Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Expressions that Involve Body Parts
John: I'm John.
Sydney: And I'm Sydney!
John: In this lesson, you'll learn expressions that involve body parts.
John: Americans often like to describe body parts with unusual expressions that can't be translated directly, so don't be surprised when you hear these on a regular basis.
SLANG EXPRESSIONS
John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are:
Sydney: to have someone's back
Sydney: to lend a hand
Sydney: brain fart
Sydney: ticker
John: Sydney, what's our first expression?
Sydney: to have someone's back
John: meaning "to support someone, to be prepared to come to someone's defense."
Sydney: [SLOW] to have someone's back [NORMAL] to have someone's back
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: to have someone's back
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: To "have someone's back" means that you support them and are with them all the way. You are prepared to defend them, emotionally and/or physically, if necessary.
This term is mostly used by young people. It is informal, but not vulgar.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Let's go talk to them. I got your back." [SLOW] "Let's go talk to them. I got your back."
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Let's go talk to them. I got your back."
John: Okay, what's the next expression?
Sydney: to lend a hand
John: meaning "to help someone with something."
Sydney: [SLOW] to lend a hand [NORMAL] to lend a hand
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: to lend a hand
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: To lend a hand means that you help someone with a task they have. You are literally "lending your hand" to help them.
Sydney: This phrase is informal and used by people of all ages.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Can you lend me a hand moving tomorrow?" [SLOW] "Can you lend me a hand moving tomorrow?"
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Can you lend me a hand moving tomorrow?"
John: Okay, what's our next expression?
Sydney: brain fart
John: meaning "temporarily forgetting something or how to do something."
Sydney: [SLOW] brain fart [NORMAL] brain fart
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: brain fart
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: A "brain" is the organ in the skull that reasons. A "fart" is breaking wind or passing gas. But together, a "brain fart" is when you forget how to do something or you forget something obvious. It's a useful way to say you know you're doing something wrong or forgetting something important, but you just can't remember the right way.
Sydney: Because it uses toilet humor, it should only be used in informal situations. It's not offensive, but it isn't polite either. It's used by people of all ages.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "I forgot that Washington, D.C., is the capital of the US. What a brain fart!" [SLOW] "I forgot that Washington, D.C., is the capital of the US. What a brain fart!"
Sydney: [NORMAL] "I forgot that Washington, D.C., is the capital of the US. What a brain fart!"
John: Okay, what's the last expression?
Sydney: ticker
John: meaning "the heart."
Sydney: [SLOW] ticker [NORMAL] ticker
John: Listeners, please repeat.
Sydney: ticker
[pause - 5 sec.]
John: When something "ticks," it makes a small, rhythmic sound. Clocks, for example, tick. Because the heart makes, or should make, rhythmic beats, you can call a heart a "ticker."
Sydney: This slang word is mostly used by older people.
John: Now let's hear an example sentence.
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Vegetables are better for your ticker than candy." [SLOW] "Vegetables are better for your ticker than candy."
Sydney: [NORMAL] "Vegetables are better for your ticker than candy."
QUIZ
John: Okay listeners, are you ready to be quizzed on the expressions you just learned? I will describe four situations, and you will choose the right expression to use in your reply. Are you ready?
John: A guy helps his friend move out of his apartment.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: to lend a hand
John: "to help someone with something."
John: Friends come together to support each other after divorce.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: to have someone's back
John: "to support someone, to be prepared to come to someone's defense"
John: A man gets a chest checkup at the doctor’s office.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: ticker
John: "the heart"
John: A girl forgets to take out the trash even though her mother just reminded her.
[pause - 5 sec.]
Sydney: brain fart
John: "temporarily forgetting something or how to do something"

Outro
John: There you have it; you have mastered four English Slang Expressions! We have more vocab lists available at EnglishClass101.com so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone, and see you next time!
Sydney: Goodbye!

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