Flabbergasted
What is the full meaning of flabbergasted?
intense shock, overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder: to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder: dumbfound.
Sample Sentences:
“They were flabbergasted by the local news that she had won the national lottery at 10 million dollars.” flabbergastingly.: feeling or showing intense shock, surprise, or wonder: utterly astonished.
“Every second person wore a blank flabbergasted expression, having just offered some gratuitous insult (grundlose Beleidigung) to a stranger, or, perhaps, received one.”
Most of these interesting English slang words I have written a blog with them being the title of the blog: Bamboozled, Flabbergasted, Discombobulated, Shenanigans, Cattywampus, Lollygag, Malarkey, Kerfuffle, Brouhaha, Nincompoop, Skedaddle, Pumpernickel, Doohickey, Thingamajig, Persnickerty (Pernickerty = possible other spelling), Whatsit, Whatnot, Whatchamacallit, Gobsmacked, Flummoxed, Flibbertigibbet, Dingleberry, Tenterhooks, Gobbledygook, Poppycock, Canoodle, Whippersnapper, and Codswallop.
*************************************************************
“You’re So Vain“
Song by Carly Simon
“You’re so vainYou probably think this song is about you.”
Business English Word of the Week:
Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:
Headquarters (often referred to as H.Q. for short)
The noun headquarters refers to the head office where a company is controlled or managed from. It can be used with a singular or plural verb. I can also say our HEAD OFFICE.
Sample sentences:
“Apple’s New HQ in Silicon Valley cost around $4.5 billion to construct!”
“Our HQ is in Bremen.”
“Our head office is in Bremen.”
“Our headquarters are in Bremen.”
“Our head offices are in Bremen.”
Law English word of the Week:
Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:
INDEPENDENT BUSINESS means a business that is not inextricably associated with another business through common ownership, affiliation, and sharing of employees, facilities, equipment, profits and losses.
INDEPENDENT BUSINESS means any business unit within a Country designated by the Client executive committee from time to time to operate at arm’s length because (i) it is pending a decision regarding a possible disposal of the business unit; or (ii) the business unit operates under conditions materially distinct from those applying to the Services as evidenced by non-participation in all or some of the other Client mainstream support services in that Country;
How do you know if a company is independent?
One of the major features that distinguishes an independent business is its status as a privately held company. This means that stock in the company, if it exists at all, cannot be traded on the open market. In an independent business, the only people with access to shares of stock are the owners and select employees.
Vocabulary for Contracts:
Wortschatz für Verträge:
Agreement means: A negotiated or legal (Law) understanding between two or more groups of people.
Sample sentence:
“The two companies have finally come to an agreement within the English law. Therefore, could you make the changes in the contract and we will sign it by the end of the week.“
Vocabulary for Negotiations:
Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:
noun: bargain; plural noun: bargains
To bargain means: (verhandeln)
An agreement between two or more people or groups as to what each will do for the other.
Sample sentence:
“There are many bargains that are made between the differing English political parties supporting the government.“
Similar words are:
Agreement, arrangement, understanding, deal, contract, pact, compact, covenant, concordat, treaty, entente, accord, concord, protocol, convention, pledge, promise, engagement, transaction, negotiation.
********************************************************
Word of the day: Wort des Tages:
To hire to rent = always means you pay money. To BORROW your neighbour’s lawnmower = no money involved (unless you break his machine!)
To rent a car.
To hire a car.
To rent a flat (apartment) but NOT hire a flat.
Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:
The very English phrase “Tit for tat” – “Wie du mir so ich dir” means
the infliction of an injury or insult in return for one that one has suffered.
Sample Sentence:
“As we struggled for those last two votes, the tit for tat continued.“
Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:
To be ‘Drunk as a skunk’ means very drunk.
British (B.E.) / American (A.E.) Vocabulary:
Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:
British English a Rubber – American English = an Eraser
A Rubber means a Condom in American English, so be careful who you are speaking to when you use this word.
Sample Sentence:
“To rub out a pencil error on my piece of paper.”
“To erase a pencil error on my piece of paper.”
NOTE: There was a film in1996 called “Eraser” with Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the lead role. His character erased people’s details from the records = dental, birth records etc. so that they could not be found by, for example, the Mafia.
Special Grammar tip of the week:
Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:
Use the correct conjugation of the verb
Remember to change the verb to agree with the subject. The main subjects you need to be careful with are he, she and it because they often have a different form to the others. For example:
He has three dogs. RIGHT/CORRECT GRAMMAR
He have three dogs. WRONG GRAMMAR
This seems like a little mistake to make but unfortunately, it’s a very noticeable one. So if you can avoid it, it’ll make a big difference to how accurate you sound.
Remember also that when you describe something using ‘There is/are’, the verb must agree with the first item you mention.
For example:
“There is a car, some lorries/trucks and a table.”
“There are some lorries/trucks and a sofa.”
Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:
pear – pair – so you can have a Pair of Pears. The word Pair is pronounced the same as Pear. They are spelt differently, and mean different things, but are pronounced in exactly the same way.
Birne (pear) – Paar (pair)
Sample Sentence:
“I would like to buy a new pair of shoes.”
“I like eating apples, bananas and pears.”
False Friends Tip of the Week:
Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:
German Translation False Friend Meaning of False Friend
alle Tage every day all-day wirklich, tatsächlich
Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:
Knackered (adj)
The very typical English slang word simply put, knackered means to be really, really tired. The term used to describe the person who cleared dead animals’ bodies away in the slaughterhouse, but is now used to say you’re exhausted (erschöpft). Just be a bit careful when using this one, some people consider this word to be impolite.
Sample sentence:
“I can’t come to the pub, sorry. I’m absolutely knackered.”
Wit, wit, wit – Drink and Other Drugs:
Witz, Witz, Witz – Trinken und andere Drogen:
“In 1969 I gave up drinking and sex. It was the worst twenty minutes of my life.”
Quote by George Best.
Colloquial / Colloquialisms:
Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:
Being “drunk as a Lord” means extremely intoxicated, as in He came home drunk as a lord. The three similes have survived numerous others. The first was considered proverbial by the mid-1600s and presumably alludes to the fact that noblemen drank more than commoners (because they could afford to). Also “Drunk as a skunk” means the same.
Being “drunk as a Newt” (ein Molch) means (don’t ask me why it has to be a Newt!!!!) too drunk to walk straight.
Eastern Red-Spotted Newt in Pond
Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:
Bag of fruit = suit (A suit for work.)
Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi.
Recent Comments