Are you a clean freak?
Tres, United States
Clean freak? Those guys don't exist anymore. I'm a neo-clean freak. I cannot leave my house without scrubbing my bathroom floors, without washing down the kitchen, washing my dishes, even you know, scrubbing under my sinks. That little area where you put your plastic or what have you, so everything has to be cleaned. I usually wear gloves, see! I'm wearing gloves now.
Rina, Canada
Am I a clean freak? Yes, I definitely am a clean freak. I hate when my place is messy, particularly kitchens. I don't like when my kitchen is dirty because it makes the whole house look messy and I like it when other people pay me the same respect and have their places clean when I'm over because I think it's rude if you're place is messy and you have company, and I, it drives me nuts, if I, if my room is messy. I don't know, I just like it, I like clean and tidy and organized.
Jeannie, United States
OK, am I a neat freak? No! Not at all. My room is always messy. It usually kind of mirrors what is going on in my mind. If my room is junky my mind is junky as well, so every now and then I try to clean my room just to make things neat in my own mind again.
Jim, England
I don't think I'm a clean freak. I would describe my mother as a clean freak. Her hobby is hoovering and dusting. Uh, not really, but she likes to keep the house very clean. I suppose I'm a clean freak for myself. I always have a shower every day.
Marion, Ireland
I'm definitely not a clean freak. In fact I find it quite difficult to deal with clean freaks. I like to be clean but I don't go overboard with it, so my house is sometimes messy, but I know where everything is most of the time. And I tidy up maybe every couple of weeks depending how messy my house gets. I don't like it too messy.
Todd, United States
Ah, am I a clean freak? No. I'm a total slob. I'm about the biggest slob that I know. When people come over to my apartment, they're disgusted all the time. I have trash all over the place. I let it get out of control. I leave dishes in the sink all the time. I have my dirty clothes in a pile in the corner of my room. This is not a knock on my poor mother, because my mother is very, very clean and she raised me to be clean, and I don't know, something went wrong, and I'm just a total slob.
neo-
I’m a neo-clean freak.
Neo means new. You may see neo before a word. For instance, in politics, you can be a neo-conservative or a neo-liberal. I Notice the following:
- The neo-conservative movement is growing in America.
- Today we studied neo-classical economics.
what have you
That little area where you put your plastic or what have you.
The phrase 'what have you' means the same thing as 'whatever' or 'similar things.' Notice the following:
- Young people are always wasting their time with video games, television and what have you.
- I'm going to stay in tonight and do homework, surf elllo or what have you.
junky
If my room is junky, my mind is junky.
The word 'junky' is a slang term that means the same thing as messy. Notice the following:
- I live in a junky old apartment.
- That coffee shop was junky but cool.
hoovering
Her hobby is hoovering and dusting.
Hoovering means to use a vacuum cleaner to clean the floor. Notice the following:
- Mom just bought a new Hoover.
- Hoovering and dusting is not a fun way to spend an afternoon.
go overboard
I like to be clean, but I don’t go overboard with it.
To 'go overboard' means to do too much. If you eat chocolate and go overboard, that means you ate too much and you might get a stomachache. Notice the following:
1. He went overboard trying to impress his girlfriend's parents.
2. I always go overboard and eat too much at buffets.
out of control
I let it get out of control.
When something or someone is 'out of control' it means we can't stop what is happening. It's almost always negative. Notice the following:
1. Nicole goes shopping everyday. She's out of control.
2. My room is so messy that I can't walk around. I let it get out of control.
Vocabulary Quiz
hoover • overboard • control
