Sending out love to all the corners of the world.

This lesson is about expressions-some of them slang-about love and relationships in English.

Love to everyone out there; thank you.

My name's Ronnie and I'm going to teach you some slang.

I'm going to teach you some expressions that we use all the time.

Maybe you know the first one: "crush" from Instagram.

So, recently I've been seeing a lot of Instagram pictures, and people will put, especially

in another language: "crush".

Do you know what that word means?

Literally it means that you: "Arrr", you squish someone.

Don't do that.

But when we use it in slang in English: "to have a crush on someone", it means you like

them.

Maybe when you see them, you get a little nervous and you get...

Your stomach feels funny, and you can't talk.

"Oh my god.

I'm going insane."

Or...

Or...

Or...

Or you get: "[Hyperventilates].

Oh my god".

So: "to have a crush on someone" means you like them.

Now, if you are lucky, the person that you have a crush on has a crush on you as well.

So, they like you, too.

Now, if you're not lucky, then...

Yeah, you just go home and cry in your big pillow, I guess.

I don't know what you do.

Hang out with your friends.

Study English, yeah, that's what you do.

Oh, don't do that.

So, the next one: "hit it off".

So, "hit".

"This is so violent, Ronnie, what is happening?"

If...

You're not actually going to hit the per-...

Please do not ever hit a person.

If you "hit it off with someone" it means that you and your crush, or you and your...

The person that you're dating really, really, really like each other.

You actually enjoy what the person is saying, and you don't find them that strange; although

they might be very strange.

But "to hit it off" means right away you know that you would like to see the person again.

Oo.

Also, we have another expression that means the same thing: "to get on like a house on

fire".

So, you're thinking: "Oh, wow, okay, my house is on fire, Ronnie...

This...

This is...

How can this be good now?"

First of all you're hitting people, and now your house is on fire, but actually "to get

on like a house on fire", again, means the same - is you have a really, really good beginning

relationship with the person.

So, I guess the house being on fire means it burns quickly, like the flames of love.

So, both of these expressions: "hit it off" and "get on like a house on fire", these are

very good expressions and it means that you're doing something right.

Okay?

The person hasn't run away yet.

Wait til number seven.

So, the next thing that might happen is maybe you go on a date with someone, and you like

them and they like you - you hit it off, but then they don't text you or you don't text

them because you're playing a wee game, and the game is called "hard to get".

So, if somebody plays hard to get, it means that they don't tell the person exactly how

they feel about them, or instead of texting them right away, they wait one hour for the

text, or two hours.

"Why didn't he text me back?

Oh my god", and you check your phone.

"Is it working?

Is it...?

Hello? Mom?

Oh, Mom, no."

So, if somebody's playing hard to get, it means they're not responding to you right

away, and they're kind of playing a game with you.

They're waiting to see how you will respond to them.

So, playing hard to get, it's a game - be careful when you play games with people, because

I don't know, I don't think it's cool at all; unless it's chess.

I really like chess.

Do you want to play chess with me?

I lost my chess buddy.

Next one.

Maybe you hit it off with the person, and they play hard to get a little bit, and maybe

you get them, but it was just a "fling" or a "one-night stand".

But you're actually not standing.

Well, you could; depends on your style.

So: "have a fling" means you have a short romance-or sex-with someone.

It's not a relationship, but it could be very intense love or it could be just a one-night

stand.

A "one-night stand" means basically you are with the person for one night.

And when I say: "with the person", you're not playing chess; you're actually having

sex.

So, to have sex with a person for one night and never see them again or never call them

again is called a one-night stand.

You'll see this all the time in movies, and people have a one-night stand.

Or you can have a fling with someone.

A fling is usually longer than a one-night stand; maybe a month, two months.

How much do you want to fling?

Now, let's say that your relationship develops into more than a fling and you want to get

married to this beautiful girl or beautiful boy.

What might happen is somebody might pop...

That didn't work.

"Pop the question".

If you pop-or past tense "popped"-the question, this means someone asked you to marry them,

or you ask someone to marry you.

So many romantic stories about people popping the question in Italy, or when they're skydiving

- don't drop the ring!

Oh, don't drop the ring.

Or river rafting - don't lose the ring in the water.

So: "popping the question" means you are asking the person to marry you.

Traditionally, the man does it; traditionally.

Ladies, if you'd like to pop the question to your man, go right ahead.

But traditionally, they go down on their knees and they ask.

So romantic.

What if they say no?

Oh, god, so embarrassing.

You're skydiving; maybe you don't open your parachute?

You try...

Don't kill people!

So, after you popped the question, the person says yes-hopefully-you can do what's called

"tying the knot".

Hmm, that sounds kinky.

No.

"Tying the knot" means you get married.

So, there is a ceremony maybe, there's a wedding, and you tie the knot - basically means you

are now married.

I am sure that this must come from an older tradition where people tied something together

and they made a knot, and that's how we got this expression.

You've got homework: Please Google the origins of "tying the knot", and then write it in

the comments and tell me, or make it up - I won't know.

I'm not going to Google it; that's your homework.

Okay?

Next one: Once you get married and you love this person forever, you might refer to the

person as "my better half" or "my other half".

So...

"Oh, god, why did I cut myself in half?

And where's my other half?"

So: "the better half" means your mate; your boyfriend or your girlfriend.

We kind of say this like a joke, that: "You're not the good one; it's your husband or your

wife, or your boyfriend or girlfriend who's the better person than you are."

Oh, that sounds rather discouraging as a human, but "your better half" basically means your

partner, and it's a joke.

Next one.

Uh-oh.

This happens a lot.

Maybe you did something bad or really stupid.

Okay?

This happens all the time...

And, oh, this isn't a drink, but you'll probably need one.

If your relationship is "on the rocks", you're not actually at the seaside or you're not

drinking some whisky with ice.

"On the rocks" is very bad.

If your relationship is on the rocks, it means that it is not going very well.

Maybe it's going to end; I don't know.

I hope not, but if something's on the rocks, it's a negative thing and it means the relationship

is kind of bad.

We have another expression: "in the dog house".

So, this is...

Men usually say this, they say: -"Oh, geez, I'm in the dog house."

-"Well, no you're not - you're standing right in front of me.

How are you in a dog...?

Why are you in a dog house?

How did you get in the dog house?

It's tiny; you're massive."

If somebody's in the dog house, it's basically saying that the person had a fight and things

are not going well.

Now, this is traditionally when men go to the supermarket and buy flowers.

So, every time I see a man in the supermarket buying flowers, I think: "Oh, you've done

something wrong, sir.

But you've got those flowers and everything will be fine."

Hopefully you won't be in the dog house anymore if you bring your lady or your gentleman some

flowers, then you get to sleep in the bed again.

Good dog.

Ruff.

So maybe you don't actually, you know, get married and have kids, and be normal.

Maybe you just have sex a lot with people.

Do whatever you want; it's your life.

This is called "a hook-up" or "a booty call".

So: "a hook-up" or "a booty call" is usually one person, two people, three people - people

that you have sex with.

It's not a boyfriend, it's not a girlfriend, there's no relationship - you just call the

person, like: -"Hey.

Want to come over for a booty call?"

-"I don't have any boots.

It's summertime."

So: "a hook-up" or "a booty call" is basically you just have sex with the person.

We also say: "no strings attached relationship", like you're a puppet.

So: "a hook-up" or "a booty call" is a friend that you just have sex with.

Oh, this is bad.

Please don't do this; this is rude.

So, if you "stand someone up", they didn't fall over, but you'll hear the expression:

"He stood me up."

Okay?

So this doesn't mean that they fell and you've got to pick them up again.

If somebody stands you up, it means you had a plan to meet the person.

So, for example: "I will meet you at this restaurant at 8pm on Tuesday."

So, at 8pm on Tuesday, you go to the restaurant and you wait.

And you decide what you'd like to eat.

The waiter comes or the waitress comes and gives you some more water, maybe more tequila;

but the person is late, and you've received no text, no email.

Better check your Twitter account - maybe they Twittered you; maybe it was Instagram.

Nothing.

There is no communication from the other person, and eventually they don't ever meet you.

Guess what?

You got stood up.

So: "to get stood up" means you make a plan with someone and they do not meet you; they

do not call you; they do not text you, and this is awful.

I mean, come on.

Even just be direct with people and say: "I don't really like you anymore.

I'm not going to be there."

Or even if you call and say: "I'm sick."

Cool, okay.

But it's really rude not to talk to people.

It doesn't matter if it's a relationship, a business deal - just come on, people, respect

each other.

Right?

It's a crazy world out there.

Next one, it's kind of the same idea, but it's a little bit different from standing

someone up.

If someone "ghosted you"... Oo, they're a ghost.

So: "to ghost someone", this is a new vocabulary, kind of a modern expression that we use now.

If you ghost someone, it means they disappear.

So, maybe you're texting with someone for a day, a week, a year, and all of a sudden

they do not answer your texts.

So, you think: "Okay, this person's playing hard to get.

They haven't texted me in an hour, or two hours, three hours...

A day?

24...?

Five days?