Malarkey

Malarkey

Business English Word of the Week:

Geschäftsenglisch Wort der Woche:

‘To pull strings‘

What happens when you pull the strings of a puppet? It does what you want it to do. This phrase means to use your power or influence to make something happen that would usually be difficult or impossible.

Sample Sentence.

“People aren’t usually allowed to schedule meetings with the stars of this show, but if I pull some strings, I might be able to find a time for you to meet them.”

 

Law English word of the Week:

Gesetz Englisches Wort der Woche:

A ‘Lawyer‘

Someone who studied and practised law.

Sample Sentence.

“My firm has 6 lawyers on staff, including contract lawyers, a criminal lawyer and a couple of civil law lawyers.”

 

Vocabulary for Contracts:

Wortschatz für Verträge:

“Null and void“

Cancelled or invalid.

Sample Sentence.

“This contract is null and void the moment you are in breach of clause one!”

 

Vocabulary for Negotiations:

Wortschatz für Verhandlungen:

Sample Sentence.

“We have arrived at this figure: £5,000,000. Tell me, would that be quite acceptable to you?”

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NOTE: There is a moral in this cartoon – those who trust in riches will become disappointed – those who trust in witches will become reappointed – in this case Jail.

 

Word of the day: Wort des Tages:

‘Malarkey‘

Phrase of the day: Satz des Tages:

“To drive a hard bargain” means to be uncompromising in making a deal.

Sample Sentence.

“The CEO’s prowess in driving a hard bargain has placed severe pressure on our suppliers.”

Idiom of the day: Redewendung des Tages:

To ‘Call it a day‘ means to stop working on something

Sample Sentence.

“I think we have worked hard enough so let’s call it a day and go and have something to eat.“

 

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

Britisches Englisch / Amerikanisches Englisch Wortschatz:

“Semolina pudding” = B.E. /  “Cream of wheat” = A.E.

Semolina pudding is basically made of 2 ingredients: milk and semolina, but you can choose to make it as flavourful and sweet as you like. All you need to do is bring the milk to boil, add the semolina gradually and keep whisking until it thickens.

 

Special Grammar tip of the week:

Spezieller Grammatik-Tipp der Woche:

Use the Semicolon to Join Two Ideas

When it comes to a list of grammar rules, you have to include the scariest of punctuation marks. It might look funny, but don’t be afraid of the semicolon; it’s the easiest thing in the world to use! Say you want to join two ideas but can’t figure out or can’t be bothered to use a coordinating conjunction. The two ideas can be separate sentences, but you think that they are so closely connected; that they really should be one. Use a semicolon.

Sample Sentence.

• Mark’s dog is hyperactive; it won’t stop barking or sit still.

• Her heart is like a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea; it’s bitter and smoky.

• Mark must walk his dog three times every day; it is a rather large Rhodesian Ridgeback.

 

Pronunciation tip: Aussprachetipp:

Here are six top tips for you to practice and perfect your pronunciation.

False Friends Tip of the Week:

Falsche Freunde Tipp der Woche:

Pension (Guest House) / pension = False Friend money you get from the Government when you retire / when you stop work = Pensioner / An OAP (Old Aged Pensioner) / Senior Citizen.

 

Slang word of the day: Slangwort des Tages:

“Naff” (adj)

So ‘naff’ is a word with an interesting history. Back in the 1960s, it was illegal to be gay in the UK and so gay men began to use a kind of code language or slang that was a mix of Italian, Romany and rhyming slang. ‘Naff’ was one of these words that actually meant someone was heterosexual. Now, the word ‘naff’ is used to mean that something is lacking in style or good taste.

Sample Sentence.

“I was going to buy a pink suit for my daughter’s wedding, but I thought it looked a bit naff.”

 

Wit, wit, wit – Drink and Other Drugs:

Witz, Witz, Witz – Trinken und andere Drogen:

“The European Parliament has banned smoking by its MPs while it is in session. The reason is that those fellows drink so much that if you lit a match in there the place would explode.” Quote by Eamon Morrissey.

Frankly, I could not give a dam and they all deserve to be blown up.

 

Colloquial / Colloquialisms:

Umgangssprache / Umgangssprache:

to cut “doorstep” pieces of bread.

Sample Sentence.

“Whenever I try to cut a few slices of bread for myself I always seem to cut great doorsteps.“

 

Cockney rhyming slang: Cockney Reimender Slang:

• Berk or Burk = Berkshire Hunt = cunt (used as an insult, never as an anatomical reference).

• Boat = boat race = face.

  Sample Sentence.

  “Nice legs shame about the boat race“, this was used in a song in the ’70s or the ’80s, I forget exactly when.

 

Quote of the week: Zitat der Woche:

“I am merely trying to get from ‘A’ to ‘B’ which in-between appears to comprise of letters of the Alphabet that I previously did not know existed”.

Mark Brislin 15^th January 2019. Written when thinking about trying to write my latest book.

 

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