Hello to old friends of Stairway

Hello to old friends of Stairway, and welcome to the new friends we will make in the new school year. A special word for our many summer school students – the teachers have been singing your praises – they loved you. I hope the feeling was mutual ^(LB).

How was your summer? Me, I’ve had two spells^(LB) outside Poland. The first was in Northern Cyprus; the second in England. Let’s deal with the bad news first. If you believe everything you read or hear in the British media, then everything is gloom and doom. To translate the last phrase – dark, depressing, and possibly the end of world. The buzzwords^(LB) are credit crunch, credit squeeze, recession. And the weather in August. Don’t ask! Well, al least the supermarket chains are trying to cheer us up by pretending to be cheap. What? Cheap British supermarket? A real oxymoron, that one. Ask any American! No, I’m afraid that RIP OFF^(LB) BRITAIN RULES, Ok? is still the secret graffiti on the wall.

Anyway, one of our gang, Mark Bonnett, was in Boots The Chemist this summer. When he took something to the check out to pay for it, he heard these words from the check-out lady.

She – Why don’t you bog off?

He – (taken aback)^(LB) I beg your pardon?

She – You know, Buy One, Get One Free. BOGOF. Where have you      been lately?

He – Poland

She – Oh. Well, it’s all the rage^(LB) in shops here

So, why was our Mark taken aback at first?

O.E.D. – bog off (slang) go away, usually in the imperative. In other words, it is one of many English phrasal verbs of the form ‘**** off’ (imperative) which mean ‘Go away!’. Naturally, I wouldn’t dream of printing any of the others on this page.

Now my thoughts and memories on Northern Cyprus are a different kettle of fish. I’m still mulling them over my mind, so if you don’t mind. I’ll share them with you anon. (soon)

Language Blog

The feeling is mutual – used when two people feel or think the same about each other.

I like/love/respect/hate you – The feeling is mutual!

spell - useful word, in this context a period of time. I had a spell in America/hospital etc.

Also a good/ bad/ sunny/ cold etc. spell

buzzword – any word or phrase that is very popular at any moment.

rip off – very informal. If someone rips you off, or something is a rip-off, it means that you pay too much for something. Soft drinks in English bars are a real rip-off.

be taken aback (by) – used when something (which is) said or done  surprises or shocks you. Nearly always in the passive. So here, Mark doesn’t expect a shop assistant to tell him to bog off – he was taken aback by her bad language.

all the rage – very fashionable or popular at the moment.

Nose, lip, eyebrow and belly button piercing are all the rage these days.