Apologies for the long silence. Does this seem like a... busy... time of year to any of you? Things at work have picked up suddenly, and then we've got Thanksgiving next week, Christmas coming, and I still haven't got my visa application in the post yet.
Well, there's nothing like a quiz to keep you going when you're just plain knackered and it's cold and dreich outside. Here are the answers you've been waiting for.
1. knackered
Extremely tired. "After that long walk in the hills and the subsequent pub visit, I came home completely knackered."
Also, broken. "My brolly's knackered after that huge storm yesterday."
2. gutted
Devastated. "After my boyfriend was bitten by a vampire, I was totally gutted."
3. chuffed
Very pleased. Often used with 'dead' as a modifier. "She was dead chuffed to win the prize as she wasn't expecting to get it."
4. skint
Broke (no money). "What can you do on a Friday night around here when you're skint?"
5. cheeky
Naughty or rude, or a bit forward. "I don't mean to be cheeky, but can you repeat the question?"
6. gobsmacked
Shocked or surprised, even to speechlessness. "I was gobsmacked when I saw you on the front page of the paper this morning."
7. shattered
Somewhere in between knackered and gutted. "After the messy divorce, Brian was shattered."
8. squint
Crooked, at an angle. "I stepped on my specs and now they're squint."
9. dreich
Overcast, misty, windy, rainy and cold; typical Scottish weather. "On a dreich day like this you just want to sit by the fire with a nice cuppa."
10. cracking
REALLY GOOD. "Cracking party, mate, thanks for having us!" Point goes to Mom!
We have three winners. Judith, you got the most correct answers. Sparkling Squirrel, your answers were the most creative and illustrative. Mom, you made me laugh!
Feel free to correct me if you think my definitions are a bit odd... you know how when you pick up words from context you don't always get the full meaning.
That's why I didn't include the words 'scuppered' and 'scunnered' because I didn't think I could define them, though I've heard them used often enough. What DO they mean, anyway?
Ha ha. Great contest, Marieke. And great illustrative sentences.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of "scuppered" but have absolutely no idea what it means. And "scunnered" I haven't even heard of.
Do you know the word "skive"? I learned it at Sussex University. :-)
Hm, skive. Not sure! Is it to cheat? Thanks for entering the quiz and I promise I'll do a Scottish one at some point.
ReplyDeleteSkive is to ditch class, but can be used much more generally to leave work early or to just do nothing productive. We skived off yesterday and ended up having a pint with the lads.
ReplyDeleteI think you have written great definitions!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question. Scuppered is often used to refer to boats that have run aground or have a whole in them, but it also can be used in everyday situations to mean that your plans have been ruined. Scunner is a Scottish word that I haven't heard before, but it apparently means a person who is a irritating.
Great quiz! Can you do an American one for us Bristish people?
PS. Knackered means someone who is tired from having too much sex, but a lot of people don't know that now. Avoid using it in polite conversation ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat!! The things you learn!! I can verify that 'knackered' is regularly used in everyday conversation around here, but whether it's polite is a different matter.
ReplyDeleteI've heard the same thing said of the word 'stuffed' but then plenty of people seem to use that too.
Wish I could skive off this afternoon! An American quiz is another good idea.