AUDIO
A friend has some new very nice sunglasses on. You comment on them.
Here we’ve got some examples of how to say things in different situations.
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DICTIONARY OF SLANG
Dictionary of slang
Situation
Relaxed
Informal
You are going to a formal dinner with a friend. You think your friend is looking dirty and untidy.
You are not very smart.
You’re looking a bit informal.
You’re looking really scruffy; you look like a mess; you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards; you look like I feel.
You are selling a car to a friend. You are trying to convince your friend that the car is in good condition.
The car is in an excellent state.
The car’s in good condition.
It’s in good nick; it’s tip top; it’s in mint condition.
That is a fabrication of the truth. That’s a lie; are you
pulling my leg? That’s a fib; that’s a porky
A friend tells you a story. You don’t believe it and accuse your friend of lying.
pie; that’s bullshit.
You are with a friend. You are about to cook some fish. It looks a bit green. You tell your friend.
The fish looks somewhat suspicious in nature.
It looks a bit strange. It smells as if it might be off.
It’s a bit iffy; it looks a bit dodgy.
You were working on a project. A friend asks you how it went. There were a few problems.
There were a few minor complications.
There were a few problems; it wasn’t without its headaches.
There were a few hiccups; there were a few probs; there were a few glitches.
A friend wants to do singing lessons, but feels a bit embarrassed about it. You encourage your friend to do it.
I strongly recommend that you do it.
I think you should give it a try.
Go on, have a bash; go on, give it a go; go for it; don’t be shy.
GLOSSARY
Please note that the words in this glossary box are literal translations of parts of idiomatic expressions.
untidy adj not ordered a hedge n a line of bushes (small trees) often used to mark where a garden ends a mint n a factory where they make money
40
Formal
hiccups n if you have “hiccups”, you make repeated noises in your throat a bash n if you “bash” something, you hit that thing
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