Listen
Lots of young people in the UK like to use "sick" to mean cool or great. How come?! William and Yang Li will explain this word.
She looks sick with dark eye shadow.
The script from this programme:
William: Hello and welcome to the English We Speak, I'm William Kremer.
Yang Li: And I'm Yang Li.
William: Li, are you wearing make-up?
Yang Li: Yes, do you like it? It's not too much?
William: I think you look sick.
Yang Li: What?
William: Sick!
Yang Li: But I feel fine. I'm perfectly healthy.
William: No, you don't look ill Li, you look sick!
Yang Li: Sorry I just don't get it. I'm not ill!
William: Sorry Li, I should explain. It's our expression for the day. Lots of young people in the UK use the word sick to mean cool or great.
Yang Li: English can be weird can't it? Sick means cool?
William: Yes, it is a bit odd. I know one teacher who was confused by this word when his student used it in a class.
Yang Li: Really? What did they say?
William: Something like this:
- Student: Mr Griffiths!
- Teacher: Yes?
- Student: Sir, are you wearing new shoes?
- Teacher: Yes, I am. Why?
- Student: Because they are sick!
- Teacher: Sick?
- Student: Totally sick, sir.
- Teacher: Well, young man. As you find them so terrible, how about you give me 100 lines saying… saying…
- Student: No, no, I like them! Sick means cool!
- Teacher: First I've heard of it.
Yang Li: Lines. Lines are a form of punishment which teachers used to give students – copying out the same sentence again and again. You never had to write lines, did you William?
William: Erm... Maybe I won't go into that here!
Yang Li: So anyway, what do I say if I really am sick?
William: I'm feeling sick. Or I'm feeling ill.
Yang Li: So we can work it out from the context.
William: Exactly, that's it. Anyway, like I was saying I love the make-up Li. But maybe next time don't wear green eye-shadow.
Yang Li: Why?
William: It makes you look, erm sick.
Yang Li: Oh, I give up. Bye.
William: Bye.
