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 mugful of tea! However mug has many more meanings. It has origins in working-class communities in Britain, where several definitions can be found. Our first is a noun meaning a human face. In the 18th century mug ..read more

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 had fun together, spent time together or done just about anything which they were not a part of. We've all experienced FOMO, or the "fear of missing out," but what about JOMO? JOMO describes the exact opposite to ..read more

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 meaning tasting or containing salt, Of course, you may have assumed that it was in relation to food. For example: - "damn you over salted this chicken." - "these chips are really too salty" In slang we can also say ..read more

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 ‘sick’ was not an insult at all but in fact a compliment! Sick S-I-C-K in formal English means to not be in good health. If you are sick you should stay at home and get lots of rest! However, as we know slang likes to ..read more

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 you that his driving license expired one month ago! Now what would we say about this friend, that he is stupid? dumb? Oh no we can be much more creative than that! How about using some idiomatic phrases? We cou ..read more

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 want to go to the beach, well hop in your car, drive for twenty 20 minutes and Bob’s your uncle you are there! No no I am not talking about your literal uncle at the beach."Bob's your uncle" is a phrase commonly us ..read more

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 has many meanings as a verb. Firstly beat can mean to defeat someone in a game or other competitive situation. Used as so: - "France beat Portugal in 2000 in a great football match" It could also mean to stri ..read more

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 are all shook. Shook S-H-O-O-K is a slang term that can be used as an adjective meaning shocked, surprised, or startled. The inner monologue for feeling shook is thinking: - ‘Whoa, what just happened?’ In formal ..read more

This weekend I have been lazy, I have gone shopping, tidied my flat and spent some time with my chum... Louisa what are you talking about now? What are your chums? Chums C-H-U-M-S, is a tricky slang word, we can use it as a noun, a verb or an adjective. So let’s see how now! As a noun Chum simply means a close friend. The origin of “chum” in this sense is strictly used in speech. The phrase Chum first appeared in the late 17th century and was derived from “chamber fellow” meaning roommate. It was used in schools and colleges around Britain simply referring to the person who you shared a room ..read more

While telling my Italian friends about my good friend Ollie from Glasgow I said "he is a good bloke". Bloke? what nationality is that? No it is not a nationality! So what is my friend Ollie? Bloke B-L-O-K-E is an extremely common term denoting a man. It is a noun used in reference to an ordinary man, with a similar meaning to "average joe" in America. Bloke is a slang term for a common man found used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. The earliest known usage is from the early 19th century, when it was recorded as a London slang term. The word's origin i ..read more