Internet Dating
Part One
I am lucky enough to have a job that I absolutely love, however it is pretty demanding and I donāt really have much time for a social life. Of course I have friends but for the past few years I havenāt had a boyfriend. All of my friends are in relationships and Iāve started to feel like the odd one out. I suppose I could go out of my way to meet people, but Iām just so rushed off my feet at work that I donāt have the energy. Usually things like blind dates and that kind of thing are not my cup of tea but āneeds mustā, so I thought that Iād give internet dating a go.
Phrases:
To be the odd one out: the one person or thing that is different from the others. For example if all of your friends are men and you are a woman, then you would be the odd one out.
Example: All of my family are teachers. So Iām the odd one out, as Iām a doctor.
To be rushed off oneās feet: to be very busy.
Example: Christmas is a busy time of the year for most shops so the employees are usually rushed off their feet.
Not oneās cup of tea: you donāt really like this sort of thing. This phrase is more common in British English.
Example: Science fiction is not most womenās cup of tea, but I like it.
Needs must: it is necessary to do this thing. Circumstances have forced you to do this thing.
Example: I didnāt want to get an evening job, but as I donāt have enough to live on; needs must.
To give (something) a go/try: this means āto try something to see if you like itā.
Example: I thought that I would give cooking classes a go.
Part Two
I find talking about myself difficult at the best of times, so writing an online dating profile was going to be next to impossible. I sat down a few times to do it but could never get it done. I decided that it would require some Dutch courage so poured myself a nice big glass of wine and forced myself to write the profile. Most people when they are writing these things are economical with the truth, but my problem is that I am too honest. I read through the finished profile and I had to admit it didnāt make me sound that appealing. The next thing that I had to do was to choose a photo. I know you shouldnāt judge a book by its cover but everybody does so I tried to choose one where I looked at least halfway decent. In the end I was pretty satisfied with my profile even if was a little boring. It had taken me almost 5 hours to write but I eventually was ready to hit the āpublishā button. If I did this, there would be no going back; my profile would be there for the whole world to see. I held my breath and hit publish.
Phrases:
At the best of times: this phrase means that even under good conditions this thing is not great, so under bad conditions itās really bad.
Example: Even at the best of times I get sea sick so if there is a storm (while Iām on a boat) then I feel really really sick.
Dutch courage: to drink alcohol in order to feel brave about something.
Example: I hate visiting my father in law so I find I need a bit of Dutch courage to make the experience manageable.
To be economical with the truth: to lie a little bit. This has the feeling of not being a serious lie but just not exactly telling the truth. To exaggerate.
Example: When applying for a job most people are a bit economical with the truth. But if you tell a real lie then you could end up getting into real trouble.
You shouldnāt judge a book by its cover: you shouldnāt judge a person or situation just by appearances.
Example: I know that you shouldnāt judge a book by its cover but because he has a big scar on his face he does look a bit scary.
To be halfway decent: to be quite good. To be ok. To be acceptable for what you need.
Example: Do you know of any halfway decent hotels in this area?
There is no going back: this means that you have committed to something and you can no longer decide to not do it.
Example: I have handed in my notice at work so thereās no turning back now. So next month I will have to get a new job.
Part Three
The next morning I woke up with butterflies in my stomach. I donāt know why I was so nervous. Anyway I checked my email but no one had replied to my profile yet. Even though it was still early days I was a little disappointed. For the next few days I didnāt get any response, and then just as I was about to close the profile down, I received an email. It was from someone called Tim who said that he had seen my profile and that he would really like to meet me. I checked out his profile and couldnāt believe my luck; not only was he rich but he was gorgeous too. It was almost as if he was too good to be true. I really thought that Iād hit the jackpot; I mean he seemed so nice. We started contacting each other by email and soon we arranged to meet. I could hardly wait for our date. Unfortunately just a few hours before we were supposed to meet I received a phone call saying that something had come up and that we would have to take a rain check.
Phrases:
To have butterflies in oneās stomach: to feel nervous about something.
Example: Even though I have acted on stage for years, I still get butterflies in my stomach before every performance.
Itās early days: it is still early in a project/relationship etc.
Example: The company hasnāt made any money yet, but itās early days so we should make some profit once we have become more established.
To check something out: to investigate something. To look at something in more detail.
Example: I would like to move to France but I need to go there first to check out the work situation.
I couldnāt believe my luck: this is used when you feel that you have been really lucky.
Example: I couldnāt believe my luck when I realized that my land is actually twice as valuable as I first thought.
To be too good to be true: this is used when you think that something is so good that there must be/could be a hidden problem.
Example: That job just sounds too good to be true. Are you sure you know everything about it?
To hit the jackpot: to win lots of money. To be lucky and receive a very good thing.
Example: He hit the jackpot with that job. Both the money and the conditions are great.
( I s/he etc) can hardly wait: you are very impatient for something to happen.
Example: I can hardly wait for my birthday. Finally I will be able to take driving lessons.
Something has come up: this is when something occurs that will delay something else. For example if you are at work and were going to go home āwhen something came upā. This means that something that you had to deal with occurred and you were delayed returning home.
Example: I was supposed to go to my motherās after work but something came up so I couldnāt go.
To take a rain check: to postpone doing something until a later date.
Example: Iām sorry that I canāt come this weekend but maybe we can take a rain check?
Part Four
Even though we didnāt meet up, we emailed and spoke other over the phone. He seemed really nice and was very flirty but whenever I suggested that we should meet, heād just make an excuse or back out at the last minute. This happened a few times and I started to smell a rat. I told my friends about it and they agreed that there was something fishy about the whole thing and that I should just call it quits. I didnāt have the heart to say anything on the phone so I just emailed him and said that I was very busy at work and wouldnāt be able to contact him for a while. I think he got the message because he stopped calling and I never heard from him again.
Phrases:
To smell a rat: to suspect that something is not right. To suspect dishonesty of some sort.
Example: The policeman smelt a rat when the woman wouldnāt let him see what was inside her bag. It turned out that she had had just stolen it of off someone else.
Thereās something fishy about (something): this means there is something not quite right about something.
Example: There is something fishy about that couple. They never seem to work but they always have money.
To call it quits: to put an end to something. This has the feeling of ending something before its natural conclusion.
Example: After a few years of an unhappy marriage, me and my wife decided to just call it quits.
(I, s/he etc) didnāt have the heart to (do something): this means that you were intending to do something a bit unpleasant to someone but in the end you felt too bad and didnāt do it.
Example: I wanted to fire him immediately but as he has kids I didnāt have the heart, so I gave him an extra 2 months to find a new job.
To get the message: this is sometimes used when y...