English Listening Practice Food Vocabulary 3

[wonderplugin_audio id=”20″]

Welcome to our Daily English Listening Practice with this week’s series:

Food Vocabulary

How about we go out to eat? Part 3 of this week’s series, Food Vocabulary, looks at different words and phrases when going out to eat.

Please listen to the audio files for explanations.
Transcripts unavailable.

Notes from the Audio Files

To Pick Up the Bill/Tab

  • Stingy: someone who isn’t often willing to spend money
  • We’d all thank you: We would thank you
  • Pay your own share: pay only for your own meal/drink/products
  • Divide the bill / Split the bill:
    • Split it down the middle: divide by 2
    • Split it 3 ways
    • We’ll each pay for our own meals: everyone pays for what they ate/drank

How to use it:
“Hey, how do you wanna split the bill? –Actually, don’t worry about it, I already picked up the tab, consider it my treat!”
“In Korean culture, the boss always picks up the bill for the whole group.”

Getting It To Go/ Take Away

  • UK: do you want take away? Do you want to order cheap and easy food
    • Do you want it to take away? Do you want to take the food home
  • USA: Get take out: get cheap and easy food 
    • Get something to go: order food to take home
  • To Go box: the container that the food leaves the restaurant in
  • Call ahead: call and before you go to the restaurant

How to use it:
“I’ve done so well eating healthy all week, but I really could go for some greasy take out or something quick to go.”
“I couldn’t eat another bite. Do you want to get the rest to go?”

Fast Food / Delivery

  • Get something delivered: have food delivered to your home for a fee or charge
  • Independent apps: smartphone applications
  • Classy restaurants: expensive restaurants
  • Junk food: unhealthy food ex. chips, salty, sugary or greasy snacks
  • Uber: an app-based taxi service
  • To your doorstep: your front door
  • Drone it in: deliver it by drone

How to use it:
“I’m so tired of junk food. We’ve had pizza delivered twice this week and I’m sick of those greasy boxes sitting next to the trash can.”
“When I have a hangover I think fast food is the only thing I want.”

To Wine and Dine

  • Person A wines and dines someone else: Person A pays for everything
  • Being treated to something: Getting something as a gift or for free
  • Buttering them up: flattering someone into getting your own way

How to use it:
“I guess one of the perks of looking for a new home is getting wined and dined by the real estate agent.”
“Our holiday was fantastic. We wined and dined all over the city.”

To Grab a Bite

  • Quick snack: a fast meal
  • Spontaneous: without planning
  • Grab a drink: often alcoholic but doesn’t have to be
  • We wouldn’t make a night out of it: wouldn’t spend the whole night drinking/going out

How to use it:
“Hey, since we got out of that meeting earlier than expected, do you wanna grab a quick bite before the next one starts at 1?”
“I’ve got half an hour free, do you want to grab a bite down the street?”


This is an interesting mix of vocab today, if you have any questions or suggestions, please let us know in the comments below!

Thanks,

Mark and Kat

Add comment