Learn slang expressions related to time
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Expressions Related to Time |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to EnglishClass101.com. I'm John. |
| Sydney: And I'm Sydney! |
| John: This is Must-Know American Slang Words and Phrases, Season 1, Lesson 8. In this lesson, you'll learn expressions related to time. |
| John: These expressions are often used when talking about time. |
| SLANG EXPRESSIONS |
| John: The expressions you will be learning in this lesson are: |
| Sydney: a jiffy |
| Sydney: in a New York minute |
| Sydney: once in a blue moon |
| Sydney: to have a ball |
| John: Sydney, what's our first expression? |
| Sydney: a jiffy |
| John: meaning "a short amount of time." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] a jiffy [NORMAL] a jiffy |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: a jiffy |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: A "jiffy" is technically an amount of time: 33.3564 picoseconds. But in general, it's used to mean "a moment or a short amount of time." So if someone tells you that they'll be "back in a jiffy," then they'll be back in a moment. |
| Sydney: This term is used by everyone, but it should be avoided in formal situations. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I'll have it done in a jiffy." [SLOW] "I'll have it done in a jiffy." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I'll have it done in a jiffy." |
| John: Okay, what's the next expression? |
| Sydney: in a New York minute |
| John: meaning "to do something very quickly." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] in a New York minute [NORMAL] in a New York minute |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: in a New York minute |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Life's pretty fast-paced in the Big Apple. Everyone is racing to get to work, school, or the next big event. That's how the phrase "in a New York minute" got its name. You can use this phrase when you tell someone you'll do something very quickly or that something happened fast. |
| Sydney: For example, if you're late to drinks with friends you can say, "I'll be there in a New York minute." |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "She was there faster than a New York minute when I told her tickets were selling out soon!" [SLOW] "She was there faster than a New York minute when I told her tickets were selling out soon!" |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "She was there faster than a New York minute when I told her tickets were selling out soon!" |
| John: Okay, what's our next expression? |
| Sydney: once in a blue moon |
| John: meaning "rarely, once in a while." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] once in a blue moon [NORMAL] once in a blue moon |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: once in a blue moon |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: Each season normally has three full moons. But occasionally, four full moons will appear in a season. This "extra" full moon is called a blue moon. This only happens once in a while, so when you say something happens "once in a blue moon," you mean it doesn't happen very often. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I still see him once in a blue moon." [SLOW] "I still see him once in a blue moon." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "I still see him once in a blue moon." |
| John: Okay, what's the last expression? |
| Sydney: to have a ball |
| John: meaning "to enjoy oneself, to have a great time." |
| Sydney: [SLOW] to have a ball [NORMAL] to have a ball |
| John: Listeners, please repeat. |
| Sydney: to have a ball |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| John: If you're "having a ball," that means you're having a great time. A ball is literally a sphere that you play with, like a soccer ball or tennis ball. But in the past, people would have formal dance parties, known as "balls." |
| Sydney: Nowadays, parties are rarely referred to as balls. |
| John: Now let's hear an example sentence. |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Thanks for inviting me. I had a ball." [SLOW] "Thanks for inviting me. I had a ball." |
| Sydney: [NORMAL] "Thanks for inviting me. I had a ball." |
| 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: She finished her meal very fast. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: in a New York minute |
| John: "to do something very quickly" |
| John: Her mother told her she would be there very soon. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: a jiffy |
| John: "a short amount of time" |
| John: A girl goes to a party and makes lots of new friends. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: to have a ball |
| John: "to enjoy oneself, to have a great time" |
| John: A man only goes to the dentist once every five years. |
| [pause - 5 sec.] |
| Sydney: once in a blue moon |
| John: "rarely, once in a while" |
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! |
12 Comments
HideHi Listeners! Do you know any other related slang expression? Post them in the comments.
Hi Elisaac,
We're glad to hear that you liked the lesson.
We hope you'll enjoy the rest as well!
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team EnglishClass101.com
very interesting...
Hello Sai,
Thank you for your post.
'Anti-linguistic' is not a word in English but 'Anti-language' is used. It means "a language created and used by an anti-society."
I hope this helps you.
Cheers,
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi Dita,
Thank you for studying with us!
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team EnglishClass101.com
👍 Thanks
Is there any word called anti-linguistic in English l
Hi Dina,
Great to hear that you’re learning well with our lessons!
In case of any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
Cristiane
Team EnglishClass101.com
Thanks I learned a lot of expressions from you
Hello Ayaan,
Thank you for your post!
That is fantastic you can already speak Swedish and two other languages! You must be very clever and committed.
Try to think of the ways you first learned your 2nd language and the tactics you used to learn it. If you can immerse yourself in the language you are studying it can happen quicker and easier. Try to put aside a couple of hours each day when you can to sit down and work your way through our lessons, read English, watch English movies and practice speaking English to native speakers.
If you are completely immersed you will pick it up in no time and feel confident enough to read, write and speak in your 4th language - English!
Please let us know if you ever have any questions regarding your studies.
Cheers,
Eva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi! I speak Swedish all the time and two more languages I have difficult to speak English how I can be better to speak English please
thanks