The Slang Podcast - Learn British English Now

Ok so today we will be looking at a word that I use all the time! This word is fancy. If you are an English language learner you most probably have heard this word before however I encounter students daily who do not fully understand how and when to use this word so let's clear it up today! Fancy F-A-N-C-Y is a verb with many meanings used all the time in the UK, especially in the south. You may r...

While telling my Italian friend about my travels around Italy we got onto the topic of Rome, a beautiful and lively city. I stayed there for 3 weeks alone over a recent summer while studying classics. However I had to admit that some areas were slightly dodgy and I preferred not to stay alone in them. Dodgy she responded? Louisa I don't understand this at all. So let's look at this word today… In...

In November I often feel gutted, its cold, the sun has disappeared and as Christmas crawls closer I check my bank account and wonder if my family would each be happy receiving an ironic orange. Not sure how I am feeling? Let's clarify this word gutted now. Gutted spelt G-U-T-T-E-D is British slang word of pure contextual emotion. To be "gutted" about a situation means to be devastated and saddened...

Having a partner of a different nationality has many benefits however I must say, me and my Italian boyfriend often find ourselves slightly lost in translation over small things, mainly due to slang. For example Yesterday I ask my boyfriend if we should link at 5pm, he agreed. By 5pm I was waiting outside his flat, very annoyed and very cold. Once he finally arrived I asked him why he was late. He...

Have you ever been to a boring party? Stuck with the same music and dry conversation on repeat? Then it’s time to tell your mates to bail! Confusing right? Why am I talking about jail and money at this party, well let me explain... In formal english bail B-A-I-L is a noun meaning the temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition of paying a sum of money. However as...

While living in Italy I have noticed the vast range of adjectives that can be used to describe positive or cool things. Having a lack of knowledge of these in Italian is something that makes me really stand out as a language learner. So today I want to share a great word to describe something in a positive way. Wavy. W-A-V-Y. A simple definition of the word wavy means for something to be cool and...

While having dinner with an Italian friend, she asked me if I would like to go for a glass of wine, I told her I was very tired and was planning to go and cotch. She nodded and asked me where I was getting and coach to. I quickly explained the spelling and meaning of the word and this is what I am going to share with you all today. Cotch C-O-T-C-H is a verb meaning to sit, relax and chill out. We...

While arriving in my class yesterday I apologized to my students for being late. I told my students this was because there were bare people outside. They all suddenly rushed to the window and stared out of it. One of my students said "I don’t see any naked people! They all have their clothes on!". I explained to my students that within slang bare doesn’t actually have anything to do with nudity as...

Recently one of my students are I were joking with each other about our accents, he was mocking me for my poor accent while speaking Italian, especially when rolling my Rs. I told him that I wasn't offended for this comment as firstly is it true and secondly because his comment was only banter. At this moment he turned to me and looked very confused, this word was brand new for him, as it might be...

Hello and Welcome to Slang . I am Louisa May Adams, this is our first podcast so if you enjoy it please keep checking out what more we have in store! I am an English Language teacher living in Italy, I am originally from Canterbury England. Have you ever noticed some of the best non native English speakers totally freak out when they visit the UK? I have and trust me, this is not because of their...