A Closer Look: Lesson 9 · Street Talk 1 Vocabulary List

to fail to recognize someone as one has never met them or knows nothing about them

"I don't know him."

"I didn't recognize her from Adam because she looked completely different now."

a muscular cramp (especially in the thigh or calf) following vigorous exercise

"The runner gets a charley-horse in his calf."

"He woke up in the middle of the night with a painful charley horse in his calf muscle."

all of the ordinary people

"Not every Tom, Dick, Harry."

"The exclusive club membership is not open to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who applies."

the fleshy part of the body one sits on

"The word "fanny" has different meanings in British and American English."

"She slipped on the ice and landed right on her fanny in front of everyone."

to be malfunctioning or not working properly

"My TV is on the fritz."

"My old coffee maker is on the fritz again so I need to buy a new one very soon."

a person, typically a male

"The guy near the door smiled."

"That guy in the blue jacket helped me carry my groceries to the car yesterday."

a person who is competent in many different tasks

"Dad is a jack of all trades."

"My father is a jack of all trades and can fix anything from a car to a broken washing machine."

a slang term for coffee, commonly used in North America

"He wants Joe."

"Before heading to work, he grabbed a cup of joe from the café on the corner near his apartment."

a hypothetical average man

"The new policy hurts joe blow the most."

"Joe Blow could not afford the high prices at the boutique grocery store."

to secretly put a drug in a person's drink in order to make them unconscious

"He slipped him a Mickey."

"The criminal tried to slip the guard a Mickey Finn to escape from the prison easily."

to know something so perfectly that one can do it at anytime without having to focus or think

"She knows it down pat."

"He had the recipe down pat, so he cooked dinner perfectly every night."

to take from one source or person in order to fulfill an obligation or debt to another source or person, often resulting in a cycle of borrowing or rearranging debts without actually resolving the underlying financial issue

"Don't rob Peter."

"Trying to pay off one loan by taking out another is just robbing Peter to pay Paul."

to gradually end or fade away, often due to becoming weakened

"The conversation petered out awkwardly."

"The conversation slowly petered out as neither person could think of anything else to say to the other."

feeling great sexual desire

"The dog is randy."

"The male cat, feeling particularly randy, was meowing loudly and pacing by the door all night."

used as a confirmation message in radio communication to indicate that a message has been received and understood

"Roger, I got your message."

"Roger. I received your message loud and clear. Over and out."

a personification of the United States government

"Uncle Sam wants you to pay your taxes."

"Uncle Sam wanted young men to enlist in the military during the war."

a revolving tray placed on a dining table

"The lazy susan in the cabinet makes dishes easy to reach."

"The lazy susan on the dining table made it easy to reach dishes without standing up."

a person who doubts or refuses to believe anything that is presented to them without evidence or proof

"The doubting Thomas refuses to believe the miracle."

"The doubting Thomas refused to believe the news until he saw the official report himself."

foolish or senseless behavior

"The teacher has no patience for tomfoolery in class."

"The teacher would not tolerate any tomfoolery in her classroom and sent misbehaving students to the principal."

a person who secretly watches others without consent, often for sexual gratification

"A peeping Tom was here."

"The neighbours called the police when they saw a peeping Tom looking through their daughter bedroom window at night."

someone who is a detective

"The dick found the clue."

"The private dick meticulously pieced together the fragmented evidence to solve the perplexing case."

a prostitute's customer

"The john is waiting."

"The police were staking out the area to catch the johns soliciting the prostitutes."

in a way that happens regardless of someone's wishes or control

"It happened willy-nilly."

"The company's sudden restructuring occurred willy-nilly, leaving employees bewildered and uncertain about their futures."