Name: What English phrases really mean ⏲️ 6 Minute English
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T16:54:36.000Z
Duration: 6 min 16 s
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Six Minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

In English, what we say and what we mean are sometimes two very different things.

We often use exaggeration for emphasis or for humour, something known as hyperbole.

For example, people say, I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

Here's presenter Michael Rosen and linguist Derek Bousfield discussing one example of hyperbole on BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth.

Or as my daughters would say, I've had a mare today.

And when they say mare, which is obviously shortened from nightmare, what it basically means is they've had a mild and potentially slightly humorous occurrence at work.

You might call an unpleasant or difficult experience a nightmare.

Derek's daughter used the word mare, short for nightmare, to describe her terrible day at work.

Her day wasn't really terrible, more like strange or annoying.

Can you remember a time when what you said wasn't really what you meant, Beth?

But actually, we don't really want to hear the answer.

I have a friend who actually just says alright, and they just mean hello.

No, if you're having a bad day, they don't want to know.

In this episode, we'll be finding out more about how the meaning of words changes in English.

As usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases.

And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com but first, I have a question for you, Beth.

The word hyperbole comes from two ancient Greek words, Hooper and Ballo.

Is it A to overthrow, B to overspeak, or C to overthink?

We'll find out the answer at the end of the program.

It's not just hyperbole that changes the meaning of words.

Its opposite, something called understatement has the same effect too.

Understatement involves de emphasizing something.

For example, imagine you were served an awful meal in a restaurant, but

instead of saying how bad the food was, you just said it was Less than perfect.

Here's linguist Derek Bousfield discussing understatement on on BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth.

We love understatement as a way of kind of signaling that something much more serious has gone on.

And it's a kind of performative, sardonic, not taking oneself too seriously identity when you do that, because, you know, taking yourself too seriously is a no, no in British culture.

And so linguistically, not taking yourself too seriously is.

Understatement is valued in British culture, unlike taking yourself too seriously.

If you take yourself too seriously, you think you're more important than you really are in Britain.

This is a no, no, a way of behaving that is not socially acceptable.

In other words, it's not the done thing, meaning it's not what you are expected to do in a particular social situation.

Another area where the meaning of words can be easily misunderstood is apologising.

Here, Michael Rosen responds to an imaginary situation where his toe gets accidentally stepped on by Derek Bousfield for BBC Radio 4 programme Word of Mouth.

Imagine I stepped on your toe and I said, oh, Michael, I'm really sorry.

Yes, I'm actually a bit miffed, a little bit annoyed.

But then I don't want to have a barney with you.

You're a stranger, so I don't want to get into a whole thing.

It's a bit like, yeah, I mean, that's a British English one.

Any American English one would be no worries.

If someone tells you it's all good, they could actually be feeling miffed.

An adjective meaning slightly annoyed or hurt by someone's behaviour.

But no matter how annoyed you are, you probably don't want to get into a barney, a loud argument or quarrel, so you say something like, it's all good or no worries, and

As an English learner, unclear word meanings are a challenge.

A lot depends on the situation and on the relationship between speaker and listener.

So don't be shy, get talking to others in English and if you make a mistake, say, no worries and carry on.

Okay, Pippa, I think it's time to reveal the answer to your question.

Yes, you thought the ancient Greek words hooper and ballo meant overspeak, but

Hooper means beyond and ballow means I throw.

We've learned, starting with mare for nightmare, meaning an unpleasant or difficult experience.

If you take yourself too seriously, you consider yourself and your actions more important than they really are.

A way of behaving that is not socially acceptable.

The done thing, on the other hand, is what you are expected to do in a particular social situation.

If you're miffed, you're slightly annoyed by someone's behaviour, and

finally, a barney is a loud argument or quarrel.

But if you're keen to practice these new words and phrases, then check out our website, bbclearningenglish.com where you'll find a worksheet and quiz for this episode.

See you again soon, but for now, goodbye.

Six minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com.