Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
00:07
Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
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00:10
I’m Feifei.
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00:11
Rob: And I’m Rob.
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00:12
Feifei: And I have to say Rob, you look fantastic!
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00:17
Big night, tonight, eh?
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00:18
Rob: Well, I like to make an effort sometimes.
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00:21
It’s not every night you get invited to a movie premiere.
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00:25
Feifei: So handsome…
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00:26
Rob: Do you like my bow tie?
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00:27
Feifei: Oh yes. Just one thing…
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00:30
Rob: What’s that?
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00:31
Feifei: It’s a bit… 'skew-whiff'.
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00:33
Rob: Oh, really?
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00:34
Feifei: Yes. It’s not quite straight. Here.
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00:38
Rob: Oh, thanks. That's better.
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00:41
Feifei: Absolutely.
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00:42
Rob: It’s a good word, 'skew-whiff'.
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00:44
We use it to describe things that aren’t quite straight,
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00:48
or not quite as they should be.
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00:49
Feifei: Like your tie. And your…
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00:52
hang on… your hair.
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00:53
Rob: No, no, no – don’t touch the hair.
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00:55
I spent ages getting it just right.
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00:58
Feifei: Sorry. We can also use 'skew-whiff' to describe
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01:01
things that don’t go according to plan.
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01:04
Rob: Now Feifei, I’m just off to check myself
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01:06
in the mirror.
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01:07
Let’s play some examples while I’m gone.
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01:12
A: There we go! One perfectly hung picture.
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01:17
What do you think?
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01:18
B: Hmm, it’s a little bit skew-whiff.
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01:21
Let me hang it straight.
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01:25
This table is skew-whiff.
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01:27
One of the legs must be too short.
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01:30
Our journey went a bit skew-whiff
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01:33
after we missed the train this morning.
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01:37
I wanted to spend the whole weekend
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01:39
working on my dissertation, but
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01:41
everything went a bit skew-whiff
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01:43
when my friend arrived in the afternoon.
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01:49
Rob: This is the English We Speak
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01:51
from BBC Learning English.
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01:52
We are talking about the word 'skew-whiff'.
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01:55
OK, that’s my bow tie looking perfect now,
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01:58
thanks Feifei.
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01:58
Feifei: Great. There’s one more thing.
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02:00
Rob: Oh yes? What’s that?
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02:02
Feifei: Take some chewing gum. Your breath is fine,
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02:06
I think, but it’s always good to have some, just in case.
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02:10
Rob: Yes, you wouldn’t want a whiff of bad breath
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02:13
at the premiere.
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02:14
Feifei: Indeed, the word ‘whiff’ on its own means
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'a sudden smell of something'.
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02:19
No danger of that happening now. Enjoy the show!
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02:22
Rob: I will!
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02:23
Feifei and Rob: Bye.
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