Slang & Expressions

Hit it! Which, like I mentioned in the introduction, is slang words and expressions. I'm going to talk about 10 different slang words or terms that come up in my day-to-day. I think these will be useful because if you are listening, chances are that you already have a solid level, and adding some of these words to your vocabulary will help you speak English in a more natural way. Let's start. The first expression we're going to take a look at is to blow someone away.

Now, this is an expression that we use when something or someone is so incredible that it amazes you. In other words, to impress someone greatly. I normally use this expression when describing a movie, a song, a performance, etc., but it can be used in many contexts. You could say something like, Wow, that speech, ese discurso, really blew me away. Or maybe you could use it in a passive sentence like, the audience was blown away by the performance.

Like we mentioned on episode 17, it's often good to learn similar expressions together. So I have another one that you can use instead. This next one is to blow someone's mind. This one can be used in a very similar way, because it also means to impress someone very strongly. Much like the previous expression, you could say something like, that new Tarantino movie blew my mind. Okay, so that's two so far. Let's move on to the next one. Number three, to bomb.

Spelled B-O-M-B, like the explosive device. Obviously, this word means to attack a place or people with explosives. It does. But there is another meaning too. To bomb can also mean to fail very badly, and you can use it for things as well as people. Let me give you an example with the verb to bomb. Let's say I'm performing at a local comedy club and I prepare some jokes to tell to make the audience laugh. But then I get on the stage and nobody laughs at my jokes. That means I bombed.

Or if a big movie comes out and it's one of those movies with a $100 million budget, and very few people watch it or like it, you can say that that movie bombed. Another similar slang word that we use in a similar way is to flop, spelled F-L-O-P. To flop can be used in the same way as to bomb because it also means to be completely unsuccessful. You could say something like, they put a lot of money into promoting the movie, but it flopped. So essentially, they are interchangeable.

However, people are also using the verb to flop in a new way. It is now being used in sports a lot, especially in basketball and football, and it means to exaggerate contact. So let's say a player receives a small push, and then that player throws him or herself on the ground, se tira al suelo, and pretends like the impact was bigger than it actually was. You could use it in a sentence like, I hate watching Neymar play because he always flops.

So not only can the verb to flop mean to fail completely, but it can also be used as an intentional fall by a player in order to get a reaction from the referee. Okay, moving along. Time for number five, to screw up. Screw is spelled S-C R E W, like tornillo, a screw. But in this case, we use it as a phrasal verb, and it means to completely mismanage or mishandle a situation.

You could use it in a sentence by saying something like, I don't enjoy working with them, they always screw up and I have to do extra work. You can also use it as a noun, in which case it is synonymous to the word mistake, an example. I can't believe they did that. Because of their screw up, we have to start the whole project again. Like I said, these are easier to remember in groups, so here's another one that you can use in the same way. To mess up.

Just like to screw up, to mess up is another informal phrasal verb that we use to say that a situation has been mishandled or mismanaged, as in, after our last mistake, we can't afford to mess up again. You may know the word messy, which means disorganized or untidy, so you can see where this one comes from, right? De donde viene. Alright, number seven, kudos. Spelled K-U-D-O-S. Kudos is used as a noun and it means praise or congratulations, essentially. It's kind of like saying good job.

You can say, hey, kudos to you, or even just kudos. It's a strange word, I know, but apparently it comes from ancient Greek, from their word that means glory. It first appeared in English around the year 1800 and has been around since. It can be a very confusing word if you don't know the meaning. If you manage to remember it and use it in a sentence, then kudos to you. Okay, number eight on our list of slang words or expressions is to dig, spelled D-I-G.

You may have heard this verb in the context of to break up earth, tierra, with a tool or your hands, cabar in Spanish, as in you have to dig a big hole if you want to build a swimming pool. But there's another meaning too. To dig something means to like something or to be interested in something. You can use it in a sentence by saying, hey, I really dig your new song. When is the album coming out? So it's basically a substitute for the verb to like. Like is okay too, or enjoy if you want.

But if you are looking to expand your vocabulary, which I recommend you do, to dig may be a good addition. Alright, number nine, to sell out. This phrasal verb is most commonly used to say that there are no tickets left for an event, and it may be the use that you know. I couldn't buy any tickets for the match because they were sold out, right? However, there is another use, a more colloquial use.

To sell out can also mean to compromise your moral integrity or your authenticity in exchange for personal gain, such as money. It is normally associated with trying to direct or focus material to a mainstream audience, and you can use it in a sentence like this. I used to really like that band until they sold out. Remember, this doesn't mean that they sold every ticket for their show.

Instead, it means that you liked the band when they were more original, maybe, and now you don't like their music because they tried to make it more popular or commercial. Okay, last one. Number 10. To scrap. This one is spelled S-C R A P. So a scrap used as a noun is a small piece of material that is no longer needed or no longer necessary. As in, I wrote my address on a scrap of paper. However, like our other examples, it has another meaning too.

In this case, used as a verb, to scrap something means to discard something, to throw something away, like an idea or a project. You could say something like, they hated our design, so we had to scrap it and start again. Or in the context of not continuing with a system or a plan, let's say, you can say something like, they're considering scrapping the tax and raising the money in other ways. So a quick review. Number one, to blow someone away, to impress someone a lot.

Number two, to blow someone's mind. Like number one, it also means to impress or amaze someone. Number three, to bomb means to fail very badly. Number four, to flop. This one also means to fail badly or to perform poorly. Number five, to screw up means to mishandle a situation. Number six, to mess up. This one also means to mismanage or mishandle a situation. Number seven, kudos. Kudos means congratulations or good job. Number eight, to dig, to like or be interested in something.

Number nine, to sell out, to compromise your moral integrity or your authenticity in exchange for personal gain. And finally, number ten, to scrap, which means to discard something, to throw something away, like an idea or a project. I hope I mentioned some new slang words and expressions that you didn't know, and I hope you can add them to your arsenal. That's it for today's show. Tune in on Friday for episode 20. I'm going to be talking about TV shows.

So if that's something you dig, then tune in. Thanks for listening to the show, and remember, the best way to support English with Dane is to share it with people who you think would enjoy it. And if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave a five-star rating and a review. Okay, talk to you soon. Bye bye.