The Slang Podcast - Learn British English Now

One of my friends is a musician and he is performing at his first concert tomorrow! This morning I saw him for a coffee and said:Looking at me with confusion and fear he repeated:Break a leg? Why on earth would I want thatYou may be as confused as he was, so let's explore this slang phrase...To clarify I am not wishing him bad luck! The opposite actually. This idiom "to break a leg

After a long day at work my partner always asks how I am feeling. I usually reply with one of the two:hungry-ish or tired-ish.So what does this 'ish’' mean? Do I need to eat or go to bed? Ish spelt I-S-H is an informal suffix used to say about or approximately. This informal suffix can be added to many words including numbers or times of the day. For example:How old is she?Umm 40

Our slang word of the week is mug spelt M-U-G. This is a tricky word due to its vast range of meanings within both slang and formal English. Now our first and formal meaning of mug is a noun meaning a vessel for hot drinks.- Every morning I drink a big mug of earl grey tea-It can also be used as the quantity that can be held in a mug, for example:- Oh no I just knocked over a mugfu

Have you ever suffered from FOMO or JOMO? If you've no idea what I'm talking about, then it could be argued that you're in fact already a victim of them without knowing!So FOMO, F-O-M-O what is it? This relatively new acronym stands for the expression fear of missing out, used to describe that feeling of anxiety which many people experience when they discover that other people have

So you have planned three holidays, booked time off work and are totally ready to lay on a beach sipping pina coladas under the sun. This I am sure were many of your summer plans, unfortunately they have been put on hold due to the recent pandemic.How do you feel now? Angry? Disappointed? Salty? Yes Salty! Let me explain myself, in formal english Salty S-A-L-T-Y is an adjective mea

My friend Kelly used to work at an Italian Pizzeria in Canterbury. She worked with many Italian chefs and would compliment them on the daily pasta specials looking ‘sick’.Their response was usually one of embarrassment or anger, thinking she had insulted their cooking. A basic cardinal sin in Italy. This led to an awkward work environment to say the least, until so explained �

Today we will be exploring idiomatic phrases that I would say are rare gems of slang. Before we start, I want to give you some context.You and your friend have decided to go for a day at the beach, you have been planning this trip for a long time, you have organised everything and finally the morning comes. Just as you are about to set off your friend, who should be driving informs

Things don’t seem easy these days, whether you're setting up an online bank account, learning how to work i-teach platform to teach your students, or finding the right ingredients in the supermarket to make your boyfriend's favorite cake.I hope things feel easier soon, and to prepare you for when they are I have a few phrases to teach you today.Imagine it is summer 2019 and you w

As I have been trapped inside for a while now, I have been "face timing" many of my close friends who are far away, as I am sure you have all been doing. While speaking to my closest friend Ella I commented:- "woah! Your face looks absolutely beat!"You may think this comment is strange as in formal beat BEAT the word beat has negative and strong connotations. In formal English beat

Before we get started I wanted to say a few words about the current global situation.In desperate times we feel panicked and scared for many reasons. I want to thank everyone who is helping us during this crisis, especially doctors and nurses tirelessly working against this pandemic.All we can do is wait, be kind to each other and most importantly stay inside. It's safe to say we a