Rebecca
"Vile" is similar in meaning to "repulsive," "horrid," "horrible," or "appalling." The speaker has used it here to disgust or approval at the man using taxpayer money to conduct useless science experiments. Ex: There was a vile man at the store today. He was very rude to the cashier. Ex: The criminal was known for having a vile personality.
02/06
1
What's "kick your butts" mean?
To "kick [someone's] butt" means to beat, defeat, or dominate them in something or with something. The more vulgar expression is "kick [someone's] ass." They're both pretty common to use! Ex: I'll kick your butt in monopoly. Ex: She'll kick all your asses if she finds out what you did!
2
Is it common to use "them" to mean "my eyes" in daily conversation?
Yes, but only if they were mentioned previously. If you just said "them" to refer to your eyes without prior context, it will be confusing to others. Ex: A: I went to the eye doctor yesterday. B: Really? How were your eyes? A: They are okay. However, I'm going to need glasses. Ex: Her eyes are horrible. She needs to have them checked every year.
3
I don't know the difference between "the germs" and "germs". I'm having trouble with the usage of "the".
The is used when talking about a specific thing, for example, "the germs on the apple made him sick'. "Germs are everywhere" is not specific and so does not need "the".
4
What's "trade in" mean and is it different from saying just "trade?"
That's a good point! In the commercial context, "trade in" is a phrasal verb related to "trade," and it means to exchange something used in as a partial payment for something else. So it is a bit different from simply "trade" on its own. In this context, "trade in" has been used here to make it a bit more casual - there is no huge difference between using "in" or not here, the meaning of this sentence does not change very much. Ex: I'd like to trade in this phone for a new one. Ex: I traded in my free time in exchange for financial freedom.
5
Could you give some example of "gooey"? Is it only used to food?
"Gooey" is an adjective meaning soft and sticky. It is usually used to describe the texture of food, but can also be used to describe other viscous liquids. Ex: This glue is very gooey. Ex: This mochi is very gooey, it's sticking to my teeth. Ex: Mix the cake ingredients together until it becomes a gooey paste.
Complete the expression with a quiz!
