My mother teaches English to lots of people. Recently she's been working with Chinese head teachers. She gave them my blog to read through to explore informal patterns of writing, slang and phrases...these are the words/phrases that they found interesting and/or didn't quite understand with my mums explanation notes added in brackets. Makes for a highlighted version of my blog...I like it a lot. Made me laugh out loud!

Exploring the language of a blog

(Here are some of your findings I have only included words and phrases, which I think you will find useful. I have omitted those idiosyncratic to her.)

Informal English (including short forms)

v. drunk (v=very)
pj’s (pyjamas)
bday (birthday)
gonna (going to)
wanna (want to)
20x (20 times)
baby bro (younger brother)
Xmas (Christmas)
x (kiss)
I’m mega busy (mega =very)
y’know (you know)
Ex (past boy/girlfriend)
yuck (horrible)
TGI Friday (Thank God it’s Friday)
hurrah (good news)
Like crazy (lots/very much)
grotty (not nice)
G’day (Good day –Australian influence)
ciggy (cigarette)

Swear words

Careful – only use very informally – any may offend people!!

IMPOLITE shit, crap, bloody, bitches, damn, God, twit
TOTALLY TABOO fuck, twat, cunt

Foreign words

Tres chic (French for very fashionable – also uses tres with English adjectives)
Per se (Latin for as such)
Tequila (Spanish – strong spirit drink)
Unazukin (Japanese doll)

Metaphor or simile

To juggle (to manage lots of things at the same time)
Social butterfly
Spidering the web (www)
Rock star like ego
We ran like feral wolf children
Looking like a bum
Feel like shit
Look like a plague victim
My throat becoming razor blades
Floods of tears
How on earth can I get out of this hole?
Worrying like as rocking chair
Sending shivers down my spine
They are rocking my world (disturbing my reality)
Full of beans dance routines

Idioms or other unusual phrases and words or phrases you do not understand:

Albion (poetic word for England)
lb (pound – weight before metric introduced)
witty (funny with words)
Pilled up (on drugs – usually ecstasy)
Flatmate (like room mate or house mate)
Clamber (climb over)
VAT (value added tax on shopping)
Tesco (large supermarket – brand name)
Ecstasy (drug which gives one energy for dancing and makes one happy for a while)
E’s (short form of above)
Porno (short for pornography)
Backpacker (traveller + rucksack)
Tepee (native American tent)
A learning curve (difficult learning experience)
OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder – a medical problem, when actions are repeated needlessly)
Temper tantrums (fits of angry)
Goodies (sweets or treats)
Side effects (effects from medicine not desired)
Bump into people (meet them unexpectedly)
Goth ( sub culture, dressing in black and into death, loud music and shocking the rest of us!)
Geek (computer mad intelligent guy –usually wears glasses!)
Quality time (giving someone your full attention)
To flirt (chat to someone you fancy, to get them interested – or pretend to!)
With a short fuse (likely to lose temper fast)
Voyeuristic (like looking at others –usually sexually)
Wee hours (late – 1,2,3 am)
Pimp (man who sends women out as prostitutes)