Gettin' lit with English since 2008! Learn common American English expressions and HAVE FUN!
08/30/2025
“Keep it together” = Stay calm, don’t be too emotional or control your behavior in a stressful situation.
*For example:
🗣️ “He tried to keep it together during the USC interview.”
🗣️ “She’s usually so calm, but she’s finding it hard to keep it together lately after moving to LA.”
*The photos were taken at a store in Chicago, Illinois. The second photo shows another meaning to ‘keep it together’ which is to be organized.
07/10/2025
“Sugar daddy” = A very rich and older man who gives money or gifts to a younger person he is dating.
*For example:
🗣️ “Vanessa has a sugar daddy who pays for her rent and vacations all the time!”
🗣️ “He is not interested in a serious relationship; he just wants to be her sugar daddy.”
*The first photo was taken at a store in Malibu, California. The second photo was a famous American couple: J. Howard Marshall (1905 - 1995) and Anna Nicole Smith (1967 - 2007).
09/07/2024
“His place has central air” = The guy I am interested in has a house with a special air conditioning system that creates cool air in every room 😎
The weather in Los Angeles, California was really hot! 🥵 It was about 118 degrees Fahrenheit or 48 degrees Celsius today 🫠
Did you know there are a lot of different types of air conditioners or A/Cs? The best type is ‘central air’ and the most expensive.
08/26/2024
“No hoods” = You can’t wear clothing that covers or hides the top of your head and the back of your head
The word ‘hood’ here is related to clothing. A ‘hood’ is a part of a ‘hoodie’, which is a type of sweatshirt with a hood. The word ‘hood’ is also a slang for ‘neighborhood’.
06/19/2024
“I’m burnt out brother” = I’m feeling so tired mentally and physically that I don’t care anymore my friend 🫠
This is called a ‘catchphrase’ = a well-known sentence or phrase that is connected to a famous person
The famous person here is Hulk Hogan, he is an American professional wrestler since 1977 and became famous after 1983. The popular catchphrase is from a wrestling show back in 1993.
03/29/2024
“So over it” = not having any more energy to care about something
*For example:
👱🏾♀️: “How’s work?”
👩🏾🦳: “It’s okay… I’m so over it though, been working at the same place for over 10 years. I think it’s time to find something else.”
11/03/2023
"Let the beet drop" = Let the beat drop or let the sudden change in rhythm
"Bring that beet back" = Bring that beat back or bring that music back
The word 'beet' and 'beat' have completely different meanings, but sounds the same. One is a vegetable and one is a rhythmic part in music, which is why it is a ‘play on words’ 😝
Did you know the word 'beat' also means really tired or exhausted? 🫠
*For example:
🥸: "Wow, what a hectic week! I'm pretty beat."
🤓: "Yeah, you need a vacation!"
10/31/2023
“When he’s showing every red flag possible but he’s 6 ft” = When he reveals to you warning signs that he is not healthy or a potential danger to your life but you don’t care because he is tall or taller than you 👻
Red flag 🚩 is a common idiom used in dating as a warning sign.
Swipe left or go to the next photo to see more examples!
*In this meme (🗣️ meem), the tall man in the photo is a character named, Michael Myers, from a popular American horror film called, Halloween. The movie is from 1978 and directed by John Carpenter, who also created the music in the movie! If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out! Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃
09/07/2023
“Why is 2023 moving like it’s in a rush?” = Why is the year 2023 going by so fast like it wants to be finished very quickly?
2023 = 🗣️ “twenty twenty three” / “two thousand twenty three”
The idiom ‘in a rush’ or ‘in a hurry’ is often used when trying to do something or go somewhere quickly.
*Some examples:
🗣️ “People are always in a rush in the city!”
🗣️ “The flight doesn’t leave until 5pm, why are you in such a rush? We have plenty of time!”
🗣️ “Don’t rush me! I like to take my time.”
07/12/2023
“Oh snap!” = a common slang phrase to show an expression of surprise.
*For example:
🥰: “Can’t wait for our trip to Bali!”
😳: “Oh snap! Almost forgot, I gotta book our hotel!”
*This photo is an example of ‘play on words’ = a funny way to use a word or phrase so that there is more than one meaning, also known as ‘a pun’. That’s why there’s also snap peas in the photo.
07/12/2023
“Dinner’s on me!” = I will pay for your dinner!
The common idiom “it’s on me!” means that the person will pay or take care of it. It also means that you are responsible for the situation.
*The photo is a ‘gift card’ = instead of giving cash 💵 as a gift 🎁, you can put money into the card and then give it to someone as a gift so they can spend it. Giving cash to someone as a gift might be seen as socially inappropriate. Whole Foods Market is an American supermarket chain.
05/12/2023
“What’s the point of going out? We’re just going to wind up back here, anyway.” = What is the reason / purpose of leaving home to go out to a social event? We’re going to end up wanting to come back home anyway.
The phrasal verb ‘wind up’ (like 🗣️wine ❌window) means to bring to an end to something.
