The English We Speak

By BBC Radio

Education

What's The English We Speak about?

Every week, we look at a different everyday English phrase or piece of slang in this fun three-minute programme. From BBC World Service

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Punch above your weight

11.19.2019

It sounds violent, but this phrase might surprise you!

The English We Speak episodes:

11.19.2019 Punch above your weight It sounds violent, but this phrase might surprise you!
11.12.2019 Social media influencer You know all about social media, but ... what is a social media influencer? Learn here.
11.05.2019 Goldilocks A fairy tale with a new meaning
10.29.2019 Ghosting Is someone ignoring all of your calls and messages? Maybe you are being ghosted!
10.22.2019 Slow TV Learn about the TV trend that urges you to relax, slow down and chill out.
10.15.2019 Tiger mother Trying to help your kids succeed in life? These mothers have a strong idea of what to do!
10.08.2019 Buzzkill A phrase for when something spoils your fun.
10.01.2019 Buyer's remorse Have you ever regretted an expensive purchase? This is the phrase for you!
09.24.2019 Freecycle When you don't want to sell, freecycle! Learn what it means.
09.17.2019 Carbon footprint Love to travel but worried about the environment? Here's a phrase for you to use.
09.10.2019 To cough up When is a cough not a cough? We teach you a money-related phrase.
09.03.2019 Brain fade We teach you a phrase that's worth remembering!
08.27.2019 Fib We won’t teach you to lie, but you will learn how to use the word ‘fib’.
08.20.2019 Hot under the collar Cool off and learn this phrase with us.
08.13.2019 Eat your heart out Learn a humorous phrase about being the best!
08.06.2019 Across When is 'across' not a preposition?
07.30.2019 Fat chance Learn an expression about likelihood.
07.23.2019 Milk it A phrase about taking advantage of a situation to gain sympathy or respect
07.16.2019 To cherry-pick We’ve picked the best phrase for you to learn!
07.09.2019 To fight tooth and nail Learn a phrase about working hard to get just what you want.
07.02.2019 It's a small world Learn an expression about coincidences.
06.25.2019 Vanish into thin air Learn an expression about disappearing
06.18.2019 Get the short straw A phrase that sucks!
06.11.2019 Soft skills These are job skills needed to deal with the public, and very much in demand.
05.28.2019 Clever clogs Will wearing new shoes make Feifei more intelligent? Join her and Rob in this programme.
05.21.2019 Couch surfing Looking for a sofa to sleep on? Learn a phrase to describe your actions.
05.14.2019 Like riding a bike Learn an English expression about skills we never forget.
05.07.2019 On fire Can you be on fire without any flames?
04.23.2019 Dead If something is 'dead good' is that a positive or negative thing?
04.16.2019 Give someone the runaround A phrase about being unhelpful.
04.09.2019 Laughing all the way to the bank When can going to the bank be funny? We've got a phrase that will leave you laughing.
04.02.2019 The joke is on you Find out more about a seriously funny English phrase.
03.26.2019 Keep a lid on it Learn the right English phrase about having to put a stop to something.
03.19.2019 To pull the wool over someone's eyes Here's a phrase about preventing someone from discovering something.
03.12.2019 Take the rough with the smooth Learn an expression about experiencing bad things to enable you to enjoy good things.
03.05.2019 Hard-nosed What is a hard-nosed person like? Find out in this episode of The English We Speak.
02.26.2019 To have a soft spot How do you feel if you really like something or someone? This phrase might help you.
02.19.2019 To make a song and dance (about something) If things don't go your way, how can singing and dancing help?
02.12.2019 Giant killer Here's a phrase to describe the success of a small team.
02.05.2019 A shock to the system A sudden and unpleasant change can come as a shock. Learn a phrase to describe this.
01.29.2019 From pillar to post Moving from place to place can be chaotic. Learn a phrase to describe the situation
01.22.2019 Small talk Here's a phrase that describes making informal conversation about not much.
01.15.2019 A bright spark Here's a clever expression that can describe someone doing something stupid.
01.08.2019 To be all downhill Rob's done all his work! Find out here if it's all downhill until the weekend for him.
01.01.2019 Fireworks Learn a New Year-related expression
12.28.2018 To have all your Christmases come at once An expression for when you have good fortune
12.18.2018 It's the thought that counts Learn a polite thing to say when you receive a bad present.
12.11.2018 Digital detox Learn this very modern expression.
12.04.2018 It leaves a bad taste in your mouth How can a tasty meal leave a bad taste?
11.27.2018 Pea-souper Is it a meal or a type of weather?

Older episodes

The English We Speak

What's The English We Speak about?

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The English We Speak episodes:

Punch above your weight

Social media influencer

Goldilocks

Ghosting

Slow TV

Tiger mother

Buzzkill

Buyer's remorse

Freecycle

Carbon footprint

To cough up

Brain fade

Fib

Hot under the collar

Eat your heart out

Across

Fat chance

Milk it

To cherry-pick

To fight tooth and nail

It's a small world

Vanish into thin air

Get the short straw

Soft skills

Clever clogs

Couch surfing

Like riding a bike

On fire

Dead

Give someone the runaround

Laughing all the way to the bank

The joke is on you

Keep a lid on it

To pull the wool over someone's eyes

Take the rough with the smooth

Hard-nosed

To have a soft spot

To make a song and dance (about something)

Giant killer

A shock to the system

From pillar to post

Small talk

A bright spark

To be all downhill

Fireworks

To have all your Christmases come at once

It's the thought that counts

Digital detox

It leaves a bad taste in your mouth

Pea-souper

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