Page 49 - Perfect Phrases ESL Everyday Business

Small Talk

Idioms and Other Vocabulary
Arena: area around a subject, e.g., “the small talk arena”
Blizzard: a really bad snowstorm with high winds
Call it a day: stop working for the day
Catch up: to gain information or knowledge in order to
get to the level of others
Chime in: add to a conversation
Chitchat: talk about unimportant subjects
Common ground: shared interests
Engaging smile: a smile that brings positive attention
Flash flood: dangerously large amount of water caused by
rapid rainfall
Get a move on: hurry up
Handy: near and easy to reach
Happy hour: time when bars serve alcoholic beverages
during early evening hours at discount prices
Hump day: Wednesday—the middle day of the workweek
for most people (Once you pass hump day, the week is
almost over.)
Icebreakers: things said to make initial conversations
more at ease
Leg up: a head start
Open-ended questions: questions without definite
answers, not yes or no questions
Personable: attractive
Reading group or book club: a group in which all the
participants read the same book or author and then
meet to discuss the book or books by the author
Sip: a small amount of a drink
Small talk: talk about unimportant subjects
Sudoku: a crossword-type puzzle with numbers instead of
letters and words
Taboo: something to be avoided

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