Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 2 - The fact that I was going bald pissed me off

Bill: Oh my God! What happened to your hair?

Brian: Oh no; don’t remind me! The fact that I was going bald pissed me off. So, I decided to try alternative medicine. And indeed I made my way to that bastard who claimed to be a guru. He gave me a lotion which turned out to be nothing but snake oil and I ended up losing the rest of my hairs. Look; I’m as bald as a coot.

Bill: That’s horrible! You have to sue him right away.

Brain: Not at all! I won’t rest till I settle the score my way. I’m setting a trap to catch him and apply the lotion on his hairs. He my must have a taste of his own medicine!

Bill: Aren’t you going to extremes? I mean what if the police learned about the story?

Brain: Let them do their worst; I don’t give a toss. At least I feel good in the end.

Vocabulary;

go bald: to lose one's hair.

piss someone off: to greatly anger or irritate someone.

alternative medicine: Treatments that are used instead of standard treatments including acupuncture and herbs.

guru: a person skilled in something who gives advice about it.

snake oil: something which is sold or presented as a cure or a solution to a problem but which, in fact, has no use or value.

as bald as a coot: totally bald.

settle the score: do something to someone because that person did something harmful or insulting to you in the past.

set a trap: to invent a plan to try and catch someone who is doing something wrong.

have a taste of one’s own medicine: to get a sample of the unpleasantness that one has been giving other people.

go to extremes: to take drastic measures toward some goal; to act in an excessive manner.

do one’s worst: to do as much damage as one can (often used to express defiance).

not to give a toss: not to care at all.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. The idea of going grey doesn't bother me, but I'd hate to go bald.

2. The system stopped for three ours as none of the computer .......... in our department could fix the crash.

3. I don't give a toss about making money, I just want to do something with my life that makes life better for others.

4. Don't go to .......... scouring your whole house for my charging cord — just let me know if you happen to see it.

5. Do your .........., winter! My new coat can withstand your blizzards!

6. This team likes to play rough, so let's go out there and give them a taste of their own ..........!

7. The undercover agent set a .......... for the senator, inviting her to accept a bribe in exchange for her efforts to deregulate the industry.

8. After being embarrassed in front of the class, Dan was determined to settle the ..........

9. My father had long hair as a teen, but now he's bald as a ..........

10. We can continue to buy the .......... oil, potions, ointments, and elixirs hoping for the quick cure, or we can deal with the real ailment.

11. More than half of adults in the United States say they use some form of .......... medicine.

12. I think I might start cycling to work in the morning—this traffic really .......... me off!

1. bald 2. gurus 3. toss 4. extremes 5. worst 6. medicine 7. trap 8. score 9. coot 10. snake 11. alternative 12. pisses