Out of the picture

Feifei: Hi Finn. I am glad you could come to my house to take a picture of my special friend.

Finn: My pleasure, Feifei. I take pride in being a great photographer. I brought some of my best pictures.

Feifei: Let me have a look.

Finn: Yes. I took this one during a trip to Paris.

Feifei: I remember. The trip you took last summer with your girlfriend Ann.

Finn: Oh, Ann… She is out of the picture. Look at the Eiffel Tower. I bet you've never seen it from this angle.

Feifei: And this other one…

Finn: Yes, yes. This other one I took at a dinner party in my flat.

Feifei: Yes, with your flatmate Johnny.

Finn: My ex-flatmate "Dirty Socks" Johnny. He is out of the picture too.

Feifei: Finn, I can see him in this photo and … you keep talking about having your friends out of the picture… I want my friend to be in the picture!

Finn: Oh, Feifei, no. Ann and Johnny appear in some of my snaps. But Ann is not my girlfriend anymore. She ran away with a Frenchman…

Feifei: Oh… and what happened to Johnny?

Finn: "Dirty Socks" Johnny moved out. He used to leave his socks everywhere!

Feifei: Oh, so you are no longer in touch with them.

Finn: Exactly. In English, when we say someone is "out of the picture" we mean we don't count on them anymore. They are no longer involved in a particular situation. Let's hear some examples.

• Divorce was good for Mrs Jones. She looks very happy with her husband out of the picture.
• My team is bound to lose this weekend now that our best player is out of the picture. He broke his leg yesterday.

Finn: So now that this is clear, where is your special someone? Shall we go out into the garden? The lighting is really good outside. I'll take a great picture!

Feifei: Follow me.

(Outdoors)

Feifei: Here's my special friend!

Finn: But this… Feifei, this is a hamster倉鼠!

Finn: Yes! My pet's name is "Cutie Pie"! Oh my little sweetie, little friend! Isn't he cute, Finn?

Finn: He is not very photogenic, I'm afraid, Feifei.

Feifei: Come on, Finn. Look at him! (to the hamster) Sweetie yummy come to mummy. You're going to be in the picture! Yes, you are!

Finn: Oh dear! I can kiss goodbye to my career as a serious photographer...

Feifei: Bye.

Finn: Bye.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/09/130924_tews_142_out_of_the_picture.shtml 

Beef

(Sounds from inside aircraft)

Li: Chicken or beef?

Male customer: Chicken please.

Li: There you go, sir. And madam? Chicken or beef?

Female customer: Oooh, beef please.

Li: There you are.

Female customer: Thanks.

Li: (whispering) Hello and welcome to the programme… and the flight. I'm Li and I'm doing a bit of extra work as a flight stewardess空姐. Lunchtime has just started so I'd better get back to work – lots of hungry customers.

Chicken or beef sir?

Familiar customer:(irritated) Actually, I have a beef with you.

Li: Beef? Ok, there you go.

Familiar customer: No, no – I don't want beef. I have a beef with you about this menu.

Li: You want some beef… with me? Sorry sir, I don't think we can provide that service.

Familiar customer: Listen. My beef is you don't have vegetarian food.

Li: Er… I'm not quite sure I understand.

Familiar customer:(genuinely willing to help) Oh, I'm very sorry, do let me explain. In English, we can use the word 'beef' to mean 'complaint' or 'disagreement'. 

Li: Oh I see…

Familiar customer: Yes – we say 'I have a beef with someone or something over or about something else' – a disagreement about something. Let me see if the other passengers can help give us some examples. Would you mind, sir?

Male customer: Not at all. How about: I had a beef with my teacher about the amount of homework we were getting. 

Familiar customer: Yes – if you felt you were getting too much homework you might say that! Thank you.

Male customer: Welcome. 

Familiar customer: Anyone else?

Female customer: Oh, I can think of one: Mark had a beef with his wife.

Familiar customer: Very good. He had a disagreement with his wife. What was the reason? A full sentence please.

Female customer: Mark had a beef with his wife over… over… parking their car. He thought she always parked it very badly.

Familiar customer: Great. Well I hope she's better at parking now. Is that clear, Li?

Li: Yes, it is now thank you teacher, I mean sir… I mean… you look a bit familiar! A bit like our presenter Finn.

Familiar customer: Shhhh… yes it is me. But I'm on holiday – not working, well only working a bit. After explaining this phrase I'm done!

Li: Well, have a nice holiday!

Familiar customer: Thanks. And I do still have a beef with this menu – why don't you have a vegetarian option?

Li: We do – but you need to reserve it online first, Finn, I mean sir. And while you're online, why not check out our website bbclearningenglish.com for more phrases like this one!

Familiar customer: Yes, it's a wonderful site. Back to holidays now. Bye.

Li: Bye.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/10/131001_tews_143_beef.shtml

Ace

(Feifei and Finn playing cards)

Feifei: I'm laying a five.

Finn: I'm laying an eight.

Feifei: Hmm, I'll lay a jack.

Finn:(Faster pace) Queen!

Feifei: Ace!

Finn: OK OK, you go again!

Feifei: Right, this time I'm laying three sevens.

Finn: Wow, going bigger, are we?

Feifei: Absolutely! Come on then, what have you got?

Finn: I've got three kings! Here you go! I bet you can't beat that?

Feifei: Hahaha! Check this out Finn - three Aces! (Very happy) Yay, I win again... dinner is on you then?

Finn: Yes, yes, I know. I didn't know you were an ace card player!

Feifei: What do you mean 'an ace' card player? I play other cards too! I just played a five, a jack, a queen, two fours, three...(interrupted)

Finn: No, no, no. I didn't mean literally 'an ace' card player. In English, we can use the word 'ace' as an adjective to mean 'very good, excellent, and awesome'.

Feifei: So you are actually saying I'm an 'excellent' card player? Ahh, thank you Finn, very kind of you to say so.

Finn: Here are some examples using the word 'ace'.

• This is an ace idea!
• That is an ace laptop you've got!
• Have you listened to Arctic Monkeys' new album? It's ace!
• I'm ace at cooking!
• Andy Murray is an ace tennis player!

Finn: So we can use 'ace' to describe an idea, a thing or a person. And you can say you're ace at doing something. So Feifei, do you like pontoon?

Feifei: Yes, it's ace!

Finn: Shall we have a game? I'm pretty ace at playing pontoon.

Feifei: But it's time for dinner and you are paying!

Finn: One more game...

Feifei: No, let's go now, I'm hungry! Can we go to the new Thai restaurant that's just opened? I heard they serve ace tom yum soup!

Finn: OK, in that case, let's go now.

Feifei: Ace!

Finn: Don't forget to check out bbclearningenglish.com for more The English We Speak. Bye!

Feifei: See you next time!http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/10/131008_tews_144_ace.shtml

Have a ball

Finn: Hello Feifei. Welcome back to the office.

Feifei: Hi Finn. Back to work!

Finn: How was your holiday? You look great.

Feifei: Oh thanks, fantastic. We spent every day on the beach…

Finn: Nice…

Feifei: Yeah, just relaxing, swimming, reading novels, eating fresh seafood, and my favourite new thing: playing beach volleyball!

Finn: Cool – you must have had a ball!

Feifei: Of course we had a ball. We were playing volleyball! You can't play volleyball without… a ball.

Finn: You're right, you do need a ball – but you see I meant…

Feifei: I know what you meant, just kidding! To 'have a ball' means to have a really good time, to enjoy yourself.

Finn: Yes, well did you? Have a good time?

Feifei: We had… a ball!

Finn: Listen to these other people who had… a ball.

• We went to my sister's wedding at the weekend. Everyone had a ball – it was so much fun.
• I had a ball at the party. So many of my friends were there and the music was great.

Feifei: Of course we don't always use it to talk about things in the past.

Finn: Yes, listen out for people 'having a ball', like this one:

• I'm having a ball in my new job. It's so much better than my old one.

Feifei: Or you can combine with 'will' when talking about the future.

• A: I'm not sure about joining the singing class.
• B: Of course you should join – you'll have a ball!

Finn: Anyway Feifei, it's good to have you back.

Feifei: Good to be back.

Finn: We're having a ball.

Feifei: I know, it's fun to be in the studio again.

Finn: No, we're really having a ball.

Feifei: Eh?

Finn: Yes, BBC Learning English is holding a ball – a formal party where people come and dance - tonight.

Feifei: Oh, that kind of ball – our ball! I'd completely forgotten! I'm playing volleyball tonight.

Finn: Well, I'm sure you'll have a ball whatever you do!

Feifei: Haha – yes, well you have a ball, at the ball!

Finn: Very good. For more English phrases, log on to bbclearningenglish.com. Goodbye.

Feifei: See ya.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/09/130910_tews_140_have_a_ball.shtml

Legend

Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. We're in Finn's kitchen, and he's hard at work.

Finn: Hello.

Feifei: Finn. What are you doing?

Finn: (Sawing sounds) Just sawing鋸 this table.

Feifei: Sawing the table? Why?

Finn: To make it round; a nice round shape圓形.

Feifei: OK? Not quite sure why?

Finn: So I can have a round table. Like King Arthur...

Feifei: You mean like King Arthur in the British legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Finn, that sounds a bit weird.

Finn: OK fine, don't laugh. Actually, hang on, I'm not very good at DIY. My saw is stuck - it won't move.

Feifei: Give me that. You need to do it like this, nice and smooth.

Finn: Thanks Feifei, you're a legend.

Feifei: No problem Finn. A legend傳奇. Unlike King Arthur and characters from myths神話 and legends, who didn't really exist - you'll also hear the word 'legend' used to describe people around you.

Finn: Yes - in British slang, we say someone is a legend if they do something very helpful, very generous or very successfully - like in these examples:

• Thank you for that mate - you helped so much with the party today. You're a legend.

• A: Hey, I found your car keys.
• B: Oh great - you're a legend. I've been looking for an hour!

• He's a legend. He drove me to the airport at 5am.

(Sawing sounds)

Finn: And there we have it, a perfect round table.

Feifei: Well done Finn. I'm impressed. Now what?

Finn: I thought we could invite a few friends round for dinner. Trouble is, I'm absolutely awful at cooking.

Feifei: Never fear - I'll do my special Sunday Roast...

Finn: Feifei, you are a legend.

Feifei: Well, you can buy the ingredients(材料)! We'll need beef, potatoes, flour, carrots. Before you go off to the shops, can you remind everyone of our website?

Finn: Of course - bbclearningenglish.com. See you next time everyone!

Feifei: Bye.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/07/130716_tews_132_legend.shtml

It's doing my head in!

Jennifer: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. My name is Jennifer and Li is with me here in the studio.

Li: Hello everyone. What have you been doing this morning, Jen?

Jennifer: Oh I've been playing on this great new game on my smartphone. It's a puzzle where you have to find matching pictures of fruit. Now it sounds easy, but it's really addictive上癮的.

Li: I love puzzles like this, especially when they're really addictive. Can I have a go?

Jennifer: Yes, you can. In fact, I'm stuck on level 33. I can't complete it at all. Why don't you see if you can do it for me? It's doing my head in!

Li: OK, give it to me and I'll see what I can do. Jen said that the computer game is 'doing her head in'. If something is 'doing your head in', it means it is frustrating or annoying.

Jennifer: It's a phrase which is often used by young people, it's a slang俚語 phrase. Let's hear some examples of how you might use it: 

• (shouting) Can you please turn that music down? It's so loud and it's really doing my head in!
• I've done all my maths homework, except question two. I can't work out the answer and it's really doing my head in.
• I hate it when people drop litter in the street - it does my head in to see so much rubbish everywhere.

Jennifer: So the computer game is doing my head in because I find it difficult. It's frustrating.

Li: You can also say that people are doing your head in, if they annoy you in some way.

• I don't want to invite Sonia to the Christmas party. She gossips all the time. She really does my head in.

Jennifer: So 'doing your head in' is a really useful phrase to know, wouldn't you agree, Li?

Li: (ignoring Jen but playing computer game) Yes! Yes!

Jennifer: Li, I said: 'doing your head in is a really useful phrase'.

Li: (still playing the game) Hang on... If I can just match these pictures... Yes! Level 34!

Jennifer: Li, it's been five hours. I need my phone back now.

Li: But I'm on to level 79 - just let me get to level 80 and I'll give it back to you.

Jennifer: Oh Li, you're really doing MY head in. Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/07/130709_tews_131_doing_my_head_in.shtml

The bee's knees

Li: Oh, it's a really great day for a picnic, Finn. Thank you for inviting me.

Finn: Yes, Li. I thought we could enjoy this rare sunny day in London and I wanted you to try some of my new recipes.

Li: You're a real Heston Blumenthal! I never thought I would enjoy an olive and white chocolate salad!

Finn: And what about the beetroot甜菜 loaf麵包?

Li: Oh, yes. It was unusual but very tasty. I might want another piece!

Finn: Wonderful! But now it's time for my best creation: my special ice cream. Here it is, Li. This is the bee's knees!

Li: Bee's knees?!

Finn: Yes! Here is the bowl碗 and a spoon. Tuck in!

Li: How could you do that, Finn? Poor bees! Without their knees they might not be able to produce honey. And everyone likes honey, Finn!

Finn: Oh no, Li. No bees were harmed受傷 in the making of this dish. 'The bee's knees' is an expression we use in English to say that something or someone is exceptionally格外地 good. Let's have some examples:

• I used to play in a band when I was younger. We had a few fans and we thought we were the bee's knees. Yesterday I listened to one of our tapes and we sounded horrible!

• This is the best laptop I've ever bought. It is very light and has the best features. It is really the bee's knees!

Finn: You see... there are no knees and no bees in this ice cream, thank goodness - only a great taste. It's the bee's knees because it's so good. It is really good! And it's made of cinnamon肉桂!

Li: I'm afraid the bees in this park might want to give it a try too, Finn. It seems that now they know we don't want their precious寶貴的 knees, they are coming closer and closer to taste your delicious food. Shall we move elsewhere?

Finn: I think so. That's a very good idea, Li. Let's get out of here! Bye. Bye everyone!

Li: Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/07/130702_tews_130_bees_knees.shtml

To put all your eggs in one basket

Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, I'm Feifei and with me today is Rob. Rob, what are you doing?

Rob: (counting out money) Oh hi, I'm just counting up all my money... actually, Feifei, could I borrow £100, please?

Feifei: £100? That's a lot of money. What do you need it for?

Rob: Well, with all my savings plus your £100, I'll just have enough.

Feifei: For what?!

Rob: To invest in this new company my friend is setting up. He's invented this machine where you can talk to people anywhere in the world and there are no wires電線 or cables電纜. It's going to be a huge success.

Feifei: Rob, that sounds to me like a mobile phone - that's already been invented.

Rob: Yeah but you can also type messages on it and send them to other people. Absolutely amazing! If this is successful my investment is going to make me millions of pounds!

Feifei: Err, Rob calm down. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Rob: What? I'm not investing in eggs - this is real money. And what do you mean about one basket? I wasn't going to put the money in a basket!

Feifei: It's a saying! Don't put all your eggs in one basket - it's an expression that means you should never rely依賴/依靠 on just one plan because it could go wrong. Rob, don't use all of your savings on this one idea - it might fail.

Rob: Fail? Do you really think so? Are you really saying putting all my eggs - or my money - in one basket is too risky?

Feifei: Exactly. Here are some more examples of the idiom in action:

• I know you're confident about getting that job but I don't think you should put all your eggs in one basket. Why don't you apply for a few more, just in case?

• My dad says I should buy shares in a lot of different companies, and not put all my eggs in the one basket.

Feifei: So, don't put all your eggs in one basket. Have you got the message Rob?

Rob: Yes. I mustn't depend on one idea to make me rich. I'm not so sure about my friend's new idea anyway, but does that mean you won't lend me £100?

Feifei: No.

Rob: What about for my other cracking good idea - one that you really will need a basket for?

Feifei: What is it?

Rob: I have bought a chicken. It means I won't have to buy eggs at the supermarket anymore. It will save me lots of money. Oh look, she's just laid her first egg... here, Feifei, catch. Can you put that in the basket for me?

Feifei: Watch out, that nearly hit me.

Rob: Ha, then you would have had egg on your face!

Feifei: Excuse me?

Rob: Oh it's just another saying, I'll explain another time. Come on, let's go and boil this egg.

Feifei: How egg-citing! Join us again soon for more The English We Speak. Bye.

Rob: Look! She's laying another one.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/06/130625_tews_129_eggs_in_one_basket.shtml

Don't make me laugh!

Jennifer: Hi I'm Jennifer and this is The English We Speak. In this programme, we teach you about English words or phrases which you might not find in the dictionary. Here comes Feifei.

Feifei: Hello Jen, hi everyone. Hey, Jen, I have some news for you.

Jennifer: Oh yes, what is it?

Feifei: I was standing next to the water cooler, when I heard the boss talking. He said that he is going to give everyone at work a holiday! For free!

Jennifer: A free holiday?

Feifei: Yes, I'm sure that's what he said.

Jennifer: Oh, don't make me laugh!

Feifei: It does sound too good to be true. Jen said: "Don't make me laugh." In English, this is something you can say when you think something is not going to happen.

Jennifer: And I don't think the boss is going to give us a holiday, especially a free one. The boss giving us special treats...? Don't make me laugh.

Feifei: Let's hear some more examples of this phrase.

• A: I heard that Justin Bieber is going to play a gig at our Christmas party!
• B: Don't make me laugh - he's far too famous to come here.

• A: Do you think that the Scotland football team could win the World Cup one day?
• B: Don't make me laugh - they've never won anything!

Feifei: So, 'don't make me laugh' is a great way to say that you think something won't happen.

Jennifer: Like our boss giving away free holidays. So I wonder what he did mean?

Feifei: Oooh, here's an email from him. It says: "I'm going away for two weeks. You will all need to work extra hard during this time, and don't call me - I want a work-free holiday."

Jennifer: You see? I told you he wouldn't give away free holidays. He wants a work-free holiday: that means he doesn't want to think about work while he's away.

Feifei: Oh well. It seems I didn't hear him properly. It was nice while it lasted!

Jennifer: So, are you planning to work 'extra hard' while he's away?

Feifei: Don't make me laugh! I'm not working hard, I'm going to take advantage and have a relaxing two weeks without the boss here!

Jennifer: That sounds like a good plan. Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. Bye for now!

Feifei: Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/06/130618_tews_128_dont_make_me_laugh.shtml

A leopard can't change its spots

Jennifer: Hello, I'm Jennifer and this is The English We Speak. I'm with Feifei, and we're here at the zoo!

Feifei: Hi there everyone. Yes, the sun is out, so we thought we would come and take a look at some of our favourite animals. We've already seen the elephants and penguins – I love the penguins, they're so funny.

Jennifer: Well we're moving on now to my favourites – the big cats!

Feifei: According to this leaflet傳單, they have lions, tigers, pumas美洲獅 and leopards!

Jennifer: Fantastic – I love leopards. They're so beautiful and they also feature in one of my favourite phrases in English.

Feifei: Let me guess, it's "a leopard can't change its spots斑點"?

Jennifer: Absolutely, Feifei. The phrase "a leopard can't change its spots" is used to describe a person's character, particularly if they have some bad habits.

Feifei: Just as a leopard can't change the spots on its fur毛皮, a person can't change their personality, even if they say they have. It's part of them.

Jennifer: Let's hear some examples of how you might use this phrase.

• John promised me that he would stay out of trouble at school, but I don't believe him. A leopard can't change its spots.

• Katie used to have a reputation for gossiping and spreading rumours. I've heard she's changed now, but I don't trust her: a leopard can't change its spots.

Feifei: Great phrase. Let's see if we can find a real life leopard then!

Jennifer: Well, the big cat area is over there, according to this map. Oh look! I can see lions… They have little baby ones too… Ah! But where are the leopards?

Feifei: Er, Jen…

Jennifer: They must be here somewhere, a big spotty cat like that can't be too hard to find.

Feifei: (whispering) Jen, I think you should…

Jennifer: Hurry, they must be this way. I want to see a leopard right now! A leopard can't change its spots and I can't change the fact that it's my favourite animal in the whole wide world!

Feifei: I think you should turn around!

(huge growl and roar)

Jennifer: (terrified) Oh. Hello Mr Leopard. You're a lot bigger in real life…

Feifei: (whispering) Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from BBC Learning English… Bye!

(roar)吼叫

Jennifer: Here kitty, kitty, kitty. Nice kitty…

(roar)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/06/130611_tews_127_a_leopard_cant_change_spots.shtml

To see red

Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. I'm Feifei and I'm joined today by Jen.

Jennifer: Hi there, we're going to go on a day trip today - and we're going to explore how the colour red fits into London life. I've packed my sandwiches...

Feifei: And I've got my camera – let's go! 

(Out on the street)

Jennifer: So here we are on Oxford Street - it's one of the busiest streets in London. So let's play a game: how many red things can you see? You go first, Feifei!

Feifei: It's easy to see red things in London. Look over there - there's a red post box. There are hundreds of them around the UK, although some of them were painted gold after the Olympics!

Jennifer: Oh yes. That's a good one. OK, my turn. There are a couple of red telephone boxes over there. Not many people use them nowadays, because almost everyone has mobile phones, but they are certainly another iconic symbol of London.

Feifei: If something is iconic標誌性的, it typically represents something - so a red telephone box typically represents London. Here comes one of the most iconic symbols of London - a big, red double-decker bus!

Jennifer: Shall we get on it and head over to Hyde Park for a stroll散步? 

Feifei: Good idea. I'll stick my hand out for the bus... (The bus drives past) Hey! It didn't stop! 

Jennifer: Oh that's so annoying! It really makes me see red! 

Feifei: Oh me too! Here, the phrase 'to see red' can be used to describe getting really angry about something.

Jennifer: Well don't worry. We can catch the next one... in fact, here comes another. 

Feifei: We made it! Off to Hyde Park we go. Shall we move down inside and get a seat? There's a couple at the back there.

Jennifer: There are quite a few people in the way though... Excuse me, sorry, can I just squeeze擠 past into this seat? Would you mind moving out of the way? Excuse me? (Whispering)喃喃 These people won't let me past! They're just pretending we're not here. Oh! I'm really seeing red now! 

Feifei: We should have walked. Let's get off. We're not that far from the park anyway.

Jennifer: Yeah let's go. 

(Sound of birdsong)

It's lovely here in the park - it's a breath of fresh air compared to that crowded bus. Shall we find somewhere to go and eat our sandwiches?

Feifei: Here's a picnic area, let's sit down. Oh no - more red!

Jennifer: What do you mean?

Feifei: Someone has spray painted噴漆 red graffiti塗鴉 all over the table and the seat... And the paint is still wet! It's all over my clothes! I thought I was seeing red before, but I'm really seeing red now! 

Jennifer: Well, our game was to look for red things in London - but I didn't think we'd be seeing red all afternoon! I think it might be time to go home, before we see red again! 

Feifei: I think you're right. Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. Bye for now!

Jennifer: Bye!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/06/130604_tews_126_to_see_red.shtml

Haven't slept a wink

Neil: (Yawning) Welcome to The English We Speak with me - a very tired Neil - and Feifei.

Feifei: (Yawning) Hi, I'm Feifei.

Neil: Oh, Feifei, I'm so tired.

Feifei: Me too. The kids?

Neil: Ah, the kids kept me awake all night. As soon as one of them went back to sleep, the other one started screaming. What's your excuse?

Feifei: A mosquito蚊子.

Neil: A mosquito?

Feifei: Yes, there was a mosquito in my room. Every time I turned the light off and tried to go to sleep I heard buzzing嗡嗡 in my ear. I haven't slept a wink.一夜都沒合眼

Neil: And I haven't slept a wink either! A wink is when you close and open one of your eyes very quickly once - usually to show friendliness友好 or that you are having a joke with someone. It's also a verb - to wink.

Feifei: So, if you say 'I haven't slept a wink' it means that you've had so little sleep, your eye didn't even close once!

Neil: That's right. It's an exaggeration誇張. Here are some examples:

• A: You look terrible! What's the matter?
• B: I haven't slept a wink. It was a really bad idea to move to a flat next to a pub.

• A: How about a trip to the cinema tonight?
• B: Sorry I can't. I haven't slept a wink. There were cats outside fighting all night.

Neil: So, we can use 'I haven't slept a wink' to say that we are very tired because we haven't had much sleep. (Yawns) I can't wait to get home tonight and just jump into bed... I don't know how I'm going to get through the rest of this programme, let alone the rest of the day.

Feifei: Me neither.

Neil: Nice and quiet in here, though, isn't it?

Feifei: And dark.

Neil: Do you think anyone would notice if we just...

Feifei: That's a great idea! I'll just put these two chairs together.

Neil: And I'll rest my head on this desk and... (snoring).打呼

(Sound of babies screaming and mosquitos buzzing)

Both: Argh! Kids! Mosquitos! Is there anywhere to sleep? Argh!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/05/130528_tews_125_slept_a_wink.shtml

Freak

Jennifer: Hi, and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Jennifer and with me today is Feifei. 

Feifei: Hi there. 

Jennifer: Why do you have that big bag with you? 

Feifei: Oh this? I'm going to the gym after work. 

Jennifer: Again? But you went yesterday, and the day before that!

Feifei: I need to push myself! I want to get fit.

Jennifer: You're such a fitness freak.

Feifei: Hey, that's not very nice. What do you mean, I'm a 'fitness freak'? You're calling me some kind of strange monster?

Jennifer: I'm not calling you a monster, that's not what the word 'freak' means in this context. In English, you can use the word 'freak' with a noun to say that someone is obsessed by something which you think is strange. 

Feifei: So when you call me a 'fitness freak', you're saying I'm obsessed by癡迷 sport and fitness? 

Jennifer: That's right. It's an informal phrase, usually used if the person saying it is not interested in the hobby or action. So someone might be a 'football freak' if they're watching football. My boyfriend is a 'car freak' – he's obsessed with cars and talking about them, but I'm not interested at all, I think it's weird.

Feifei: I understand. Well you might call me a fitness freak, because you don't like it. I'd say I'm a fitness fanatic狂熱的! 

Jennifer: Well, I have no intention of意願 going to the gym today or any day. I don't like it and the thought of using the equipment設備 really freaks me out.

Feifei: Hang on, you've used the word freak again.

Jennifer: Yes, in a slightly different way. 'To freak someone out' is a phrasal短語 verb which means to make someone feel strong emotions, like panic or fear. Going to the gym freaks me out; it makes me panic. 

Feifei: It freaks you out! You need to toughen up.強硬起來 I really do think you should come and join me for a gym session tonight.

Jennifer: No way! I'm too scared and too tired. I'd rather lie on the sofa and watch my favourite soap opera.

Feifei: Well, I think that people who sit around and watch television every night are very strange – so I guess you're a television freak! Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak from bbclearningenglish.com. 

Both: Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2013/05/130521_tews_124_freak.shtml