KEY POINTS:
Older workers at a British supermarket chain are being given a printed guide to youth lingo to help them to understand younger colleagues and customers. Key phrases in the guide include:
A and B and the C of D: Above and beyond the call of duty.
Bad: Good (but this can also mean bad. When in doubt, just nod).
Ballin: Doing well.
Blood: Mate, chum.
How's it hanging?: How are you today?
Is it, blood?: You know, mate? Oh, really mate?
Laters: Cheerio, goodbye.
Minging: Ugly, unattractive.
Phat: Wicked (in the good sense), cool.
Slammin: Pleasing to the eye.
Safe blood: Brilliant.
Talk to the hand: I'm not listening.
What you chattin about?: Shut up, you are talking absolute rubbish.
Wack: Weak, boring.
(Source: the Sun).
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The creator of Grey's Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, is live-blogging at the US Spelling Bee. Here's what she had to say about the first New Zealander to make it to the stage: "11.31: New Zealand has sent their champion Kate Weir to our Bee. She's like some sort of spelling Olympian. All strong, creamy-skinned and full of accent. They can't understand a darned letter she spells and so she stands there, rolling her eyes and feeling superior to us Americans, as they play and replay her spelling again. I kinda love her. Right now there's some controversy over whether she's saying 'g' or 'j'. Oops, turns out she was saying the wrong letter. And she's gone before I got to know her better. Bye, Scary Champion Speller With the Pretty Accent!"
(Source: throwingthings.blogspot.com)
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Liza writes: "Over in the UK on Channel 4, which is the channel Ugly Betty plays on, they have a series of promotional indents asking various stars of high-rating programmes such as Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, Desperate Housewives, and ER silly questions such as their favourite drink, best friend etc. On one of the latest the question is 'How do you un-wind?' Alan Dale, ex-Neighbours and now onUgly Betty, pops up and says, 'By watching rugby. Especially the All Blacks. Definitely when they beat England'. I love that he said that, knowing it was going to be played on English television". Dale was born and bred in Mt Albert.
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Take a deep breath: scientists have discovered particles of cocaine and marijuana, as well as caffeine and tobacco, in the air of Italy's capital. The concentration of drugs was heaviest in the air around Rome's Sapienza university. But the National Research Council's Dr Angelo Cecinato warned against drawing conclusions about students' recreational habits.
(Source: Reuters)
