Slang of the day:  scared stiff

Meaning:  so frightened that you are unable to move

Usage:  I was scared stiff when I saw who was at my door.

Dialog: 

Mandy – Did you hear the wind howling last night from the hurricane?

Angie – I sure did, I was scared stiff.  How about you?

Mandy – Not me, I went to the beach to watch the waves.

Angie – You are nuts.

Mandy – Yup.

Ways to say Thanks!

There are a gazillion ways to say thank you! Here are a few of popular ones.

Thanks a milllion!

Thanks a bunch!

You rock!

I appreciate what you’ve done for me.

You are the bomb. (or You are da bomb.)

Many thanks.

Much gratitude.

I’m in your debt.

I owe you one.

Which is your favorite way to say thanks?

Pinch, Poke, You Owe Me A Coke!

Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke. 

Have you ever heard that phrase?  It’s a silly thing some kids say (and some adults too), when two people say the exact same thing at the same time.

For example:

Person A and person B both say at the same time: “Glee is my favorite TV show.”

Then, Person A (or B) will quickly say, “Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke.” 

Sometimes with kids there might be a little pinching or poking, but nothing serious.  And rarely does anyone ever really get a free coke. 

I Could Eat A Horse

Here are some ways to say “I’m hungry!” in English.

I’m famished

I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.

I’ve got the munchies!

I’m starved.

I’m craving XXX. (When you are hungry for something specific.)

I’ve got a hankering for XXX. (What you are hungry for something specific.)

Leave a comment and let me know what your favorite way to say you’re hungry is or let me know what your favorite food is.

Hey You!

If you want to get someone’s attention – “Hey You!” Is probably not the most polite way to go about it, but it would work.

An extremely polite way to get someone’s attention is to say:
I beg your pardon, sir.
I beg your pardon, ma’am.
I beg your pardon, miss.
(However, I rarely (if ever) hear people say these where I live.)

A typical and still polite way to get someone’s attention is to say:
Excuse me, sir.
Excuse me, ma’am.
Excuse me, miss.
(Adding sir, ma’am or miss at the end make it more polite. You don’t have to use them though.)

If you’d like to get the attention of a friend, you can simply say their name.
“Sally…”

You can also use “hello” or “hi” as a way to get someone’s attention.

Another way is to get someone’s attention is to clear your throat. (But, you have to be close enough to the person for them to hear it).

If you are trying to get the attention of a whole group of people, you could whistle, if you can. Or, you can say, “Listen up!”

What's Up!

There are so many different ways to greet people in English. There is the simple “Hello.” The friendly, “Hi!” or the extremely casual “Hey!” Then you can go to the opposite spectrum and say, “How do you do?” A lot of Americans would look at you funny if said that. Most would probably say in response, “I’m fine, thanks.” However, the correct response is “How do you do?” I guess that shows that Americans don’t use that greeting very much.

Other phrases you can use are, “What’s up?”, “Waz up?” or “How’s it going?” These are used with people you know pretty well. With people you don’t know as well, you can ask, “How are you doing?”

And for saying “Good-bye”, you can say that or, “bye”, “see ya”, “see you later” or to really young kids you can say, “bye-bye.” If you have close friends you can say, “later” or “laters.”

As you can see, there are tons of options in Enlish for greetings and for saying goodbye. Just be careful not to tell your grandma, “Waz up?”

Break A Leg

Meaning : Good luck

Dialog :

Sam : I have an important exam today. 

Brian : Break a leg!