opt flip book 2019 - Flipbook - Page 8
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• To live under a rock: To not know what’s going on in the outside world
• First floor: The lowest floor/ground floor
• What you want to do is…: What you should do is…
• I cannot help myself from: I can’t resist from…
• You get it?: Do you understand?
• Shut up!: You’re kidding! / “Really?!”, could also be replaced with “No way!”
• I see where you’re coming from…: I understand why you’re saying that…
• I see: I get it
• I don’t buy that: I don’t believe that
• Tell me about it: I can totally relate to what you’re saying, could also
be “I know right?!”
• How do you mean?: How are you saying that? / What exactly do you mean?
• I’m beat.: I’m exhausted.
• It’s “in” now: It’s trending / popular at the moment
• I was ripped off: Someone charged them way more than what was necessary
• For real: Honestly!
• Bodega: A small grocery store
• Buck: Dollar
• Toilet/Washroom: Restroom
• Riding shotgun: To sit in the front seat of a car
• FOMO: Fear of missing out
• Gotcha: Ah okay, I understand
• I hear you (or) I feel you: I know what you mean and empathize with it
• Heads up!: A way of calling for attention/to stay alert e.g. “Heads
up, catch the ball”
• No-brainer: An easily made decision e.g. “This is a no-brainer
– we choose the concert!”
• Play-by-ear: To make decisions in a situation as and when it comes
e.g. “I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow yet, let’s play it by ear.”
These are just a few phrases, you will come to learn a lot more as you go. And
then, don’t be surprised if your people back home look at you with clueless eyes.
Make sure to read about holidays and important days here so
that you don’t come off as ignorant. Be wary about what you
speak and how you say it; you could be offending someone
without even realizing it. All of these will be learnt with time
but as an example, some of the people you meet might go by a
different pronoun – make sure you’re using the right one, you
might have to use he/she/they.