Improve Your English: English in Everyday Life

The Home
43
DEFINITIONS
bay window:
A kind of window that, instead of being 
fl ush with the exterior wall of the house, extends out-
ward, usually with a windowsill large enough to hold 
objects such as potted plants or for a person to sit.
cathedral ceiling:
A high vaulted ceiling similar to that 
found in a church or cathedral.
comfy:
Slang for or shortening of the word 
comfortable
.
contracting out:
Hiring a contractor to do work.
disclose of:
Th
e speaker probably intends to say “dispose 
of,” which means “to sell [in this case], get rid of, throw 
away, or relinquish ownership of.”
drop zone:
An area or business devoted to skydiving.
fi nished out:
Completed construction.
full bathroom:
In American houses, a bathroom that has 
a sink, toilet, and shower or tub.
gonna:
Going to.
great room:
A large living room.
late:
Deceased, dead.
lays it right out:
To explain something or give a clear 
illustration or presentation of it.
Lincoln logs:
A children’s toy consisting of a set of 
wooden or plastic logs of varying sizes, from which a 
child could construct various kinds of houses or other 
structures by interlocking the logs together. Th
e toy is 
named after Abraham Lincoln, a former President of the 
United States, who lived in a log home as a child.

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Impr
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log house:
A house made of logs. Th
is kind of house 
had its origin in the time of the original settlement of 
the United States. Th
e logs were trees that had been cut 
down, shaped, and fi xed together.