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Alex
The British English.I need your assistance to grasp the meaning.
I would like to know how properly perceive the following expressions.
1."They go sun bathing starkers"
2."What gives?"
And the second question..
How do you think? Could I say to an American the words like "the bloke","git"? Actually, how many Americans do know its meaning?
Jan 7, 2010 4:05 PM
Answers · 4
2
"starkers" = naked - as in stark (completely) naked.
"What gives" = what is going on, what is happening, what is the situation
Just a note - "starkers" is also found in American English, but is falling out of use.
January 7, 2010
1
"Starkers" is rarely used in the US.
"What gives" is used commonly, with the definitions already given.
"Bloke" would be widely understood in the US, but is not used.
"Git" would not be understood. In the US, the word "git" is a rural slang modification of "get," meaning "Get out of here."
January 8, 2010
1
Hi Alex,
- 'Starkers' is an informal British experssion. It is an adjective that is not used before a noun and it means 'naked' or 'not wearing any clothes'.
- 'What gives?' is also an informal expression which means 'what is happening?; what is the news?'
- 'Bloke' is a British informal expression meaning 'man' and it is similar to 'chap'. However, I know that these two words are almost never used in American English.
Also, I think that these two words are used only by old British people now. They have adopted the American word 'guy' now.
- 'Git' is a British slang term which means 'a stupid or unpleasant man'.
January 7, 2010
An impression that I get with the question "what gives?" is that there is an underlying assumption being made by the questioner that there is something going on that is causing the person being asked to act in a certain way.
January 8, 2010
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Alex
Language Skills
English, German, Russian
Learning Language
English
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