Winning English - Mastering Idioms, Slang, and References
To goof off • Bummed • Bummer • To crash • To crack you up • Losing it • Take a break • Up for it • Way to go
If you are reading this right after I published it, it means your weekend just finished or is about to finish. I hope you got some time to goof off. I’m kind of bummed my weekend will end soon, but I’m going to crash soon, which will be nice since I’m kind of tired.
You might have already guessed today’s theme. I’m focusing on some common slang words and phrases.
“To goof off” means to ignore your duties and responsibilities and instead do things that are fun. While “to goof off” can be used in a friendly way, it is also used to criticize people. For example, you might accuse a child of “goofing off” if he or she doesn’t do the chores.
To be “bummed” means that you are sad or disappointed. It can also mean you are a bit annoyed, too. There is a related noun called “bummer”. If an event or a situation is a “bummer”, it causes you to be sad, disappointed, and slightly annoyed.
“To crash” normally means to violently collide with something. Think of a car hitting a wall. But as a slang word, it means to go to sleep. The idea is that you are going “to crash” into your bed because you are very tired.
I hope you had some time this past weekend to talk with some friends. Friends that crack us up are the best, because it helps to relieve stress. They can keep us from losing it, and we all probably need help with that nowadays.
“To crack up” means to laugh. It comes from the shorter verb “to crack”, which can mean to become emotional or to lose your self-control. When a friend or someone else (or the picture above) “cracks you up”, they make you laugh uncontrollably. Occasionally this is used in a slightly different way, too. People will say the sentence “You crack me up” to someone to indicate that the person is funny, but in a silly or naive way.
“To lose it” means to lose your self-control and become very emotional. People who “lose it” are usually angry and loud and can’t be reasoned with. Another word for “to lose it” is “to go crazy”. Sometimes when we are under a lot of stress, we might say, “Wow, I’m about to lose it. I need to relax!”
Maybe at work a friend sees you’re about to lose it. Your friend says to you, “Hey, let’s get some tea. I can see that you need to take a break.”
“No!” you shout, “I just want to keep working!”
“See,” says your friend, “you really need to relax.”
“You’re right,” you say. “Okay, I’m up for it.”
“Way to go!” your friend says, “You’ll feel better soon.”
“To take a break” means to ignore your responsibilities for a short time. You are breaking up your time.
To be “up for it” means that you are willing to do an activity or task. Interestingly, a new version of this slang phrase is “down for it”. It means the exact same thing, even though up and down are opposites. Sometimes people also say “down with it”. Again, it has the same meaning.
Finally, the phrase “way to go”. Strangely, it doesn’t have anything to do with going somewhere or how far you must travel. Instead, it’s a way to congratulate someone and say that she or he is doing well or doing the right thing. If someone is successful with a project at work, you might say, “Way to go!”
Thanks for reading Winning English! Remember to listen to the podcast, as well, to reinforce your learning. And remember, if you like what you read or hear, please like the post, comment, and tell a friend. Talk soon!