DISCOMBOBULATED

(confused, disconcerted)

Discombobulate is a pseudo-Latinism like absquatulate and confusticate, and based on learned Latin words like disaffiliate or disaggregate, or humorous alterations of discompose or discomfort. The many variant spellings include discombobligate, discombobolate, discomboberate, discombooberate, and discumboblificate.

 

 Business English Word of the Week:

 Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

To be on the ball

This phrase comes from the sports field. When you are on the ball, you have to be alert and sure not to make any mistakes. It means the same at work.

Sample Sentence:

E.g.: “Samantha’s great – she’s really on the ball and hardly ever makes any mistakes.”

 

Law English word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

Illegal

Against the law.

Sample Sentence:

“It is illegal to drive through a red light.”

 

Vocabulary for Contracts:

Wortschatz für Verträge:

Default

Failure to make payments on a loan or mortgage. Often used in the past tense.

Sample Sentence:

“He lost his job and defaulted on his mortgage payments. He may lose his house.”

 

Vocabulary for Negotiations:

Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

Useful phrases for Negotiations:

There’s just one more little problem with ….. that I’d like to bring up before the meeting is finished

 

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Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

DISCOMBOBULATED /ˌdɪskəmˈbɒbjʊleɪtɪd / adjective humorous adjective: discombobulated meaning confused and disconcerted.

Sample Sentence:

I think today, she is looking a little pained and discombobulated.

  

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

He has lost the plot means “Er hat die Handlungsmittel verloren.” Definition of losing the plot

British, informal. : To become confused or crazy.

Sample Sentence:

He was so nervous that he thought he was going to lose the plot.

The tyrant was so obsessed with ruling the world that he lost the plot and thought that he could do anything and get away with it.”

 

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

In for a penny, in for a pound,” meaning is used to express someone’s intention to see an undertaking through, however much time, effort, or money this entails.

Sample Sentence:

Oh hell, I thought, in for a penny, in for a pound, and scrubbed the place from top to bottom.

 

British (B.E.) / American (A.E.) Vocabulary:

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

Tap is the British English word and the word faucet is the American English.

(NOTE: 200 years ago the English used the word faucet‘). German word = Wasserhahn.

 

Special Grammar tip of the week:

Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:

Connect your ideas with conjunctions

If you want to connect two ideas or short phrases, you can do so by using a conjunction.

For example:

“I’m studying English. English is important.”

becomes:

“I’m studying English because it’s important.”

The most common conjunctions are:

and – addition

because – to give the reason

but – to express contrast

so – to describe a consequence

or – to describe an alternative

Here are some examples:

  • He likes football and he plays in a team.

  • We’re going out because we’re bored.

  • She wants to study more but she doesn’t have time.

  • Kim is coming around, so I’m cleaning my flat.

  • Would you like tea or coffee?

 

Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:

Receipt– ‘Quittung‘ The PRONUNCIATION of this word = do not pronounce the letterPin the wordReceipt”. Like sayingre-seat”.

 

False Friends Tip of the Week:

Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:

False Friend: the German held (meaning Hero in English), but the word held is the past tense of to hold something in English.

Sample Sentences:

To hold your breath for more than a minute underwater.”

“Please hold this whilst I open the car door.”

“I’ll just put you on hold until I can transfer the call.”

“I know a woman who saved her child from being run over by a car; she was a hero.”

 

Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:

Snog (noun) To snog (verb)

So ‘to snog’ is to give someone a kiss. Specifically, the kind of kiss that is not very romantic.

Sample Sentence:

“Did you hear that Marcus snogged Heike at the Christmas party?”

Cheers (exclamation)

So you might know the word ‘cheers’ as the word you use to toast your drink in English (‘Prost’). But, as the British like to be different, we also use it for something else. We use ‘cheers’ to mean ‘thank you’ and often use pretty much sarcastically.

‘Cheers’ can also be used to say ‘goodbye’.

Sample Sentence:

“Do you want to help me clean the car?” “Nah I’m good, cheers.

Cheers“, see you later.

“Raise our glasses to the happy couple, cheers!

Wit, wit, wit – Drink and Other Drugs:

Witz, Witz, Witz – Trinken und andere Drogen:

“A good general rule on wine tasting is to state that the bouquet is better than the taste, and vice versa.” Quote by Stephen Potter.

 

Colloquial / Colloquialisms:

Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:

Proper (adj)

Proper is a difficult word to define, mainly because British people use it to describe so many different things. Doing things ‘properly’ means to do them correctly or in the right way. In the North of England, ‘proper’ can also be used for emphasis in the same way as the word ‘very’.

Sample Sentence:

A proper cup of tea needs milk and one sugar. For me, that’s a proper good cup of tea.

 

Cockney rhyming slang:

Cockney Reimender Slang:

Baker’s Dozen = cousin

(In English there is only one word used for a male or female cousin).

 

Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:

 “Bread is like the Sun; it rises in the yeast and sets in the waist.

 

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