BOX SET: English vocabulary mega-class! 😍 Learn 7 English idioms in 15 minutes!

Welcome to The English We Speak with me, Rob,

but no Feifei! Where is she?

Oh, sorry I'm late.

Where have you been?

Well, I was on the way to the studio and I bumped into Richard

and you know Richard, he started rabbiting on.

Richard's got a rabbit?

No, no! I mean he wouldn't stop talking.

To 'rabbit on' describes someone talking continuously

so that other people lose interest in what they are saying and become bored.

And Richard was really going on and on and on.

So, it's got nothing to do with rabbits?

No, Rob. Let's hear some examples, shall we?

Mark just won't stop rabbiting on about the weather. He's so boring!

Freya likes to rabbit on about how amazing her boyfriend is!

Our meeting always overruns because our boss likes to rabbit on about timekeeping!

In this The English We Speak, we're looking at the phrase 'to rabbit on',

which describes someone talking so much that they become boring to listen to.

Mm. So, what was Richard rabbiting on about anyway?

Oh, he was going on about his collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

Really? Well, that's fascinating. I love Star Wars.

Does he have the Chewbacca figure, and the limited edition Darth Vader mask?

My favourite is the Luke Skywalker...

Rob, stop! Now you're rabbiting on.

Oh, am I boring you? Don't you like Star Wars?

No.

Oh, OK, time to go, I think. I'll go and chat to Richard instead. Bye.

And I'm Neil. Hi, Jiaying. How are you?

I've been looking for you! I've got something to show you.

Why are you talking to an empty chair? I'm here! And why are you wearing sunglasses?

It's quite dark in here already. No wonder you couldn't see me.

Ahh! There you are. Check out my new vegan leather jacket, isn't it cool?

It is, but why are you trying to look so cool? Are you trying to be a 'cool cat'?

Cool cat? What are you talking about?

There isn't a picture of a cat on my jacket.

No, Neil, I said you're trying to be a 'cool cat'.

We use this expression to describe a person

who's exceptionally fashionable and trendy.

It's also used to describe someone who's funny, charming, and quite often relaxed.

It's thought to originate from the jazz scene.

Ah, that makes sense.

That describes me perfectly. I'm a very cool cat.

I never get stressed out and always look so trendy.

OK. Well, we can talk more about how cool you think you are after these examples.

Jethro is such a cool cat! He always dresses in the latest fashion.

Yuqing is so awesome to work with.

She's funny and never gets stressed out. She's one cool cat!

I met Tano at a jazz music performance!

He plays the saxophone and he's such a cool cat.

You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English,

and we're talking about the expression 'cool cat'.

We use it to say that someone is very stylish, trendy or relaxed

and it's associated with the jazz scene.

Now I know I'm a cool cat, I was thinking what type of cat I would be.

Maybe a big cat, like a lion or tiger.

Well, do you know that this year is the Year of the Tiger?

Really? Well, I hope that everyone has an amazing Year of the Tiger!

Thanks. But, Neil, why are you wearing a fake leather jacket inside the building?

Surely you should wear that outside?

The heating isn't working, so I wore a cool jacket to keep warm.

I'd rather be a cool cat than a cold person!

That makes total sense.

Well, I hope you get warm soon. Bye, Neil!

Bye!

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Jiaying.

And hello, I'm Neil.

In this programme we're talking about an English phrase

that describes a situation that particularly annoys you.

We call this a 'pet hate'.

Pet hate.

Let's be clear —

this has nothing do with animals we keep at home, like a cat or a rabbit — a pet.

It hasn't.

A pet hate is just something annoying —

although something your pet does might annoy you!

My pet hate is when someone doesn't switch the lights off when they leave a room.

That is annoying, but not something I would say I hate.

'Hate' is a strong word that means to dislike something very much.

True. A pet hate isn't such a strong dislike for something.

It is something that just irritates you and not everyone will feel the same way.

Think of 'pet' as something that is personal to you,

so 'pet hate' is a personal dislike for something.

A similar expression is 'pet peeve'.

Let's hear some examples of pet hates.

My pet hate is when I'm on the train

and people are speaking really loudly on their mobile phones.

Urgh, it's so annoying.

My dad's pet hate is having to look for the remote control

every time he wants to turn on the TV.

I have a real pet hate for the sound of people biting their fingernails.

Oh, I wish they wouldn't do it!

In this The English We Speak programme we're talking about the phrase 'pet hate'

or 'pet peeve', which describes something that personally annoys you.

It's irritating to you, but not necessarily a huge concern for everyone.

Yes. For examples, we wouldn't say climate change is a 'pet hate',

but as I said, leaving the lights on, which wastes energy,

is a pet hate of mine.

Hold on — weren't you the last person in the office last night, Jiaying?

I was.

So, it was you who left all the lights on! Ahh, very annoying.

Oops, sorry. But I had to stay late because I had to clean up the place.

It's so annoying when people leave their empty coffee cups on their desks —

that is such a pet hate of mine.

It just goes to show, we all have pet hates —

maybe we should just learn to forgive one another.

That's another one of my pet hates — people who pretend to be nice!

Come on, you can help me wash up the rest of the dirty coffee cups.

OK. Bye for now.

Bye.

Welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Jiaying.

And hello, I'm Neil. Jiaying, are you feeling OK today?

Yes, I'm fine, thanks. Why are you asking?

Well, when we spoke yesterday, you said you were 'as sick as a parrot'.

I wasn't ill!

When someone says they are 'as sick as a parrot',

they mean they are very disappointed about something.

I was saying how disappointed I was with the outcome of the football match.

My team lost!

Oh, I see, but why were you watching the football match with a sick parrot?

I didn't know you had one.

I haven't got one, Neil, but I was very disappointed.

I'm sure, but I didn't know parrots liked football as well.

Oh, Neil! Listen to these examples and it will become clear.

I was as sick as a parrot when I saw someone had scratched my new car!

He was as sick as a parrot when he saw how much litter had been left in the park.

When I heard my colleague got a promotion over me, I was sick as a parrot.

This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English

and we're hearing about the phrase 'as sick as a parrot',

which we can use when we're very disappointed about something.

So, Neil, have you got it now? There are no parrots, it's just a saying.

Got it! No parrots.

Exactly, just great disappointment.

Hm. But I wonder how sick a parrot has to be in order to feel disappointment?

Let's not worry about it. The phrase has got nothing to do with sickness.

OK then. See you later.

Bye, Neil.

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

And hello, it's me — argh — Neil.

Are you OK?

I can't stop itching.

Oh, dear, that's very uncomfortable. What's caused that?

Well, it's probably because I've started gardening.

I've planted some flowers and I've started growing my own vegetables.

I'm impressed! It sounds like you've been 'bitten by the bug'.

Yes, bugs in the garden — that's what's causing me to itch. Argh!

Probably, but I wasn't referring to the actual bugs!

When you are 'bitten by the bug',

it means you have become very interested and excited in doing something.

We're not actually being bitten by a bug!

But, in your case, Neil, it looks like you've been bitten by both types of bugs!

Yep. Can we have some examples, please?

Ballroom dancing is back in fashion and Katerina's been bitten by the bug.

She's bought a sequinned dress to wear at her lessons.

Lyn's been bitten by the fitness bug — he spends hours at the gym every day.

I've been bitten by the travel bug —

I'm always looking for new destinations to visit.

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

I've been explaining the phrase to be 'bitten by the bug',

which means to become interested and excited in doing something.

So, it's great that you've become interested in gardening, Neil.

Thanks, but not great if bugs are going to bite me

every time I go into the garden.

Maybe it's not bugs. I've heard that poison ivy can cause severe itching.

Oh, no, I don't like the sound of that.

Hmm, maybe gardening isn't for me. Can I be 'unbitten by the bug'?

No, Neil. But I know what you mean.

Right, I'm off to buy some cream to soothe my itches. Bye.

Bye, Neil.

Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Feifei.

And me, Roy. Who's the person in the grey suit speaking to Neil?

I'm not sure, but he looks very elegant.

He looks really familiar.

Is it Brad Pitt?

No, it's not. But I'm sure I recognise his face. It's really bugging me.

What? The man's face has a bug on it?

No, Roy. I said it's 'bugging me'.

If something 'bugs someone', it's really annoying or irritating.

People can also bug another person —

it's an informal way of saying 'irritate someone'.

So, what I meant was he seems familiar,

but I'm still not sure who it is, and it's annoying me!

Ahh. That makes sense. Yeah, it's bugging me too.

I'll go and ask who it is while we listen to some examples.

My car is always breaking down. It really bugs me that they can't fix it.

My friend is bugging me about going to the cinema, but I don't want to go.

I'm sorry. I don't mean to bug you by asking you again,

but I forgot if you wanted tea or coffee.

You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English

and we're hearing about the expression 'bug someone',

which means something is irritating or annoying someone.

It can be used to talk about a thing or a person that we find annoying.

So, Roy, did you find out who the person in the great suit is?

I did, yes.

And?

And you'll never guess who it was!

Oh, Roy, just tell me who it was and don't bug me!

It's Rob. He had a haircut and a new suit on. He looks amazing!

Wow! I should have guessed! That'll bug me for a while!

Well, I don't want to bug you any longer. Bye!

Bye.

Hello, and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Feifei.

And hello, I'm Neil.

Do you know who made that awful mess in the kitchen?

It's me! I'm just cooking! I'll clean it up as soon as I'm finished.

Well, it looks like a 'dog's dinner' in there!

A dinner for my dog? Don't be silly. I've already cooked for Leia, my dog.

This is a meal for the whole BBC Learning English team!

No, Neil. I didn't say a dinner for your dog. I said 'a dog's dinner'.

We use this expression, 'a dog's dinner', to describe a complete mess.

Which is why I said the kitchen looks like a dog's dinner.

You think the kitchen looks a mess? But I'm only using one pan!

Not that kitchen, the other one! Look at it!

Oh, wow! That really is a dog's dinner. I wonder who made all that mess?

Let's find out while we listen to these examples.

He made a dog's dinner of his final project and failed the course.

She made a dog's dinner of her hair when she tried to cut it herself.

The room looked like a dog's dinner five minutes after my son arrived.

This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.

We're learning about the expression 'a dog's dinner', which means 'a total mess'.

So, did you find out who made all that mess?

No, I didn't. You?

No, but what's great is that everyone on the BBC Learning English team

is working together to clear it up!

They're ready to try the meal you're cooking!

Wow, that sounds like a bit of pressure!

Hopefully I didn't make a dog's dinner of the recipe!

I'm sure you haven't. I've tasted your food before and it's amazing!

Well, Leia, my dog never complains when I cook for her.

She's a lucky girl. Bye, Neil!

Bye.