How are you? Nesse episódio do podcast Inglês Online eu falo sobre a expressão do inglês No offense.

Eu estou gravando os podcasts num MacBook agora e parece que não peguei o jeito ainda, pois estou achando que o som está saindo estranho. Se alguém tiver notado isso também – taí!

Transcrição

Hello, everybody. Today we have a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

So here’s our first expression: no offense. Offense means… what you probably think it means, at least in this case. When you offend someone, you have caused them offense, they are offended because of something you said or did. We say that this person has taken offense to something you said or did. So, if you have the habit of watching American TV series and movies, there’s no way you haven’t heard this before. You may not have recognized it when you heard it, but this is such a common expression… People say that all the time on TV. No offense.

And why do people say “No offense”? Well, listen to what someone posted on Twitter: “Whenever you hear someone say to you ‘No offense… Get ready to be offended”. People use that expression before they say something potentially offensive. It’s like they’re letting the other person know in advance that they’re gonna say something offensive, you know? ‘No offense’. I guess it is short for ‘I mean no offense’ or ‘No offense intended’. And what’s kinda funny is that right after someone says ‘No offense, but…’, you kinda know that the next thing they’re gonna say is an insult, or at least something a little unpleasant.

I mean, listen to one example I found on Twitter… Some guy wrote “No offense to Selena Gomez, but I think every guy she dated was for publicity”. Selena Gomez is an American singer, I think, and this guy is saying that he thinks that she dated guys not because she really liked them, but because of the publicity that the relationship would get her. Now, I mean, how can that not be offensive? I have no idea whether that’s true or not, but when you say “No offense” and then you follow up with “I think every guy you dated was for publicity” – how would that not be considered offensive?

Urban Dictionary has a great definition for the expression “No offense”: it’s an excuse to insult someone. Now, sometimes people use that expression with something that really is not offensive anyway, to be fair, and in cases like this I don’t even understand why they would say “No offense”.  For example, when someone says “No offense, but you should have turned right, not left”. How is it offensive to say that? Of course, this person could have said something before the driver made the turn… but that’s not an offensive thing to say, I think.

Anyway, like it or not, “no offense” is a pretty popular expression and many times when you say something like “No offense, but your report sucks” the other person isn’t really offended. Many people say “None taken”. What does that mean? That means “I didn’t get offended, I didn’t take offense to what you said”. So let me present you with a few examples that I got from Twitter posts, and you tell me if you think it is offensive, or if it’s something that would make you say just “None taken”:

* “No offense, but don’t make me choose between pizza and you ’cause I’ll definitely choose pizza.” Do you think that’s offensive, or would you say “none taken”?”

* “Paul is such a boring name,