On Screen p 27. Your Time at School. Listening

Listen to the recording and fill in the gaps
1. Her uniform was bottle green, rather __________.
2. Wearing a shirt and a tie was a _________.
3. The boys were more lucky because they  _______________ lightly.
4. The girls wanted to look as trendy as _________________.
5. Sometimes teachers measured the length from the ___________ of the skirt to your knees.
6. The French teacher was very strict but others were much more _______________.
7. The books the English teacher recommended her were brilliant, not ______________. She would go to the library every Saturday and ______________.
8. The English teacher used to wear red _________ skirts and purple and silver shoes.
9. She wore large glasses, which she could __________________ you.
10. The speaker thinks the English teacher brought a bit of ______________.

KEY

1. dingy



2. pain



3. got off



4. the next person



5. hem



6. amenable



7. fuddy-duddy



hunt them out



8. swirly



9. peer over the top of at you.



10. colour.

Vocabulary

• Dingy: /ˈdɪndʒi/ dark and dirty. E.g. a dingy room/hotel. Dingy curtains/clothes.
• Pain: a person or thing that is very annoying. E.g. She can be a real pain when she's in a bad mood. It's a pain having to go all that way for just one meeting. 
• Get off (with something)/ get somebody off (with something):  to receive no or almost no punishment; to help somebody do this. Sp. Librarse. E.g. He was lucky to get off with a small fine. A good lawyer might be able to get you off.
• The next man, woman, person, etc.: the average person. E:g. I can enjoy a joke as well as the next man, but this is going too far.
• Hem: the edge of a piece of cloth that has been folded over and sewn, especially on a piece of clothing. Sp. Dobladillo. E.g. to take up the hem of a dress (= to make the dress shorter).
• Amenable: /əˈmiːnəbl / easy to control; willing to be influenced by somebody/something. Sp. Dócil. E.g. They had three very amenable children. 
• Fuddy-duddy: /ˈfʌdi dʌdi/ a person who has old-fashioned ideas or habits. Sp. Carca. E.g. You're such an old fuddy-duddy!  (Adjective) fuddy-duddy ideas.
• Hunt something down/out: to search for something until you find it. E.g. We hunted down their phone number and gave them a call. I hunted out my old school photos to show Mary.
• Swirl: / swɜːl/ the movement of something that twists and turns in different directions and at different speeds. Sp. Remolino E.g. The dancers left the stage in a swirl of skirts. Swirly (adj) 
• Peer: to look closely or carefully at something, especially when you cannot see it clearly. E.g. We peered into the shadows. He went to the window and peered out. She kept peering over her shoulder. He peered closely at the photograph.
• Colour: interesting and exciting details or qualities. Sp. Colorido. E.g. The old town is full of colour and attractions. Her acting added warmth and colour to the production. To add/give/lend colour to something (= make it brighter, more interesting, etc.).