A Closer Look 2: Lesson 8 · Street Talk 1 Vocabulary List

someone who possesses great wisdom and good judgment, often referred to old people

"She is a wise owl."

"The elder statesman was considered a wise owl, offering insightful advice to the younger generation."

a person who has a tendency to sleep very late at night

"The night owl does his best work after midnight."

"The night owl did her best work after midnight when the house was completely silent."

quiet and timid and ineffectual

"She is very mousey today."

"The mousey librarian spoke so softly that people had to lean in close to hear what she was saying."

used to refer to someone or something that is extremely quiet and does not make much noise

"She was quiet as a mouse."

"The children were as quiet as a mouse while their mother was on an important phone call in the next room."

a type of wrench with a screw placed on its handle near the adjustable jaws

"It threw a monkey wrench."

"The sudden budget cut threw a monkey wrench into the project's carefully planned timeline."

describing a situation, activity, or experience that is extremely enjoyable, entertaining, or amusing

"The circus was more fun than a barrel of monkeys."

"Going to the water park with my friends was more fun than a barrel of monkeys all day."

to display complete surprise or disbelief

"Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!"

"If he actually finished the entire project on time, then I will be a monkey's uncle because I never believed he could do it."

to engage in playful, often mischievous, or silly behavior without a clear purpose

"Do not monkey around with the controls."

"The children were told not to monkey around near the fragile glass display cases in the museum."

used to express one's disbelief about something happening or being true

"Will he ever apologise? Pigs might fly."

"The two departments agreeing on a shared budget? Pigs might fly before that ever happens."

used to show that one does not believe or accept something that was said or suggested

"In a pig's eye! That is not true."

"In a pig's eye! That is not true, and you know it, so stop lying to me."

persisting to do things the way one sees fit and unwilling to change one's opinion, no matter how irrational it might seem

"He is pigheaded."

"He is pigheaded and refuses to admit that he is wrong even when proven otherwise."

to eat an excessive amount of food

"He eats like a horse."

"My teenage son eats like a pig and finishes everything on the table."

to eat a large amount of food, often messily

"We pigged out on pizza last night."

"The friends decided to pig out on pizza and ice cream during the movie marathon."

an indoor TV antenna; consists of two extendible rods that form a V

"The old television has rabbit ears for an antenna."

"The old television set needed rabbit ears to pick up the local broadcast channels."

to inform on someone or betray them, often by disclosing their wrongdoing to authorities

"He will rat them out."

"The informant agreed to rat on his accomplices in exchange for a reduced sentence."

a draining and stressful lifestyle that consists of constantly competing with others for success, wealth, power, etc. and so leaving no room for rest and pleasure

"Corporate rat race."

"Many people want to escape the stressful corporate rat race of modern city life."

to begin to feel that there might be something wrong or dishonest about a situation

"I smell a rat, something is wrong with this deal."

"When the deal seemed too good to be true I started to smell a rat and decided to investigate further."

so intoxicated with alcohol that one starts behaving like a lunatic

"He was drunk as skunk."

"After the party, he was so drunk as a skunk that he started singing loudly and dancing erratically."

extremely low in speed

"The snail is very slow."

"The traffic was as slow as a snail, so we arrived two hours late to the party."

said to mean that what a person is searching for is right where they are, but they have failed to notice it

"It would have bitten you!"

"You've been looking for your glasses everywhere, but they are on your head — if it were a snake, it would have bitten you!"

used to refer to a deceitful and untrustworthy person who cannot be easily caught or exposed

"He is very slippery."

"The politician was as slippery as an eel, always avoiding direct answers during the interview."

to seriously and honestly discuss a matter

"Let us talk turkey now."

"It is time to stop joking around and talk turkey about how much money we need to start this business."

an extremely enjoyable or thrilling time

"We had a whale time."

"We had a whale of a time at the amusement park riding all the roller coasters and eating cotton candy."

to violently or forcefully hit a person or thing many times

"He will whale on him."

"The angry boxer began to whale on his opponent with a series of powerful punches to the head."

to eat something quickly and greedily, often without pausing

"He wolfed down his breakfast quickly."

"The hungry boy wolfed down his entire dinner in less than five minutes."

something that when someone tries to deal with it causes many problems

"It's a can worms."

"Investigating the company's finances opened up a can of worms filled with fraud and corruption."

used to imply that the person who starts their day or task early will have an advantage over those who start later or procrastinate

"The early bird catches the worm, remember."

"I always wake up before sunrise because I truly believe that the early bird gets the worm, especially when it comes to job opportunities."

to make someone reveal information by questioning them repeatedly or cleverly

"I finally wormed the secret out of her."

"The clever lawyer managed to worm the truth out of the reluctant witness during cross examination."

a person considered treacherous, despicable, or contemptible

"You are a rat."

"He was branded a rat for betraying his friends during the difficult times."

a person treacherous, deceitful, or willing to betray others

"He is a snake."

"Be careful, he's a snake who will readily betray his friends for personal gain."

expressions used when when two dice are thrown and both come up showing one spot

"He rolled snake eyes."

"With a sigh, he realized he'd rolled snake eyes again, losing his turn in the game."

showing a lack of confidence or courage in an awkward way

"He looked sheepish then."

"After admitting his mistake, he gave a sheepish grin, feeling embarrassed but relieved."

an inept, foolish, or undesirable person

"He is a turkey."

"The incompetent actor was a complete turkey, forgetting all his lines during the performance."

to violently or forcefully hit a person or thing many times

"They will whale on it."

"The frustrated mechanic began to whale on the stubborn engine, hoping to fix it."

a man who aggressively or persistently pursues sexual attention from women

"He is a wolf."

"She warned her friends about the charming wolf who preyed on unsuspecting women."

a person regarded as weak, cowardly, or contemptible

"He is a worm."

"The bully treated the shy student like a worm, constantly demeaning him."