BBC Radio 4 - Thinking Allowed, Consuming Passions

BBC Radio 4 - Thinking Allowed, Consuming Passions:

Vocabulary from Objective Proficiency workbook unit 05

Retail therapy

1075 Retail Therapy

Meaning of retail therapy

Jocular the action of shopping for clothes, etc. in order to cheer oneself up

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Silvia talks about her love of shopping as Diego ponders if she need help.

Source: http://www.elllo.org/english/1051/1075-Diego-RetailTherapy.htm

Objective proficiency: revising units 3 and 5 TO LIVE ON A SHOESTRING

1.- Vocabulary and idiomatic expressions:

shoestring 

It means to manage one’s financial affairs on a very tight budget.

e.g. "When we were students, we lived on a shoestring"

shoestring [ˈʃuːstrɪŋ]

A. N (US) → cordón m, lazo m
to do sth on a shoestring → hacer algo con muy poco dinero
to live on a shoestring → vivir muy justo

B. CPD shoestring budget N → presupuesto m muy limitado

SOURCE: www.thefreedictionary.com

2.- Reading practice: How to Buy Food on a Shoestring Budget

A lot of people, myself included, have lived for long, or for short, periods of time with an extremely small food/grocery budget. 
I did it without living on Top Ramen, and you can too. Here are some bare-bones food budget ideas for anyone that needs to survive and thrive on very little money.

Instructions

1. • 1
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     

     
     

     Make a plan. Preparation and planning is extremely important when you have a super-small food budget. There's no way to avoid this step. Once you're clear on what you'll be buying for groceries this month, make your own plan and your own grocery list, and follow them to the letter.
   • 2
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     

     
     

     Decide on the absolute highest amount you can afford to spend on food this month. I have lived on as little as $20.00 a month, though those same foods would probably cost me $50.00 or more a month at today's prices. Whatever amount you decide on, know that it is possible to live on it.

Source where you can read more: How to Buy Food on a Shoestring Budget | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2269279_buy-food-shoestring-budget.html#ixzz2IH3nxzFP

3.- Listening practice: Tight Budget
http://www.elllo.org/english/0751/T753-Lupe-VegasBudget.htm

Proficiency: idioms and expressions

For each of the sentences in the following exercise complete the second sentence with three to eight words so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given.

englishandculture.com

In this exercise you are not given any help. The sentences test your knowledge of idioms and expressions. Don't change the word given.

1.-Mark's brother suddenly decided to go home by bus. spur
Mark's brother decided__________________________________
the bus home.
2.- I won't settle for anything less than an exotic foreing holiday. set
I  _______________________________________________
an exotic foreing holiday.
3.- Sandra didn't get any slip at all last night. wink
Sandra___________________________________________________
last night.
4.- The mistake was not discovered  until we counted the money. light
The mistake only _____________________________________________
counted the money.
5.- I don't mind lending you money, but I refuse to pay for a new car. draw
I don't ming lending you money but I _________________________________
a new car.
Source; Gold exam maximizer page 34

The answers are in Comments, just below this post

Proficiency Idioms and expressions : Answers (exercise 3 page 34 Gold Maximazer in the previous post).

Meanings source: thefreedictionary.com

1.- Mark's brother decided on the spur of the moment to

take a bus home.

Meaning: 

Adv.

1.

on the spur of the moment - on impulse; without premeditation; "he decided to go to Chicago on the spur of the moment"; "he made up his mind suddenly" suddenly

Image source: frombeginningtoendandbackagain.blogspot.com

2.- I have set my heart on an exotic foreign holiday.

set (one's) heart on

To be determined to do something.

moments-of-tranquility.com



3.- Sandra didn't get a wink of sleep/didn't sleep a wink

last night.

not sleep a wink  also not get a wink of sleep

to not sleep at all I was so excited last night - I didn't sleep a wink. I didn't get a wink of sleep on the plane.

equestriadaily.com


.
4.- The mistake only came to light when we counted the 

money.
come to light

Fig. [for something] to become known or to be discovered. Many surprises have come to light since then. Nothing new has come to light since we talked last.

fluid-radio.co.uk


5.- I don't mind lending you money but I draw the line at 

paying for a new car. 

draw the line (at something)

to set a limit at something; to decide when a limit has been reached. You can make as much noise as you want, but I draw the line at fighting. It's hard to keep young people under control, but you have to draw the line somewhere.

whatjeanlikes.com