something to show that some of the details are not worth saying because they are not important or are boring or obvious
and so on and so forth (form. idiom) – in addition to other things of the same kind
et cetera / etc. (form.) – used after a list to show that there are other things that you could have mentioned
have a thing about something/someone (idiom) – to like or dislike something or someone very much
a thing for… (+ attraction) (idiom) – to be attracted to somebody; to like something very much
(just) one of those things (idiom) – used to say that you do not want to discuss or think about something bad or unpleasant that has happened, but just accept it
it is what it is (idiom) – used to say that a situation cannot be changed and must be accepted
radical acceptance – practicing a conscious effort to acknowledge and honor difficult situations and emotions. Fully accepting things as they are, instead of ignoring, avoiding, or wishing the situation were different, can be a critical step in moving through a difficult experience to experiencing more meaning.
radical (adj) [C1] – relating to the most basic and important parts of something; complete and detailed
acceptance (n) [C1] – the act of agreeing with something and approving of it
it’s a good thing (that)… (idiom) – to be lucky that…
niche (n) [C1] – a small section of the market for a particular kind of product or service
it’s a thing of the past (idiom) – something that no longer exists
the in-thing – (in as in in-style) to be very fashionable at the moment
for one thing (idiom) – (reasoning, argument) used to introduce one of two or more reasons for doing something
fracking (n) – (also formal or specialist hydraulic fracturing) the process of forcing liquid at high pressure into rocks, deep holes in the ground, etc. in order to force open existing cracks (= narrow openings) and take out oil or gas (see more from Vox, here; and from Britannica, here)
Additional Listenings:
Attribution: Photo by Josh Carter on Unsplash
English With Dixie 