– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

[Music]

Hello everyone and welcome back to Mr.

English Channel where learning English

is easy and fun. I'm Emily.

>> Hello Emily and hello to all our

wonderful listeners. It's great to be

here today. How are you Emily? I'm doing

great, Paul. So happy to be here with

you. I'm excited for our topic today.

>> Me, too. It's a really fun one. But

before we start, we have a little

message for all of you listening.

>> Yes. If you like our podcast, please

give it a big thumbs up. A like really

helps us.

>> And don't forget to subscribe to Mr.

English channel. You will see all our

new episodes. and share it with your

friends and family. Sharing is caring.

>> Exactly. Okay. So, are we ready?

>> I am so ready. Today we are talking

about American and British slang and

idioms. Hm, that sounds a little

difficult.

>> Oh, no, it's not. It's very easy and

very, very fun. Slang is just fun

informal words.

>> Ah, okay. Like words friends use.

>> Yes, exactly. And idioms are little

phrases. The words together have a

special meaning.

>> I see. So you are from the UK, Paul. You

use British English.

>> That's right. And you, Emily, are from

the US, so you use American English.

Yes. And sometimes we use different

words for the same thing. It can be

funny.

>> It can be very funny.

Let's start with a simple one. Food.

>> Ooh, my favorite topic.

Okay. What is a famous food in the UK?

>> H I love chips. I eat chips with fish.

Fish and chips. Ah, in America we call

those French fries or just fries.

>> Fries. Yes, I know that word. So, what

do you call crisps? They are thin and in

a bag.

>> We call those chips.

>> Wow. So, my chips are your fries and

your chips are my crisps. Yes, that is

confusing and funny.

>> It is. Okay. Another food word. What is

a biscuit in America?

>> A biscuit is h it's soft. It's like

bread. We eat it with butter or maybe

with chicken.

>> Oh, that is very different. In the UK, a

biscuit is sweet. It's what you call a

cookie.

>> A cookie. Yes. I love cookies. So, your

biscuit is my cookie.

>> That's it. Good job. And my biscuit is

Well, I don't know the American word for

our biscuit.

>> We will have to find out. This is so

interesting. What about clothes?

>> Good idea. Okay. I wear trousers. What

do you wear?

>> I wear pants.

>> Pants. Now, be careful with that word in

the UK.

>> Oh, why?

>> Because in the UK, pants means

underwear.

>> Oh my goodness. Really? That is a big

difference. So, I should not say I like

your pants in London.

>> No, please don't.

They will look at you funny. You can

say, "I like your trousers."

>> Okay, I will remember that. Trousers.

And what do you call a sweater? A warm

shirt.

>> We call that a jumper. I have a nice

blue jumper.

>> A jumper. That's a cute word. I like

that. Jumper.

>> And what about shoes? The ones you use

for sports? We call them sneakers.

>> Sneakers. We call them trainers because

you train in them.

>> That makes sense. Trainers. I like that,

too. Wow. So many different words.

>> It's like we're speaking two different

languages. Sometimes

>> it is. Okay. Let's talk about cars and

driving. This should be fun.

>> Ah, yes. In the UK, we drive on the left

side of the road.

>> And in the US, we drive on the right.

That's a big difference right there.

>> A very big one. And what do you put in

your car? The fuel.

>> We put gas in the car from the gas

station.

>> We use petrol. We go to the petrol

station.

>> Petrol. Hm. It sounds a bit more

official

>> maybe. And the big road where cars go

fast,

>> we call that a highway or a freeway.

>> We call it a motorway.

>> Motorway. I have seen that on signs and

movies. Okay. What about the front of

the car? The glass window.

>> We call that the wind screen.

>> The wind screen. We say wind shield to

shield from the wind.

>> And we say windcreen to screen from the

wind. Very similar.

>> Yes, exactly. What about the place you

put bags in the car? The back part.

>> That's the boot. You put your luggage in

the boot.

>> The boot? Like a shoe?

>> Yes. But it's on the car. What do you

call it? We call it the trunk. Like an

elephant's trunk.

>> A trunk. Okay. Car trunk. Car boot. So

many funny words.

>> This is great. I am learning so many new

words from you, Paul.

>> And I am learning from you. That's

great. Let's try some idioms now.

>> Okay. Idioms. Those special phrases. You

go first. Give me a British one.

>> Okay. H. A very common one is Bob's your

uncle.

>> Bob is my uncle. I don't have an uncle

named Bob. What does that mean?

>> Bob's your uncle. It means and there you

have it. Or it's that easy. For example,

you put the cake in the oven, wait 30

minutes, and Bob's your uncle. It's

ready.

>> Oh, I see. So, it's like saying, "Tada."

>> Yes, exactly. Tada is a perfect way to

describe it. Bob's your uncle.

>> I love that one. Bob's your uncle. Okay,

my turn. An American idiom is to bite

the bullet.

>> Bite the bullet. Ouch. That sounds

painful. What does it mean?

>> It means to do something difficult that

you don't want to do. For example, I

have a big test tomorrow. I need to bite

the bullet and study all night. Ah, I

understand. You have to be brave and

just do it.

>> Yes, you just have to do it. Bite the

bullet.

>> That's a very good one. Very

descriptive. Okay, my turn again. What

if I am very very happy? I can say I am

chuffed.

>> Chuffed. What a funny word. I have never

heard that before.

>> That's the one. I got a promotion at

work. I am so chuffed. It just means

very happy or pleased.

>> I like that. Chuffed. It sounds happy.

In America, if we are very happy, we

might say we are on cloud nine.

>> On cloud nine. That's beautiful. Like

you are floating in the sky.

>> Exactly. I passed my exam. I am on cloud

nine.

>> That's wonderful. I think I like on

cloud9 more than chuffed.

>> They are both great. Okay. What about

when something is not true? A story.

>> Ah, if someone is telling a story that

isn't true, we might say it's a porky

pie.

>> A porky pie. Like a pie made of pork.

>> No, not at all. It's slang. It comes

from rhyming slang. Porcup rhymes with

lie.

>> Oh, porky pie. Lie. I get it. That is so

clever. It is. So, if your friend says

something you don't believe, you can

say, "That sounds like a porky pie to

me."

>> I'm going to use that one. In America,

we might say, "That's a tall tale."

>> A tall tale because the story has grown

tall and is not real.

>> Yes. A story that is hard to believe.

>> I like that. A tall tale. It's very

clear. Okay, let's do one more. What do

you say in the US when something is very

expensive?

>> We say it costs an arm and a leg.

>> An arm and a leg. Oh my, that is

expensive.

>> It is. I want to buy a new car, but it

costs an arm and a leg.

>> Wow. In the UK, we can say it costs a

bomb.

>> A bomb. That also sounds very dramatic

and expensive.

>> Yes, the price of houses in London is

crazy. They cost a bomb.

>> Wow. It seems our idioms can be very

traumatic. An arm, a leg, a bomb.

>> They are, but they make the language

more fun and colorful.

>> They really do. This is so much fun,

Paul. I feel like I am visiting the UK

right now. and I feel like I'm in the

US.

It's amazing how we speak the same

language but with our own special

flavors.

>> That's a perfect way to say it. Special

flavors. So, let's review a few. If I

want fries in London, I should ask for

>> You should ask for chips.

>> Got it. And if I want to compliment your

trousers,

>> please say trousers, not pants.

>> Trousers, I will remember. And if

something is very easy to do,

>> then Bob's your uncle.

>> Yes, that's great. And if you are very

happy,

>> I am chuffed. Or I am on cloud9.

>> You can be both.

I can. This has been fantastic, Emily.

It shows our listeners that there isn't

just one correct English.

>> Yes, exactly. American English is great.

British English is great. They are just

a little different.

>> And it's fun to learn the differences.

It makes traveling and talking to new

people even more exciting.

>> I agree 100%.

So, what do you prefer, Paul? A biscuit

or a cookie?

>> Oh, that's a difficult question.

I think I like a British biscuit with my

tea, but I also love an American

chocolate chip cookie.

>> A very diplomatic answer.

I think I like them both, too.

>> See, we can enjoy both American and

British things.

>> We can. And we hope all of our listeners

enjoyed learning about these fun words

and phrases today.

>> Yes, we really do. It was so much fun to

share them with you all.

>> It was. And it just shows that learning

English can be a really fun adventure.

>> Absolutely. And remember, it's okay if

you don't know all the words. Native

speakers sometimes get confused, too.

>> That is very true. The most important

thing is to communicate and have fun.

>> Exactly. Well, that is all the time we

have for today.

>> It went by so fast. Thank you all so

much for listening. We had a great time.

>> We did and we would love to hear from

you. Before you go, please make sure you

are subscribed to Mr. English channel.

>> Yes. And give this episode a like if you

had fun learning with us today. It

really helps our channel grow. And

please share it with anyone who's

learning English. Sharing is the best

way to help us reach more people.

>> And we have a question for you. In the

comments below, tell us your favorite

slang word or idiom from today. Was it

Bob's your uncle or costs an arm and a

leg?

>> Or maybe you have a favorite slang word

from your own country. Tell us in

English what it is and what it means. We

would be so chuffed to read your

comments.

>> Yes, we would. Thanks again for tuning

in. Until next time, keep practicing and

have fun.

>> Bye for now, everyone.

>> Bye.

[Music]

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
chips /tʃɪps/ A1	noun - thin, crispy snack (UK) or fried potato strips (US)
fries /fraɪz/ A1	noun - fried potato strips (US)
biscuit /ˈbɪskɪt/ A1	noun - soft bread (US) or sweet cookie (UK)
cookie /ˈkʊki/ A1	noun - sweet baked treat (US)
trousers /ˈtraʊzərz/ A1	noun - long pants (UK)
pants /pænts/ A1	noun - underwear (UK) or long trousers (US)
jumper /ˈdʒʌmpər/ A1	noun - warm sweater (UK)
sneakers /ˈsniːkərz/ A1	noun - athletic shoes (US)
trainers /ˈtreɪnərz/ A1	noun - athletic shoes (UK)
boot /buːt/ A1	noun - car trunk (UK)
trunk /trʌŋk/ A1	noun - car boot (US)
idiom /ˈɪdiəm/ A2	noun - a phrase with a figurative meaning
slang /slæŋ/ A2	noun - informal language used in specific groups
chuffed /tʃʌft/ B1	adjective - very pleased or happy (UK)
bomb /bɒm/ B1	noun - something very expensive (UK slang)
confusing /kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/ A2	adjective - difficult to understand
promote /prəˈmoʊt/ B1	verb - to advance to a higher position
expensive /ɪkˈspɛnsɪv/ A1	adjective - costing a lot of money
dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ B1	adjective - very impressive or emotional
flavor /ˈfleɪvər/ A2	noun - distinctive taste or characteristic