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

your occupation or line of work

"This is my biz."

"He decided to leave his corporate job and focus on his own small biz as a freelance graphic designer."

a humorous or embarrassing mistake, often made during filming, recording, or live performance

"The actor made a blooper."

"A blooper reel is a collection of outtakes and on-set mistakes"

used to wish a person good luck, particularly before their performance

"Break a leg tonight!"

"Before she went on stage for her audition, her friends all told her to break a leg."

to perform or entertain in a way that causes the audience to react with extreme enthusiasm, such as by applauding loudly or cheering

"They brought the house down."

"The comedian's hilarious jokes and energetic performance were so good that he brought the house down."

an ending to an episode of a series that keeps the audience in suspense

"It ended in a cliffhanger."

"The episode finished with an exciting cliffhanger."

a complimentary ticket to a performance or event, often given to critics, industry professionals, or guests

"He gets a comp ticket to the concert from his friend."

"The journalist received comp tickets to the concert so she could write a review for the newspaper."

without betraying any feeling

"He told the joke with a deadpan face."

"He told the joke with a deadpan face and nobody laughed because they could not tell he was joking."

the screening of two different movies, one after another

"The cinema shows a double feature of two classic horror films."

"The cinema showed a double feature of classic horror films on Halloween night."

the act of quickly looking at something or someone twice, usually due to surprise, confusion, or disbelief

"The strange noise makes him do a double take."

"She did a double take when she saw her ex boyfriend sitting in the waiting room."

a practice session in preparation for a public performance (as of a play or speech or concert)

"The team performs a dry run before the actual launch."

"The team performed a dry run of the emergency procedure before the actual crisis occurred."

a live performance featuring singers, dancers, or musicians, often presented in nightclubs, restaurants, or casinos

"The Vegas floor show has dancers and magicians."

"The Vegas floor show has dancers and magicians and is included with the price of dinner at the casino."

to be dismissed form a particular position or job

"He got the hook."

"After consistently missing deadlines and making mistakes, the employee unfortunately got the hook from his manager."

to start doing something in the way that was planned

"Let's get this show on the road."

"Now that all the preparations are complete, it's time to get this show on the road and begin the project."

in a grand or impressive manner, often used to describe the successful start of an event, party, or project

"It started with a bang."

"The new restaurant opened with a bang, attracting a large crowd and receiving rave reviews from critics."

a person who was once considered famous or successful, but is no longer popular

"He is a has-been."

"The once-celebrated actor was now just a has-been, forgotten by the public."

said as a way of showing praise or appreciation for someone or inviting other people to clap for them

"Let's hear it for her!"

"Let's hear it for the team that won the championship game tonight!"

used when signaling the start of a film or TV scene, instructing lighting, camera operation, and actors to begin

"Lights, camera, action, he yelled."

"The director shouted lights camera action and the actors began performing the scene perfectly without any mistakes."

the host and organizer of a public event who introduces acts and ensures the smooth flow of activities

"The master of ceremonies welcomed everyone warmly."

"The master of ceremonies introduced each speaker and kept the event running smoothly throughout the evening."

a short, witty, and concise joke or humorous observation that is delivered in a single line

"That one-liner was funny."

"The comedian delivered a perfectly timed one-liner that had the entire audience roaring with laughter."

to react more intensely or dramatically than is warranted by the situation

"Don't overreact to small things."

"It is important not to overreact to minor inconveniences when you are traveling abroad."

to give a strong, negative review or opinion about something

"Critics panned the new movie."

"The famous film critic completely panned the movie saying that the acting was terrible and the plot made no sense at all."

to try very hard and do everything that is possible to succeed in something

"We must pull out all the stops."

"To ensure the project's success, the team decided to pull out all the stops."

the final part of a joke or a humorous story that is intended to make the audience laugh or surprise them with a clever twist or unexpected ending

"The audience roars with laughter at the punch line."

"The audience laughed heartily at the punch line after a long buildup in the joke."

a traveling event or series of presentations held in different locations to showcase products, services, performances, or ideas to a wide audience

"The road show travels widely."

"The company organized a road show to introduce their new software to clients across the country."

a period of clapping by an audience to show appreciation for a performance or speech

"Give a round of applause."

"The audience gave a thunderous round of applause for the incredible musical performance."

an uninterrupted rehearsal

"The director calls for a run-through of the first act."

"The actors did a quick run through of the scene before filming began."

to sell something unlawfully or at unauthorized prices, especially tickets

"They scalp the tickets."

"The touts were arrested for attempting to scalp tickets outside the sold-out concert."

the selling of an entire stock of something

"It was a sellout."

"The new smartphone model experienced a complete sellout within hours of its release."

hold back to a later time

"They shelved the project indefinitely."

"The company decided to shelve the project indefinitely due to a lack of funding and resources."

a female performer known for elaborate costumes and dance routines in cabaret or revue shows

"The showgirl wears a feathered headdress."

"The showgirl wears a feathered headdress and elaborate costume in Las Vegas style revue productions."

a joke whose effect is achieved by visual means rather than by speech (as in a movie)

"The movie had a sight gag."

"The banana peel slip was a classic sight gag that always made the audience laugh."

a humorous show on television or radio with the same characters being involved with numerous funny situations in different episodes

"'Friends' is one of the most successful sitcoms ever created."

"A sitcom typically features the same group of characters in each weekly episode."

a television or radio drama that focuses on realistic, ongoing character relationships and everyday life situations, often serialized

"It is a situation drama."

"This popular situation drama explores the complex relationships within a suburban family."

a pornographic movie

"He watched a skin flick."

"The police raided the establishment for distributing illegal skin flicks."

a comedy with deliberate clumsiness and humorously embarrassing events

"Funny slapstick comedy made laugh."

"The funny slapstick comedy made everyone laugh loudly with physical humor and silly situations on stage."

a designated period of time in a television schedule for a specific program

"What is the slot?"

"The network decided to move the popular comedy to a prime-time slot."

a genre of film characterized by humorous or satirical imitation of other films, genres, or cultural phenomena

"The movie was a spoof of horror films."

"A spoof is a humorous imitation of a specific genre or work"

a form of comedic performance where a comedian delivers jokes and humorous observations to an audience while standing on a stage

"The stand-up comedy show was sold out."

"The stand up comedy club was intimate seating only fifty people close to the small stage."

a performer who acts as stooge to a comedian

"He is the straight man."

"The comedian's success relied heavily on his talented straight man's reactions."

industry publications, such as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, that provide news, analysis, and updates about the entertainment business

"Read the Trades."

"Industry professionals often rely on the Trades for the latest news and trends."

move upstage, forcing the other actors to turn away from the audience

"The supporting actor upstaged the star."

"The supporting actor accidentally upstaged the lead by moving into the spotlight during his important monologue."

a small, non-speaking role played by an actor who appears briefly on screen, often as a background character or extra

"Walk-on has no speaking role."

"The famous musician had a walk on part as himself performing one song in the movie."

a written account in a newspaper to review a book, performance, or event

"The write-up is good."

"The positive write-up helped promote the new restaurant."

a person who provides financial backing for a business venture, typically in its early stages

"He is an angel."

"The tech startup found its crucial seed funding thanks to a generous angel investor with a keen eye for innovation."

to support someone or something

"I back your idea."

"The community members decided to back the proposal for a new park in their neighborhood."

a short, often humorous act or performance, typically part of a larger routine or show

"It was a funny bit."

"The comedian's observational humor about airline food was a standout bit that had the entire audience roaring."

to make a mess of or ruin something, often through reckless actions or poor decision-making

"You blow it."

"He managed to blow his entire chance at a promotion with one careless remark."

an absolute failure

"The party was a bomb."

"After the disastrous product launch, the entire event was considered a complete bomb."

used to vocalize disapproval, dissatisfaction, or disdain, particularly in response to something disliked or unwelcome

"Boo! That is bad."

"The crowd began to boo loudly when the referee made a controversial call against their team."

(of theater) closed to performances, often for maintenance, renovations, or between seasons

"The theater is dark."

"The Broadway theater will be dark for the next two weeks for essential renovations and a much-needed refurbishment."

to suddenly malfunction or stop operating

"The car will die."

"After years of loyal service, the aging computer system is expected to die any day now."

a demand for more performance, usually expressed by an audience after a show or act has ended

"They want an encore."

"The audience's thunderous applause and repeated shouts for an encore indicated their profound appreciation for the performance."

a person hired to appear in a film or television production, typically in the background of scenes to add realism

"She was an extra."

"The director hired hundreds of extras to fill the bustling marketplace scene and create a sense of authentic crowd activity."

to pretend or exaggerate a feeling or condition

"He faked his injury convincingly."

"The dishonest boxer tried to fake an injury to stop the fight when he started losing badly."

a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement

"Let's watch a flick."

"After a long day at work, we decided to unwind by watching a classic flick at home with popcorn."

something that fails completely or is unsuccessful

"Flop loses money at box office."

"The expensive fantasy epic was a box office flop that lost nearly two hundred million dollars for the studio."

a situation where all seats, spaces, or accommodations are completely occupied, with no availability left

"It's a full house."

"Due to its popularity, the restaurant was a full house every night of the week."

a short, humorous anecdote, joke, or punchline intended to elicit laughter

"He told a funny gag."

"The comedian delivered a perfectly timed gag that elicited thunderous laughter from the entire audience."

a room in a theater, a studio, etc. in which performers can relax while not performing

"The actors waited nervously in the green room before the show started."

"The nervous actors waited backstage in the green room before going on stage for the live performance."

an actor with an exaggerated theatrical style

"He acted like a ham."

"The over-the-top performance revealed the actor to be a true ham, loving every moment."

something, such as a movie, play, song, etc. that is very popular and successful

"The song was a big hit."

"The new song became a huge hit and played on every radio station in the country."

all of the activities, companies, and people that are involved in providing a service or producing goods

"The tech industry is booming."

"The renewable energy industry is experiencing rapid growth due to increasing global demand for sustainable power sources."

dialogue or spoken text assigned to an actor

"What is my line?"

"The actor forgot his line and hesitated before continuing the scene."

to exaggerate facial expressions, often in an overly dramatic or comedic way, to provoke laughter

"He likes to mug."

"The clown delighted the children by mugging with exaggerated expressions and silly faces throughout his act."

a specific act or performance, often part of a larger show or entertainment sequence

"What a number!"

"The magician's grand finale, a spectacular illusion involving levitation, was the most impressive number of the evening."

to perform as the first act before the main show or headliner

"He will open."

"The talented local band has been chosen to open the concert before the main act takes the stage."

to publicly praise a new book, motion picture, etc. as a way of promoting it

"Plug the new movie."

"The author will travel extensively to plug her latest bestseller and engage with her readers."

a movie, novel, play, etc. that is initially underappreciated, but gains sudden and unexpected success later on

"Sleeper becomes hit unexpectedly."

"The horror film was a sleeper that earned almost nothing in its opening week but became a cult classic on video."

something that is extremely successful

"The song was a smash."

"The debut album was an unexpected smash, topping charts worldwide and launching the band's career."

a television program that is produced for a particular event or occasion

"Watch the TV special."

"The holiday season will feature a special musical performance on television."

a segment of a radio or television program assigned to a performer, topic, or advertisement

"A quick spot."

"The news anchor delivered a brief spot on the latest developments in the ongoing political scandal."

a single recording of a scene or shot in theater or film

"The director calls for another take."

"The director yelled cut after the seventh take because the actor finally delivered the monologue without stumbling."

a failure, especially a failed film, play, or project

"The play was a turkey."

"Despite the hype, the ambitious film project turned out to be a critical and commercial turkey."

to complete a meeting, task, agreement, etc.

"Let us wrap up the meeting now."

"Let us wrap up the meeting now because we have covered all the important items on today's agenda."

(in acting) small physical actions or gestures performed by an actor to add realism, character depth, or engagement to a scene, often unscripted or minimally directed

"Add some business."

"The actor's subtle business, like nervously adjusting his tie, added a layer of authentic character to his portrayal."