Well hello darling...16 classic British English phrases to make you sound exceedingly posh fancy
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hello everyone and welcome back to
english with lucy today ah today I’m so
excited about this lesson I’ve been
excited since I wrote this lesson a
couple of days ago today I am going to
teach you 16 spiffing old-fashioned
British idioms that are going to make
you sound oh so fancy I think they make
you sound really intelligent educated
and well-read when you say them so
learning them and saying them is no bad
thing you’ll also be able to understand
them more when you hear them in
old-fashioned movies or TV series that
are set in the past before we get
started I would just like to thank the
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things right let’s get started with a
lesson number one is a little birdie
told me it should be a little bird told
me but my granddad always says a little
birdie told me so that’s what I say too
and I think you should also a little
birdie told me means a secret informant
has told me someone has told me
something but I don’t want to say who
that person is I’m protecting their
identity this phrase is thought to
originate from the Bible an example and
little birdie told me that you went for
afternoon tea with a mystery suitor woo
number two ah this is a gorgeous one I
love this one a fly in the ointment a
fly in the ointment it’s so expressive a
fly in the ointment is a single thing or
a person that is spoiling something that
could have been very positive or
enjoyable for example I’m looking
forward to tomorrow the only fly in the
ointment being that I’ll have to sit
next to my dreadful brother-in-law
disclaimer both of my brother-in-law’s
to be are lovely and I would happily sit
next to them tomorrow if they were an
event number three I know I’m saying
everyone is great but they are all
really great because I picked them
number three is as keen as mustard as
keen as mustard if you are as keen as
mustard it means you are very eager or
very enthusiastic and interested in
something for example she is as keen as
mustard to get her hands on that tea set
her mother promised her number four is
to eat humble pie to eat humble pie this
means to admit that you are wrong and
apologize especially in situations where
this is very embarrassing or humiliating
for you for example I had to eat humble
pie and publicly apologize for spreading
vicious rumors about her gap year I made
that up I don’t spread rumors very often
number five is pardon my french pardon
my french
this means oh please forgive my swearing
basically the person who said a swear
word is attempting to pass it off as
French for example oh pardon my french I
don’t know what came over me
number six another personal favorite of
mine
it is hanky panky hanky panky
this is unethical behavior deceit or
illicit relations make of that what you
will for example I am certain that a bit
of hanky panky went on at the wedding
reception number seven this is a phrase
I’ve used quite frequently actually it
is to see a man about a dog
this is a phrase that is used to
apologise for one’s imminent departure
or absence especially if you’re trying
to conceal where you are going or what
you’re going to do for example I’m so
sorry that I’m going to miss the rest of
this delightful christening I have to go
and see a man about a dog
this would be me expressing to my friend
that I cannot spend another minute at
this dreadful event and I must go and go
for a drink go out somewhere number
eight is neither here nor there
neither here nor there this means that’s
not relevant to the point or it doesn’t
matter for example yes it was our first
date but that’s neither here nor there
number nine this is a phrase used by my
grandma a lot not because she sleeps
loads just something she’s always said
to go for 40 winks is to go for a short
sleep or a nap without actually saying
it because we’re British and we don’t
like to say things directly for example
I am just going to retire to the
sitting-room and go for 40 winks it’s
not asleep it’s 40 weeks number 10 is to
turn a blind eye to turn a blind eye
this means to pretend not to have
noticed something for example I saw her
take the last scone that I decided to
turn a blind eye also yes I pronounced
it as gone if you think it’s going you
can go nuts in the comment section I’m
not willing to have an argument on this
it’s scon in my family number 11 is pot
calling the kettle black pot calling the
kettle black
this means hypocrite this has been used
since the 1600s and back in those days
pots and kettles were both made out of
iron and they were both covered in soot
and they were always black so if a pot
that is black is also calling a kettle
black it’s quite hypocritical for
example you think I’m stuck-up pot
calling kettle black you’re stuck up to
number 12 I can’t do something to save
my life I can’t do it to save my life
this is a hyperbolic way of saying that
you are incredibly inept at something
you are unable to do it well it’s often
used to express reluctance see an
unwillingness to do something and it’s
used in a self-deprecating way very
typically British for example if
somebody asked me to make a Victoria
sponge which happens to me most
frequently but I didn’t want to make it
I might say oh I can’t make Victoria
sponges to save my life maybe your mum
could make one done I don’t have to make
a Victoria sponge they think I can’t
make them just save my life number 13 is
to get someone’s goat to get someone’s
goat this means to irritate someone and
the origins of this phrase are quite
interesting there to do with horse
racing in the 19th century
supposedly nervous race horses would be
calmed down by placing a goat in their
stable with them but rivals would take
or steal or get the goat thus making the
horse nervous again and then hopefully
the rivals horse would win the race for
example you know who really gets my goat
actually I’m trying to think of who I
can say gets my goat on here really I’m
perpetually scared of offending people
there are so many people who get my goat
but none of them
are worth drama number 14 is to kick the
bucket to kick the bucket this means to
die in Britain we don’t like saying that
someone has died we like to say they
have passed away or they have popped
their clogs or they have kicked the
bucket
for example unfortunately my great uncle
Arthur kicked the bucket last year
number 15 is the apple of my eye the
apple of my eye this is one you may have
heard before it’s very commonly used in
America the apple of one’s eye is
something that one cherishes above all
others the phrase was used in a
Midsummer’s Night Dream and it refers to
a time when people thought that the
pupil of the eye was a solid object the
actual apple of your eye for example my
William is the apple of my eye I wonder
if he’ll see this he claims to watch all
of my videos I don’t ask him - he claims
- but let’s see if he notices apple of
my eye or you might not be after this
number 16 I’ve saved the best for last
and yes I have mentioned this in a video
before but it was a very long time ago
three years ago it is Bob’s your uncle
Bob’s your uncle and this means as
simple as that I’ll use it all the time
as simple as that well Bob’s your uncle
there you have it easy as that
for example boil the kettle place a
teabag in the cup fill it up with water
let it rest for 2.5 minutes maybe three
but no longer take it out - of skimmed
milk Bob’s your uncle
cup of tea right that’s it for my
spiffing ly fancy video today I hope you
enjoyed it I hope you learnt something
if you would like to learn about more
old-fashioned phrases I was thinking
about doing one on old-fashioned
insults but you know maybe that’s not
something you’d like to see you can
always recommend what you’d like to see
in the description box no not in the
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touch that
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I shall see you soon for another lesson
no great to have just hit 10,000 steps
by gesticulating number 11 is pot
calling the kettle black pot calling the
kettle basically in the 19th century
fill it up with water less lest right
that’s it for right that’s it for my
spiffing Lee fancy videos
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