How Brits ACTUALLY Catch Up at the Pub | 5 Real British English Phrases

[00:00:01][music] Here's something nobody tells you about British pubs. The hardest part isn't ordering. It isn't the round system.

[00:00:10]It's it's the bit in between the actual conversation because when Brits catch up over a point. We don't speak textbook English. We speak in code. Uh someone's job is doing their head in. Someone's relationship fizzled out. someone's gutted about something and no, they haven't been physically injured in the gut. Um, so today you're going to listen in on that kind of conversation. This is part four of the minieries I've been doing of going to the pub and by the end you'll understand how British friends actually talk to each other when the drinks are flowing and the small talk is over. But yeah, a quick recap for anyone just joining. We've got three lads going to a pub. Uh we've got chairs from East London. We've got Charlie from Surrey.

[00:01:05]And of course we have Charles, who is still the poshest man to ever enter the Crown, the pub that they are at. Um so the rounds are sorted, everyone's got a pint, and now it's time for a proper catch up. But first, be honest with yourself for a second. How many expressions from the last three videos on YouTube that you've watched can you actually remember the vocabulary from?

[00:01:35]You know, maybe two or three phrases, but can you actually use them in a conversation in the right moment?

[00:01:44]I would be surprised if the answer is yes. And that's not your fault. That is because of what we call passive learning. And my aim is for you to do both passive and active. And that is why I've created a PDF to go with this video so that you have the passive consuming and a little bit of active in the way that I am organizing the PDF. It's free for you to download right now and it comes with the vocabulary that came up in this episode. Uh along with non-native friendly definitions, examples, context, collocations, all the good stuff to help you really understand how a native uses the phrases. And then I give you some quizzes to get you active in the learning stage. And really that whole process is likely to 3x your learning from this video. So, I highly recommend you take me up on this one by scanning the QR code right now or checking the links in the description, show notes, or comments section. And um that link will take you to this screen that video podcast viewers can see right now. Fill in your name and email and then it'll be in your email inbox in a matter of moments. And there you can enjoy the free PDF with this video.

[00:03:09]Wonderful. All right, let's get on with it. Pints are full, tables secured.

[00:03:15]Let's join the conversation.

[00:03:18]This is nice, isn't it? Feels like we haven't done this in ages. Yours is far too long. What's it been? 3 months.

[00:03:25]Yeah, something like that. We always say we'll make it a regular thing, but life gets in the way, don't it? So, come on then, Chaz. What's the latest? Last I heard, you were still at that place in Shortitch. Now, mate, knock that one on the head about 6 weeks ago. What?

[00:03:40]Seriously? You You left? Yeah. Added in my notice. Work my month. Done. Best decision I've made in years. Good heavens. What prompted that? I thought you were doing rather well there. I was on paper, but the new boss was doing my head in micromanaging everything.

[00:04:00]Checking in on me every 5 minutes.

[00:04:02]Wanted me online at all hours. I stuck it up for a bit, but in the end I thought life's too short, isn't it? Fair play to you. Takes a bit of bottle that.

[00:04:13]So what now? Uh freelancing, doing bits here and there. Early days though, so money's a bit up and down, but I'm I'm my own boss now. And uh honestly, sleeping better than I have in years.

[00:04:27]Well, I I think that's tremendous. Good for you. Cheers, Charles. Right, enough about me. Uh, Charlie, what about you?

[00:04:37]How's things with uh what's her name?

[00:04:40]Sophie. Sophie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's her. Um, yeah, that's not a thing anymore. You what? Since when? Um, about a month ago, just sort of fizzled out to be honest.

[00:04:54]No big drama. We just um we just realized we we wanted different things.

[00:05:00]Oh, Charlie, I'm sorry to hear that. So, I thought you two were getting on famously. We were. We were for a while.

[00:05:09]Look, I'm not gutted about it or anything. Well, maybe a little bit, but no, it's fine. Honestly, it's it's fine, mate. I think that was the third time you've said fine in 10 seconds. It's fine. Right. We're getting you another point, I think. Well, if it's any consolation, Charlie, my love life is also an absolute desert at present. The last date I went on, she spent the entire evening on her phone. I ordered dessert purely so I'd have someone to talk to.

[00:05:43]You're joking. Look, the creme brulee was excellent company, actually. Chaz, very good listener. [laughter] All right, that cheered me up a little bit. See, this is this is why we do this. You know what you need, Charlie? A night out. Proper one. Not this civilized stuff. I'm talking a big Saturday. We'll get the lads from school back together. Mate, the last big Saturday we had with the old school lot, I think Dave ended up asleep in a kebab shop. Exactly. What nights are made for?

[00:06:16]I'm going to send something out to the group chat.

[00:06:18]>> Uh, I already have deep reservations about this.

[00:06:22]>> You're coming, Charles. No arguments.

[00:06:25]It'll do you some good and all. You can even tell that creme brulee story. Oh, I'll check my diary. I think that means yes, by the way, Chaz. Oh, I know it does.

[00:06:39]Right, that conversation was full of real vocabulary, wasn't it? Um, so let's go through five of them right now. Uh, number one, knocked it on the head. Chaz says he knocked that on the head or knocked it on the head. knocked it on the head, meaning he quit his job. To knock something on the head means to stop doing it, to end it. And it works for almost anything. A job, a habit, a project, a plan. Um, for example, you could say, I've knocked the late nights on the head, as in a habit, like I don't go out anymore. Or, we were going to have a barbecue, but the rain knocked that one on the head. Really versatile.

[00:07:24]really really British. Uh, number two is doing my head in. Doing my head in. Chaz says his boss was doing his head in.

[00:07:34]Doing my head in. Doing my head in. Um, if something is doing your head in, it's driving you mad. Really annoying you, stressing you out, wearing you down. Uh, noisy neighbors do my head in. Um, a slow computer does my head in. Um, a boss who messages you at 1000 p.m.

[00:07:59]likely does your head in. Um, you will hear this constantly in in Britain because frankly a lot of things do our heads in. And then number three is fizzled out. Charlie says I say um his relationship fizzled out. It's fine.

[00:08:18]It's fine. Um, something that fizzles out ends slowly and quietly, losing energy bit by bit until there's nothing left. I like to think of a fizzy drink.

[00:08:32]Yeah, a fizzy drink or sparkling water.

[00:08:34]If you leave it out, it starts to no no longer have any bubbles, right? Fizzles out. [snorts] The fizz is the the bubbles. The fizz, right? So, yeah, there's nothing left. no explosion or drama coming at the end of it. It just gradually comes down. So, um you you could also think of like a firework that doesn't quite go off. It just fizzles out. Perfect for um relationships that you know, they don't end like a soap opera. They just they just fizzle.

[00:09:11]There's not the magic can't stay alive.

[00:09:14]Um, but also you could use it with projects or plans or trends. Um, like the campaign started strong but fizzled out by summer. Number four is gutted.

[00:09:28]Charlie says or I say it's a bit confusing that I'm going to say Charlie.

[00:09:31]Charlie says um he's not gutted about it. He's not gutted about it. I'm not gutted about it. Um, so this um means he's at least a bit gutted in the delivery, right? You got to read between the lines. The way that I said it, it does suggest that I was a little bit gutted. And gutted means really disappointed, properly sad about something. Um, for example, your team loses in the semifinals.

[00:10:06]Oh, absolutely gutted. Um, you didn't get the job. Gutted. Uh, your mate cancels plans you were looking forward to. Absolutely gutted. It's one of the most common feeling words in British English and your textbook has probably never mentioned it to you. And then number five is bottle. Bottle. Charlie says Charlie says leaving a job takes a bit of bottle.

[00:10:36]It's really weird, right? Bottle. It actually means courage like bravery or nerve. Um, it takes bottle to do that means it takes guts. We're using the word gut again, but to be gutted is to be disappointed. To have guts is to be brave, to have bravery, to have courage.

[00:10:58]And yeah, to have a uh to take it takes bottle means it takes courage, right? to have guts. Um, and a bonus one here. You can lose your bottle, too. He was going to do the bungee jump, but he bottled it. But he bottled it. So, that means to lose your courage at the last moment and and back out. So, uh, two phrases for the price of one in that last one. So, we covered five slash6 phrases just then, but that chat was absolutely loaded. There was uh fair play to you, which is how Brits give someone credit for for doing something um bold. There was handed in my notice, which is the phrase you need if you ever quit a job in the UK. And there's um getting on famously, a lovely posh one Charles said um about two people getting on well. And all of them, plus many more, are in the free worksheet along with everything else from today with clear examples, example sentences, collocations, the lot. Uh, scan the QR code on screen right now to go and grab that free PDF or hit the link in the description, show notes, or comments. That link will take you to this screen that video podcast viewers can see right now. Pop your name and email in and it will land straight in your email inbox. But that's it for episode 4. The lads have caught up.

[00:12:30]Charlie's had his heart gently patched back together and uh Chaz is now organizing a big Saturday night out which um history suggests is a is a rather bad idea. But yeah, next episode the night takes a turn. More pints appear. Someone suggests shots and we get into one of the richest areas of British English, the many, many ways we describe being drunk. From a bit tipsy all the way to well, we'll see. We'll show you in that [music] episode, episode five. So, look forward to that one in the coming weeks.

[00:13:10]Thanks for getting to the end of this episode. My name is Charlie and you've been listening to the British English podcast. Bye for now.

[00:13:25]>> [music]