Couch Potato | Catch off Guard | Rule the Roost | Sweat Like a Pig

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

couch potato

Phrase

kaʊʧ pəˈteɪˌtoʊ

a lazy person who watches a lot of television

Billy stayed at home all day long. He is a real couch potato.

Mary is such a couch potato! All she ever does is watch TV!

catch (someone) off guard

Phrase

kæʧ ɔf gɑrd

to surprise someone by doing or saying something they did not expect

I caught John off guard and frightened him.

I was caught off guard when my mother arrived.

rule the roost

Phrase

rul ðə rust

to be in total control; to be the boss; to make all the decisions in a group

After my father died, my brother has ruled the roost in our family.

This manager rules the roost in the Shibuya office.

sweat like a pig

Phrase

swɛt laɪk ə pɪg

to sweat a lot

We were all sweating like pigs after the race.

You might sweat like a pig on Christmas in the Philippines. It’s very humid!

virgin territory

Phrase

ˈvɜrʤɪn ˈtɛrɪˌtɔri

unexplored or unstudied area; a situation or activity that is completely new to someone

He made a ton of money on the internet, back when it was still virgin territory.

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.

Akio Adachi	Ever since Craig resigned from his job, Jake has ruled the roost here at the office.
Jonathan Abbott	Yeah. If only you'd known Jake back in high school. He watched TV and played video games all the time.
Akio Adachi	Oh, really? I didn’t know he was such a couch potato back then! He is smart, witty, and works really hard.
Jonathan Abbott	That’s true. I was caught off guard when I first met him at the office. I never thought Jake could be such a hard worker! But I guess that's the proof that people can change. And he has definitely changed for the better.
Akio Adachi	Yes, I really admire him. He's so curious about everything and he is always willing to explore virgin territories in any business field. That's why he is so good at what he does.
Jonathan Abbott	I agree. As one of his high-school classmates, I must say I'm proud of him. Anyway, do you mind if I turn the air conditioner on? I'm sweating like a pig in this suit.
Akio Adachi	Yeah, sure, go ahead. It really is hot today.

Exercise 3

Article

Read the passage aloud with your teacher.

Mr. Adachi and Mr. Abbott work for a clothing company. It is a hot day in the office, but they have to wear their suits, so they are sweating like pigs. They start talking about their coworker, Jake, a former high-school classmate of Mr. Abbott's. Mr. Abbott remembered Jake as a couch potato because he would always stay at home and play video games. So, Mr. Abbott was caught off guard when he saw Jake working so hard. Mr. Adachi said he respected Jake and believed that he could rule the roost at the office since he had been trying his best in various virgin territories after transferring from the publishing industry.

Exercise 4

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct idioms to complete the dialogue.

Nathan and Liam are talking about camping.
Nathan	I discovered some (1) in the forest! It’s such a beautiful and serene place. We should go camping there next weekend!
Liam	Hmm.... I don't know... I planned to stay home and watch movies over the weekend. And it is so hot outside these days; if we go on foot we'll be (2)!
Nathan	Oh, come on! Don't be such a (3)! It would be so cool to sleep outside. We have to go! And we can invite Matt and Joe to join us.
Liam	Okay, let's do it! We just need to prepare properly and check the weather forecast so that we're not (4) by the rain or something.
Nathan	Yes, of course! We should start making a list of things we need to bring.
Liam	Yes. And we need to decide who'll be in charge. Otherwise, we'll all end up fighting over the smallest things. I think you should (5) since you are the one who found the place.
Nathan	Sure, as long as everyone's okay with that.