BOX SET: English vocabulary mega-class! 🤩 Learn 7 two-word English expressions!

The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.

Hello and welcome to The  English We Speak. I'm Feifei.

And I'm Rob!

And, I have to say Rob, you look  fantastic. Big night tonight, eh?

Uh, well I like to make an  effort sometimes. It's not  

every night you get invited to a movie premiere.

So handsome! Do you like my bow tie?

Oh yes, just one thing... What's that?

It's a bit skew-whiff. Oh, really?

Yes it's not quite straight.

Here. Oh, thanks. That's better!

Absolutely!

It's a good word 'skew-whiff'.  We use it to describe things  

that 'aren't quite straight or  not quite as they should be'.

Like your tie, and your um, hang on your hair - No, no, no! Don't touch the hair. I spent  

ages getting it just right.

Sorry. We can also use 'skew-whiff' to describe  things that 'don't go according to plan'.

Now Feifei, I'm just off to check myself in the  mirror, let's play some examples while I'm gone:

'There we go! One perfectly hung  picture. What do you think?'

'It's a little bit skew-whiff.  Let me hang it straight.'

'This table is skew-whiff. One  of the legs must be too short.'

'That journey went a bit skew-whiff  after we missed the train this morning.'

'I wanted to spend the whole  weekend working on my dissertation,  

but everything went a bit skew-whiff  when my friend arrived in the afternoon.'

This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning  English. We're talking about the word skew-whiff.

Okay, that's my bow tie looking  perfect now. Thanks Feifei.

Great! There's one more thing. Oh yes, what's that?

Take some chewing gum. Your breath is fine,  

I think, but it's always good  to have some, just in case.

Yes, you wouldn't want a whiff  of bad breath at the premiere.

Indeed. The word 'whiff' on its own  means 'a sudden smell of something'.

No danger of that happening now. Enjoy the show! I will, bye!

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak  

with you, Neil. And you, Jiaying!

And today Jiaying, it's your birthday!  I'm going to make the coffee.

- But - - No, I insist.

And I'm going to buy the biscuits,  not the cheap ones this time.

Really? Hm... Promises, promises.

Yep, that's right, two promises:  

make the coffee and buy nice biscuits.  It is your birthday, after all.

When I said promises, promises  I was being sarcastic.

Oh!

When we say 'promises, promises'  to someone 'we're being sarcastic'  

because we don't really believe that someone  would do what they said they would do. Sorry Neil,  

I was saying I don't believe you'll  do it. Let's hear these examples:

'Promises, promises. The plumber said  he'd be here at 8:00am, but he isn't.'

'Next time I will remember to bring  some money to pay for dinner.'

'Promises, promises.'

'My boyfriend says he'll take me to Venice  for a mini break. Promises, promises.'

This is The English We Speak  from BBC Learning English,  

and we're talking about the expression  promises, promises, which we can say  

to someone if we don't believe they  will do what they say they will do.

So Neil, what about this coffee and  biscuits you're getting? Are they ready yet?

Well, I haven't got much time at the moment and  I need to borrow some money to buy the biscuits.

Like I said, promises, promises... But  it doesn't matter; I've been trying to  

tell you that it's not my birthday today.

Oh why didn't you say? Well,  

when it is your birthday I'll make  the coffee and buy the biscuits.

Not the cheap ones? No, the expensive ones, I promise!

Really?

Yep, I never break a promise!

Hi Neil, nice shoes!

Really Feifei? I'm not so sure about them.

They look cool. Orange is very original.

You're just being nice. I've decided buying  orange shoes was a bad move; I look stupid.

Were they expensive?

Very expensive!

Oh, you know what? I think you're  suffering from buyer's remorse.

I suppose I do regret buying them.

'buyer's remorse' is our phrase in this The  English We Speak. It's a particular kind of regret  

people can feel after a big purchase, like a house  or a car. They feel they've made a bad decision.

Yes, that sounds right. Have you ever felt it?

Yes, after I bought my new bike. Thankfully the  

feeling passed! I love my bike  now. Listen to these examples:

'I made a terrible decision buying this house.  

It's in a bad location and it needs a  lot of repairs. What was I thinking?'

'Sounds like buyer's remorse my friend. Relax,  

the repairs aren't serious and it only takes  5 minutes to get to the train station.'

'Lovely new car!' 'Thanks, but I'm  

feeling terrible buyer's remorse right now;  it was so expensive! What if I lose my job?'

'Why did I order lobster soup? Your potato  soup was half the price and it's tastier.'

'I know the feeling. I always  order the wrong thing and then  

get some serious buyer's remorse. Let's share!'

You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC  Learning English. The expression we're looking  

at in this programme is buyer's remorse.  So Neil, are you feeling any better now?

You know the funny thing is I bought  these shoes to cheer myself up.

Oh, a bit of retail therapy was it? Buying  

something to make yourself feel  happier, it doesn't always work.

Sadly not.

Hey aren't they running shoes?

Yes.

Well, how about this for a crazy idea? Go for  a run in them! They'll make you feel better.

You're probably right, as always Feifei.

And, by the way, I do think they  look great. Orange suits you.

Oh thanks, I guess they are pretty unique.

Bye!

Bye!

Hello and welcome to The  English We Speak. I'm Feifei.

Oh, and I'm Neil...  

Oh you don't sound too good  Neil. What's up? Are you sick?

I feel sick.

What are the symptoms?

Okay Dr Feifei here we go: I can't sleep, I  feel anxious all the time, I can't concentrate  

on anything, I have itchy eyes, I'm tired,  my neck hurts, I have terrible headaches -

Ah, I know what the problem is! Do you  happen to spend a lot of of time online?

Yes, all the time!

Do you keep your phone with you  in bed, at dinner, in the toilet?

Yes, yes, yes, of course! What's  this got to do with how awful I feel?

You need a detox.

A detox? But I haven't drunk any alcohol for  

months. I exercise every day  and I only eat organic food.

No you need a digital detox! 'a  digital detox' is 'a period of  

time away from all devices that  can connect to the internet'.

I can't do that! It's impossible. It'll get even  

worse. What if someone likes my  status at 4:00am and I miss it?

Now, that is a sign you're addicted. You really  do need a digital detox. Let's hear some examples:

'My phone broke the day I went on holiday,  

which forced me to have a digital  detox. I felt so relaxed.'

'I spend all day and night  on Saturdays on social media,  

so I need a digital detox every Sunday,  or I'm too tired to go to work on Monday.'

'Right, here's the key to the safe  that I've locked all my gadgets in.  

I'm going to do this digital  detox even if it kills me.'

This is the English We Speak from  BBC Learning English, and I'm with  

Neil who uses his smartphone tablet and  laptop so much he's made himself ill!

And Dr Feifei here has prescribed  a strict digital detox.

We use the word 'detox' more generally  to describe 'a period when you stop  

doing something harmful, like drinking  too much alcohol or eating junk food'.

And so, a digital detox is  a break from all electronic  

gadgets. Okay well, here's my phone Feifei.

I'll deal with that!

Oh no, I suppose it's for the best... Goodbye!

Dr Feifei always knows best.

Hello, I'm Jiaying! This is The English We Speak.

And hello, I'm Rob.

You know, I'm a little bit worried about  Roy. Have you seen him today? Is he okay?

I saw him earlier. He was smiling as normal and  in a good mood. Why were you worried about him?

Well, I overheard him talking  and he said he was bankrupt.

No Rob, Roy was talking about a film he  watched and he said it was creatively bankrupt.

We use the expression 'creatively  bankrupt' to describe something  

that's 'completely unoriginal or  lacks creativity or innovation'.

Ah, that makes sense! So, I guess he really  didn't like that film then. Mind you,  

films were better when I was younger.

Well Rob, we can talk about your  nostalgia right after these examples:

'Margaret's third novel didn't do anything  new and it just felt creatively bankrupt.'

'The singer's new album felt creatively bankrupt.  All the songs sounded boring and unoriginal.'

'The film is creatively bankrupt it's like  

the director repeated things  he did in his last movie.'

This is the English We Speak from BBC Learning  English. We're talking about the expression  

creatively bankrupt. We use it to say there is  a lack of creativity in something that should  

normally feel innovative, like the story of a film  or a video game. We can also use it to describe  

someone who's not original, or out of good ideas.  So, you think films used to be more creative?

Oh yes, everything seems so fresh and new.  These days I feel like I've seen it all before,  

the same stories characters and  conversations. It just feels so -

Creatively bankrupt! Rob, have  you thought about writing your  

own films? You're always full of great ideas.

Hm, but sometimes I also feel  a bit creatively bankrupt,  

like I have no idea how to be original  and innovative when I'm writing stories.

Have you tried speaking to Roy? He  writes some really crazy stories  

that are always really original. Maybe  you could write something together?

Mm, that's a great idea!  He's always putting unicorns,  

flamingos and chimpanzees in his stories.  I reckon it would be so good that it will  

win awards. I might even give up my job  and work on a film with Roy full-time!

Careful Rob, if you give up your  job, you might run out of money,  

and then instead of being creatively  bankrupt you would be literally bankrupt.

Hm, good point. Better to be  out of ideas than out of money.

That's right. Bye!

Bye-bye.

Hello everyone this is The  English We Speak with me Feifei.

And me Rob!

Hey Feifei, do you need me to order you a pizza?

Why would I want you to order me a  pizza when we're presenting a programme?

Oh go on, just say pizza and my new  smartphone will instantly order one for you.

Ah, I see. I know you've got a new  and very expensive smartphone Rob,  

but I'm quite happy using  my bog-standard dumb phone.

'bog-standard'? you mean 'it's  basic, ordinary and unexceptional'?

I do Rob. It's a strange expression  and nobody really knows its origins.

Well, I think it's got something to do with  the English slang for 'toilet' - 'bog',  

which is where your old phone should be!

Thanks Rob. Shall we hear some  bog-standard examples now:

'I've got a bog-standard computer, but it's fine  for just sending emails and surfing the internet.'

'Sorry you got a low Mark in your homework,  but, to be honest, it was bog-standard.'

'I found the new film bog-standard; it lacked  the action and special effects I was expecting.'

This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning  English and we're learning about the phrase  

bog-standard which describes things that  are basic ordinary and unexceptional.

Yes, like your basic mobile phone.

Oh, is that a message on your new,  shiny, very expensive smartphone?

Yes, yes it is. Uh, it's my  first bill for my new phone.  

Let's have a look... What?! How much?! Whoa!

Oh dear Rob, it's not such a  new, shiny phone no, is it?

Oh no, how are we going to order a pizza now?

On my bog-standard phone? Here, just press the  numbers and you can actually talk to someone.

No, I'm not hungry now.

Bye!

Bye.

Hello and welcome to The  English We Speak. I'm Feifei.

And I'm Roy! Did you watch  the latest episode of the  

hit soap A Duck Between A Rock And A Hard Place?

No, I haven't watched the latest episode yet.

It was epic! Spoiler alert, it turns  out that Martin wasn't really a duck  

but actually Bob the evil twin brother  of the magnificent unicorn Flimflam.

What? I can't believe you ruined the  story for me with that spoiler. I've  

been watching them and now you have  told me the big ending for the story.

But, I did say spoiler alert before I told  you, and don't worry there's going to be  

another episode tonight because, spoiler alert,  the evil unicorn Bob didn't die at the end!

Roy, that's another thing you've  told me. Just because you say  

'spoiler alert' doesn't mean you  can tell me everything that happens.

Sorry Feifei, I promise I won't tell you any  other spoilers. Let's listen to these examples:

'Martina told me a massive  secret that happens in the  

book and she forgot to say spoiler  alert. I'm so annoyed with her.'

'Next time you give me a spoiler, make  sure you say spoiler alert beforehand.'

'I hate spoilers. They ruin films  for me, but when I watch a video  

on social media and I hear someone say  spoiler alert I turn it straight off.'

This is The English We Speak from BBC  Learning English and we're talking about  

the expression 'spoiler alert'. We say  this as 'a warning when we're going to  

reveal part of the story of a film book or TV  series'. I hate when people give me spoilers.

Yeah, spoilers can ruin the story  for someone. I'm sorry Feifei,  

I shouldn't have given you any spoilers.

Well, after you say spoiler alert you need to give  me more time before you tell me what happened.

Sorry, I will do! Well, I suppose  we're even now for all the times  

you've told us secrets about films and  series; you never even say spoil alert!

Well Roy, did you get the email from me earlier?

No, why? What did it say?

Spoiler alert, you have to work the  weekend because I'm going to the spa!

What? Not again. Bye Feifei.