Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast. My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 45, Day 5 of Your English Five a Day. Yes, this is the podcast that gives you your healthy daily dose of English vocabulary, allowing you to expand your active vocabulary, improve your overall listening, and I'm here to keep you company while you do whatever it is that you're doing right now. So, let's start today's episode with a very interesting idiom to be as dull as ditchwater, where you may hear dishwater. To be as dull as ditchwater or dishwater. To be as dull, D U L L, dull. As ditchwater, D I T C H W A T E R, ditchwater. Or, more commonly these days, is dishwater, D I S H W A T E R. So, originally, this idiom was to be as dull as ditchwater. And in more recent years, probably through mispronunciation, it's become well-known as to be as dull as dishwater. Basically, both are still in use, just depends on who's speaking. And they both mean to be very, very boring. Okay. So to be as dull as dishwater, to be very boring. Now, referring to someone as being very boring is obviously not polite, so be careful who you refer to and who you're talking to when you use this phrase. You can, of course, use this idiom to describe a thing. It doesn't always have to be a person. It could be an activity or a film or a book. So, here's an example,"Oh, the film was as dull as ditchwater. So I walked out of the cinema halfway through." Have you ever started reading a book and really tried hard to get into it, but you get maybe 20 pages in and you just think,"This is as dull as dishwater. I cannot continue reading this book. It's a waste of my life and my energy." And you walk away from that book altogether. Find something more exciting. Have you ever done that? Okay, next on the list is the adjective electric, electric. E L E C T R I C, electric, electric, and this is describing the atmosphere. So if you describe the atmosphere as being electric, then you're saying it's quite intense, like it's charged full of electricity. For example, if you went to a concert, or if you are in a classroom full of students who know there's going to be a big announcement, and everyone is feeling really excited and energised to hear the announcement. Maybe all the students in college are being visited by a very famous pop star that all the students love and they're waiting for that person to arrive, they're in the hall. You could say the atmosphere is electric in that circumstance, because everyone's so excited. Here's an example sentence,"The crowd at the concert was electric, with fans cheering and dancing in unison." Have you experienced that? Have you ever been to a concert or an event, or been in a room where it's just felt electric? Next on the list is the noun liqueur, liqueur. We spell this L I Q U E U R, liqueur, liqueur. Oh, I love a liqueur though I don't really drink alcohol anymore, so I do miss my liqueur at night-time. So a liqueur is a very strong and very sweet alcoholic drink and it's often enjoyed at the end of a meal. So usually in the evening after you've had a big meal, you've had your dessert. You may have a liqueur instead of dessert, but I often would have dessert and then after that I would enjoy a liqueur. My liqueur of choice was Tia Maria or Disaronno. I like a cherry-based liqueur. Baileys is another liqueur that people enjoy. So they're these sweet, very strong drinks, alcoholic drinks. And you normally don't have very much, normally just a little bit at the bottom of a glass with ice. Here's another example,"After dinner, they decided to enjoy a glass of liqueur to celebrate the occasion." Next on the list is the adjective decadent, decadent. We spell this D E C A D E N T, decadent, decadent. If something's described as decadent, then it's something that's characterised by excessive indulgence in pleasure and luxury. Have you ever been to a really posh hotel? I've never stayed in a very posh hotel. I've certainly visited very posh hotels normally just to meet someone for a very expensive cup of tea or for an afternoon tea experience, like going to the Ritz or the Savoy in central London. So, I've popped into one of those hotels on occasion, just to enjoy the decadence really. And you can definitely describe those places as decadent because they are excessive in their luxury. It's not just a luxurious hotel, it's excessive luxury. It's a lot of indulgence. You know, and the way that your tea and your cake is served is very indulgent. It's over the top, too much luxury for many people, and always very expensive. Some people may dress in a decadent way, but we tend to describe places like rooms and homes as being decadent. A party may be decadent, food can be decadent. So, if it's excessively indulgent, excessively luxurious. Here's an example sentence,"Stephen's decadent feast featured an array of rich desserts and gourmet dishes that left everyone in awe." Last on the list is the verb bootleg, bootleg. We spell this B O O T L E G, bootleg. You may end up dropping that T or glottalising it bootleg. To bootleg is to illegally produce or illegally distribute something. So, for example, back in the days of DVDs, some people used to bootleg them, didn't they? They would hire a DVD or buy a DVD, and then they'd copy it onto a writable disc and then sell that illegally. So, they produced it illegally and they sold it to their friends or people on their street, and that's bootlegging. Here's another example sentence,"During the 1920s, many people chose to bootleg spirits to profit from the high demand for banned beverages." Did you ever buy something that had been bootlegged? Okay, that's our five for today, so let's do a quick recap. We started with the idiom to be as dull as dishwater or to be as dull as ditchwater, which means to be very boring. We had the adjective electric, which describes an atmosphere that is intense and filled with excitement and energy. We had the noun liqueur, describing a strong, sweet alcoholic drink that we enjoy in small amounts after a meal. We had the adjective decadent, which describes something that's characterised by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury. We had the verb bootleg, which is to illegally produce or sell something. So, let's do this now for pronunciation. Please repeat after me. To be as dull as dishwater. Be as dull as dishwater. Electric. Electric. Liqueur. Liqueur. Decadent. Decadent. Bootleg. Bootleg. Very good. What adjective describes an intense and charged atmosphere that's filled with excitement? Electric. Yes, the crowd was electric. And what's the sweet alcoholic drink that I may have after a meal? A liqueur. Very good. Sometimes you may start reading a book and it's very, very boring. What idiom could I use to describe this book? Argh! As dull as dishwater. Yes, very good. And if I attend a meal that is incredibly indulgent and luxurious, what adjective could I use to describe it? Decadent. Very good. Now, if I start producing a banned drink, this is a drink that's quite harmful if consumed in large amounts, but I start producing it at home and start selling it, it's illegal, but I do it anyway. What's the verb that you could use to describe what I'm doing? Bootleg. Yes, I'm bootlegging this drink, it's terrible. Naughty Anna, call the cops. Okay, that's our five, so let's listen out for these items once again in today's storytime. Today's story is about Oliver, a young entrepreneur who owns a small art gallery in the heart of London. When he first opened the gallery, he was excited. Oliver had a vision of creating a space where people could enjoy beautiful art and connect with local artists. But, as time went on, he faced a big problem. The gallery was not making enough money. Doing the bookkeeping was as dull as dishwater, but it was necessary to keep an eye on the finances as Oliver feared he would soon be bankrupt. One rainy afternoon, Oliver sat in his empty gallery, feeling sorry for himself. He thought about closing the doors for good. However, just as he was about to give up, a thought struck him. What if he held a special event? An art exhibition combined with a fun evening, complete with some delicious food and drinks. Oliver imagined inviting people to enjoy decadent cocktails, and maybe even bootleg some of his home-made liqueur on the side. This could attract a crowd! He spent the next few weeks preparing, contacting local artists and asking them to display their work. He partnered with a nearby bar to get some fantastic drinks at a good price and advertised everywhere, hoping that people would come. Finally, the big night arrived. Oliver felt nervous but excited. As the doors opened, Oliver was shocked to see a long line of people waiting to enter! The atmosphere was electric. Guests admired the art, enjoyed the drinks, and danced to music. It felt as if the gallery had transformed overnight! People laughed, chatted, and truly appreciated the art around them. By the end of the night, Oliver was thrilled. He sold many pieces of art and even made enough money to keep the gallery open. He realised that he was lucky to have taken a risk. Sometimes, when life gets tough, a little creativity can go a long way. To this day, the gallery is still alive and continues to host exciting events. And that brings us to the end of today's episode. I do hope you enjoyed it. It's also the end of Week 45. So please, before you leave, do take a moment to leave a like if you're watching on YouTube or to leave a rating or review if you're streaming from another platform. And don't forget to recommend The English Like a Native Podcast to your English-learning friends. Until next time. Take very good care and goodbye.