Episode 104 • Likes & Dislikes
Be a sucker for
Be hooked on
Be into
(Not) be your cup of tea
(Not) care for something
Story
Girl: Lily! Guess what? I have a surprise for you.
Lily: What is it?
Girl: Well, I know you’ve been single for a while so tonight I invited my friend Matt.
Lily: But I…
Girl: Shh, listen. He is perfect for you. He’s 25, tall, dark hair and he’s an actor.
Lily: He’s an actor? Oh damn it, you know I‘m a sucker for actors.
Girl: I know!
Lily: Okay but what about his personality? Do we like the same things? Do we have the same interests? Because you know that’s really important to-
Girl: Shut up, here he comes. Hey Matt, this is Lily. Lily, Matt. Oh, look at that, I’m getting a phone call. You guys talk, get to know each other. Excuse me…
Lily: Hi.
Matt: Hey.
Lily: So, uhm, Matt. What- What do you like to do in your free time?
Matt: Oh I love watching TV, in fact there’s this new true crime show I‘m totally hooked on. It’s called Till Death do Us Part. Have you watched it?
Lily: Uhm, no. I don’t watch a lot of TV to be honest.
Matt: Oh, then what do you like to do?
Lily: Well, I‘m really into fitness, so I like working out, going on hikes.
Matt: Ugh, yeah, well… that‘s not really my cup of tea. Matt: Uhm, what about food! Do you like food?
Lily: Yeah, yeah, I do! You too?
Matt: Yeah, of course. There’s nothing better than a good ol’ steak.
Lily: Oh, I’m – I’m vegan.
Oh, okay.
Lily: Yeah, I love animals, I have three cats.
Matt: You do?
Lily: Yeah! You like cats?
Matt: Ehhm… I don’t really care for cats, no. I prefer dogs…
Lily: Oh.
Girl: How’s it going over here? Have you fallen in love yet?
[awkward laughs].
I knew you’d be perfect for each other! Come on, let’s go eat so we can start planning your wedding!
Questions
Be a sucker for
'Oh damn it, you know I’m a sucker for actors.'
• If you are a sucker for something, does that mean you like it intensely or you dislike it intensely?
If you are a sucker for something, that means that you like something A LOT.
• If you are a sucker for something, can you resist it?
No, if you are a sucker for something that means it’s really hard for you to refuse it or resist it.
• What are you a sucker for?
I’m a sucker for sweets. I love sweets. If someone offers me something sweet, it’s really hard for me to say no. Although… If you follow me on Instagram, you may know I recently tried to give up sugar, so perhaps it’s not as bad as it used to be but yes, I’m still a sucker for sweet food.
• Is this a formal or informal expression?
This is definitely an informal expression so as long as you’re talking with a friend is fine, but I would avoid it, say, at a job interview.
Be hooked on
'… in fact there’s this new true crime show I’m totally hooked on.'
• If you are hooked on something, do you hate it or do you enjoy it a lot?
If you are hooked on something, you enjoy it a lot.
• If you are hooked on something, how often do you want to do that thing you’re hooked on?
If you are hooked on something, you want to do that thing, whatever it may be, as much as possible. You like it so much to the point where it almost feels like an addiction almost and you can’t stop doing that.
• Is there something you’re hooked on at the moment?
Yep, unfortunately, as much as I hate to admit it, I’m hooked on a reality TV show called The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Guys, I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I am hooked. I cannot stop watching it. Thank goodness the show’s almost over…. I’m watching season 10 at the moment and there are 11 seasons in total. So yes, judge me all you want… I’ve watched 10 seasons of that crap. What can I tell you? I’m hooked! I can’t stop!
Be into
'Well, I’m really into fitness, so I like working out, going on hikes.'
• If you are into something, do you enjoy it or not?
Yep, saying that you’re into something is another way of saying that you like something, that you enjoy doing something.
• And if you say you’re into something, are you interested in it or not?
Yes, you are. I think that that’s the biggest difference perhaps between saying for example that you like horses or saying that you’re into horses. If you say you like horses, it could just mean that you think they’re beautiful animals, but if you say you are into horses, that would probably make me think that you know a lot about them, perhaps you ride them, you know you’re showing a deeper interest in the subject.
• What can crack?
Walls can crack. For example, in the living room, in the place where I'm staying at, there is a little crack in one of the walls. Then, screens. Unfortunately, screens can crack very easily. If you drop your phone or your tablet, the screen might crack.
• Name a few things you’re into.
So here’s the thing, I think I go through phases, but the constant in my life is that I’ve always been into languages, whether it’d be English of course, back in the day I had my French moment and now also with Spanish. And for me it’s not just a matter of trying to learn a language, I get really curious, so if I learn a new word, I want to understand exactly how to use it, sometimes I try to find its origin, especially if it’s an idiom. So, yeah, I think that and reality TV are two things that I’ve been into.
(Not) be your cup of tea
'Ugh, yeah, well… that’s not really my cup of tea.'
• If something is not your cup of tea, do you enjoy it or not?
No, you don’t. If something is not your cup of tea, that means that’s not typically something that you enjoy.
• If something isn’t your cup of tea, does that mean you hate it?
Not necessarily, it just means that, given the choice, you’d rather do something else. If you invited me to a Jazz concert for example, I would tell you “Thanks, but that’s not really my cup of tea, I prefer rock music”. That doesn't mean that if I went, I would hate but it's not something that I love.
• What’s something that’s definitely not your cup of tea?
I would say… clubbing, or just partying in general. That’s really not my cup of tea. I don’t like loud, crowded places, like if I have to hang out with friends, I’d much rather go out to dinner or even host a dinner, play board games. Okay, that probably sounds really boring but, what can I say? I like quiet environments. So yeah, clubbing is not really my cup of tea.
(Not) care for something
'I don’t really care for cats, no. I prefer dogs...'
• If you don’t care for something, do you like that something or not?
Not really, if you say you don’t care for something, that means you don’t like it. Now, don’t confuse it with ‘care about’, because caring about someone or something means that that something is important to you. This has nothing to do with how important something is to you, it’s just about whether you like it or not.
• Which is more polite? Saying you don’t care for something or that you don’t like something?
I think ‘I don’t care for whatever’ is slightly better, I mean it’s more formal and it sounds a bit nicer to me but, I mean, you’re still saying you don’t like something so just don’t say “I don’t care for you’ to someone’s face because that would be rude.
• Can you name something you don’t care for?
I think something that a lot of people find surprising is the fact that I don’t care for wine, or alcohol in general. I really don’t like it and, you know, people find it weird, especially since I’m from Italy, but yes people that meet me for the first time, if we go out, they’ll often ask me if I want some wine or something and I always have to tell them that I don’t care for wine.
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2 thoughts on “Episode 104 • Likes & Dislikes”
Hi Lara,
Welcome back, keep going; I liked the “Be hooked on” sometimes I hooked on something, but after a while, I am losing my desire; ok very good to see you again good luck
have a nice day,
Hey Khaled! Me too! I go through periods where I’m obsessed with something and then I get tired of it! 😋 P.S. Remember in this case ‘hooked’ is an adjective, so you always need the verb ‘to be/get’ so “sometimes I am/get hooked on…” 😘