If you work or are planning to work in the UK you will be invited to a Christmas party at work. It is a very big tradition in the UK and can be a very fun evening. It is, however, useful to understand what the party is all about and be aware of some of the common mistakes people make that can cause problems in their job afterwards.

Party = Do

The first important thing to know is that most people call a Christmas party and “do”. They may say “are you coming to the Christmas do?” The word “do” simply mean party but it is easy to not understand and get confused.

People

The Christmas do is the one time of year where in most work places even the bosses and owners will chat and dance with all the people that work in the company. This can be a very hard thing to get right. It is normal to treat your boss with respect and in some big companies you never get to speak to them. But at the Christmas party you may need to speak to your boss about things that are not related to work. It is important to understand that you can be friendly but remember they are still the boss or manager! Many people have said something they wished they had not and even talked about something they like to do that the manager should not know about. They may say something about work or someone at work that was not appropriate and it is very hard to do anything about it once it has been said.

Alcohol

A large number of people drink alcohol in the UK but not everyone. If you do not drink it you should be aware that a Christmas party is traditionally where many workers will have a lot of drinks and could behave badly. If you do drink, you should also remember that you are still with work people and you should behave appropriately. There are many jokes and stories of people having too much to drink and behaving poorly in front of their boss, saying rude things, or simply falling over and looking very stupid. If your work is important to you and you do drink then be careful and drink less than you would normally.

Dancing and More

No matter how you behave there will be people you work with behaving badly or just having a great time. You may be asked to dance with someone you do not normally have fun with at work, be polite and enjoy yourself. If someone is rude or drinking too much it is best to avoid an argument but if you know them well you may want to help them by saying they may want to think about what they are doing.

Christmas Work Do’s are great fun and you will enjoy yourself as long as you are prepared for what people may behave like and you make sure you remember you are still with work people and bosses!

If you are working in the UK or you would like to learn English so you can then have a look at our online English courses and come and learn with us.

Christmas is celebrated in a number of countries and often in different ways. In the UK it is celebrated over 3 days – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Christmas Eve is the 24th of December, Christmas Day which is the main day of celebration is the 25th and Boxing Day is the 26th. Boxing was traditionally the day to open presents but this is no longer common and presents are opened on the 25th.

One of the main points of celebration on the 25th is the traditional Christmas Dinner. For many, this is the highlight of the whole festive season. Knowing what the dinner involves can be important if you are going to be living or working in the UK or with people from the UK so here is our guide to everything you need to know about a British Christmas Dinner.

What Time is it Served?

In the UK the word Dinner is a difficult one. For some people, it means a meal in the evening, but when talking about a Sunday Roast type meal it is called dinner but served at lunchtime. The actual time served varies but it is normally around 1.00pm however Christmas Dinner can be as late as 3.00pm or later.

Main Course

As a meal, it is similar to a Sunday Roast however the meat is traditionally Roasted Turkey. This is meat rarely eaten at other times of the year in the UK. The meat is served with roasted root vegetables like Parsnips and Potatoes. Added to these are boiled carrots, cabbage and brussel sprouts (see below). Alongside these main vegetables can sit a range of other foods from braised red cabbage and something called cauliflower cheese. As well as the Turkey it is traditional to serve pork sausages wrapped in bacon (called pigs in blankets) and roasted as well as something called stuffing. Stuffing is made of herbs, sausage meat and breadcrumbs mixed together and then traditionally stuff inside the turkey during roasting and sliced onto the plate. On top of all of this food, it is very common to pour a liquid gravy which is a meat based sauce and cranberry sauce which tastes great with turkey.

Dessert

The traditional sweet food at the end of the meal is called Christmas Pudding. This is a very heavy and dark fruit pudding. It is made up of a wide range of dried fruits as well as brandy and sometimes other types of alcohol. It can be eaten with cream or a white sauce made from brandy. It is not eaten at any other times of the year and is a very strong tasting dessert.

Brussel Sprouts

This vegetable needs a special discussion because it is something a lot of people may talk about. It is a vegetable much like a very small cabbage and is really only ever eaten at Christmas. For many people, it is something they really do not enjoy but eat because it is tradition. For others, it is something they look forward too. It is something that is often said to cause bad gas when eaten and it is used in humour a great deal. If you are invited to enjoy a Christmas dinner in the UK or with people from the UK you must try a sprout!

Crackers

Alongside all of the food, there is another traditional item called a cracker. This is a cardboard tube that is decorated in bright shiny colours. Inside there is a small tape that makes a bang sound when the cracker is pulled apart. It is traditional to take one end of the cracker and offer the other to someone sitting near you. You both pull and the cracked breaks in two pieces with a loud bang. These crackers contain written jokes, small gifts and party hats that are then worn throughout the meal.

The word black is not simply a description sued when talking about the colour of something. It is a word that carries lots of meanings and uses from describing someone’s mood to the biggest online sales day of the year. Knowing how and when to use this word is important as it is easy to learn and to write but can be very powerful in conversation and written communication.

What is the Colour Black

The actual meaning of the word black when talking about colour is to describe an absence of colour not a colour itself. This means when something is black it actually has no colour at all and it appears black because it doesn’t reflect any light. When something is green it is because the surface of that object only reflects green light. So when something is black…it reflects nothing at all!

Black Friday

Black Friday began as a sale event in the USA where stores would offer huge discounts on items on and offline. The original idea was to have a sale day just after the US holiday of Thanks Giving which is the 3^rd Thursday in November.  It has now moved to many other parts of the world who do not celebrate thanks giving. It is certainly popular in the UK where 1000s of people prepare for online deals and to head out to the shops to grab some discounted items. It is a great time to sign up for subscription services, buy new games, TVs or clothing.

Black Mood

Black is often used to describe emotions that are sad or angry. Someone might say they were in a black mood; this would mean they were very unhappy and perhaps very angry too.

In The Black

It may sound like something negative but when it comes to money being “in the black” is a very good thing. The black describes a situation where you have money in your bank account. If you run out of money and have to use a loan or some of the bank’s money it is described as being in the red. If you work in sales or business being in the black in terms of customers, business targets or money being made by the company is a very good thing!

Black and Blue

The term black is often used in English to describe someone who has been injured. In some cases it can refer to someone suffering an attacked or having a fight; someone might say he was beaten black and blue. But it is also used to describe someone who may have fallen over; someone might say “they are ok but they are black and blue”. This would mean the person is fine but has a few bruises. If someone has a bruised eye this is often called a “Black eye”.

Black as Pitch?

Pitch is a tar like substance used in making roofs and roads. Often the term Pitch Black is used to describe something that is very very black. The most common place this is used is when describing how dark the night is outside. Someone might say “Don’t go out there, it’s pitch black” or “turn the light on, it’s pitch black in here”. It is a very useful term to use when you want to describe not being able to see because the room or place is very dark.

Blacked Out

If someone passes out or faints this is often called blacking out. This can happen if someone is too hot, feels unwell or perhaps gets hit on the head. If someone blacks out they would be unconscious for a short while and you should seek medical help for them.

The Black Sheep of the Family

This is a saying, or idiom used to describe a member of the family who is often in trouble or not very friendly to others. To be described as the black sheep of the family is normally negative but if someone wants to be very different from their family it can sometimes be a positive term for them.

Every language is full of terms that are not something you learn in lessons but make up an important part of understanding and communicating with people. Using these expressions properly can make a big difference when it comes to doing business, making friends and even ordering food and dealing with people on a daily basis. We will look at more of these in the future but here are 5 common English terms known as slang and what they mean.

1.     All Right?

This is a very simple greeting term. It basically means “are you ok?” but it is used when you meet someone. In a way it is a very lazy greeting because it moves past saying hello and goes straight to the point of asking how someone is. By simply greeting someone with “all right” there is no need to then ask further. However, do not answer this greeting with an answer about how you are. The common response is to simply say it back and this if often accompanied by a small nod of the head.

This term is a very casual greeting and not to be used in formal situations like the office or meeting someone’s parents. It may be hard to understand as it is often said in a slight slur that sounds like “awwllright?”

2.     Blimey

Blimey is a short version of a traditionally London term which is “cor blimey” or “gor blimey”. The original term was “god blind me” but this has long since been lost.

Blimey is a term used to express surprise or shock at something. It is commonly used in New Zealand and Australia as well as the South of the UK mainly.

Blimey is not a rude word and will not offend anyone but it is a casual term and once again should not be used in a business or formal setting.

3.     Bottle

Bottle very simply means courage or bravery but it has a number of different uses in the English language. To say someone “doesn’t have any bottle” is simply to say they are not brave. But you could also say “he bottled it” and this would mean he was going to do something but didn’t have the courage to do it. For example, he may have been asking a girl out but got scared and didn’t do it.

As with many slang terms, this is not offensive but as has already been said, it is not for business use generally. However, there are some sales environments and other high pressure working environments where this could be acceptable.

Using slang can be very good but it is something that should be used with caution alongside your English lessons with Perfectly Spoken. Using slang in the wrong way can cause problems that are best avoided.

As with many local delicacies and national dishes not that many people actually still eat them. Things like Hakarl which is the national dish of Iceland is more of a rite of passage (1) than a tasty meal enjoyed by everyone. However, in the UK there are just a few traditional dishes that are still eaten very regularly by many people. When learning English as a language and especially when visiting the UK it is useful to know some popular meals and be confident you know what you are getting if someone suggests eating some.

Fish and Chips

Being a country totally surrounded by water it is no surprise that fish is still a very common food type in the UK. The meal itself is very simple and made up of a large single piece of fish that is deep fried in batter (2) and served with thick deep fried strips of potato. These chips are similar to French fries but much thicker and less crunchy.

Fish and Chips actually originated in the 17th century when Western Sephardic Jews used to cook fish using a batter made with flour and other ingredients. But it was not until the later half of the 19th century that fish was easily available across the UK and then it became very popular with working people. Around this time people started serving the fish with the potatoes and so Fish and Chips was born.

These days a special shop that sells Fish and Chips is called a “chippy” in common slang (3) and will serve very less other than Fish and Chips. It has become traditional to have a sausage if you do not like fish and also something called “mushy peas”. This is a side dish created with large green peas cooked until they almost turn into a paste.

Bangers and Mash

This meal is also known as sausage and mash (4). The Banger term means sausage and the mash part refers to something called mashed potato. Mash is certainly not unique to the UK but as with many potato products it is still very popular here. Sausages are traditionally made form pork but beef, lamb, chicken and turkey sausages are available. Over the last 15 years or so Bangers and Mash has become even more popular with many fashionable pubs and bars serving it with very high quality and uniquely flavoured sausages. This meal is almost always served with a thick sauce called gravy.

Roast Dinner with Yorkshire Pudding

This meal is often also called a Sunday Roast. This refers to the fact it was traditionally only served on a Sunday and in many places still is. Many pubs and restaurants will change their normal menu to offer a “roast” on a Sunday only. The meal has religious origins where people going to Church in England would not eat until after the service but these days it is very much something for everyone.

A roast dinner is made up of (5) a roast and sliced meat like Beef or Chicken served with boiled vegetables like cabbage, carrots, broccoli and sometimes parsnips, suede and other items too. One of the main ingredients is….you guessed it; potatoes. In this case they are chopped into large sections and roasted. A Yorkshire pudding is only served with beef and is a large crispy cake like item made from a batter. This is a large meal so not one to order if you are not very hungry.

None of these meals are very healthy but all of them are enjoyed by millions of British people every week so if you are visiting the UK see if you can try one of these meals.

There are many reasons why you might need to say the word why…just like this sentence.

Why can be used to question something you do not understand; “why is this happening?” or “why are you doing that?” It is certainly a very useful word when learning a language or even starting a new job. Trying to learn how to perform the tasks given to you by your new boss is hard and being able to easily question a task and learn more about it is very important. For example “why is that person doing that?” Your new boss could then easily explain what is happening.

Why can also be used on it’s own without any other words. If a friend asks “Are you going to the shops later” you might reply “Why?”. This would very easily show that you would like to know why they are asking this question. It might be because they would like you to buy them some milk if you are going to the shops.

Another way to say Why!

Native English speakers can often use a different way to say why. They use the term “How Come?” this seems like a very odd thing to say because nothing is coming or going. It is best not to try and translate this term and just learn how to use it as it is. How come simply means…why?

Example

An example of this term would be a friend saying “I do not like the cinema” and you might reply “How come?”. In this case you are simply asking them why they do not like the cinema.

This can be a useful term to use and it is certainly one that a lot of people use when speaking English as their native language. It can also be used at the start of a sentence when you want to know why someone is doing something just the same way as you would use why.

Example

Question “How come you are eating vegetables?”

Reply “Because I am trying to be healthy”

“How come” is one of those English terms that may not make sense if you try and understand what it means literally but try using it and try to find some examples of it being used and it may become a term you use a lot.