Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (21 page)

These expressions are very common and informal ways to acknowledge that one has made a mistake or a very bad choice. They also can be used to say
I’m sorry.

Note:
People generally do not say
I failed
when they make a mistake.
I failed
is used when one fails (does not get a passing grade) in a class or on an exam. It’s also used to introduce a sentence such as
I failed to
(do something), meaning “I didn’t do it” or “I was unable to do it.”

Understanding

Whether you are a native English speaker or a non-native speaker, you’ll often need to use the phrases
I don’t understand
and
Do you understand?
They are essential for keeping a conversation going, sharing ideas, and simply enjoying clear communication. This section shows the various expressions used to check for understanding, to say that you don’t understand, or that you do.

Asking
Do You Understand?

To ask if someone understands your English you can just say
Understand?
or you can use one of the following expressions for “Do you understand?”

The expressions in the following list can be used to ask if someone understands something unfamiliar or difficult or if someone understands one’s meaning or point of view. Most of these expressions may be said in a shortened version, not using the words shown in parentheses. The shorter versions of these expressions are very common, and they’re more slangy and familiar.

The following expressions can be used interchangeably with many of the ones in the preceding list, but they have some additional meanings:

Saying
I Understand

You can answer any of the questions that check for understanding by turning the question into a statement (either positive or negative). Here are a few examples:

Saying
I Didn’t Understand

When one doesn’t understand, there are a number of polite statements and short expressions that mean
I don’t understand:

Expressions for When You Didn’t Hear What Was Said

If you didn’t hear clearly what was said, and you want the speaker to repeat you can use the expressions in the following list. Many of them are the same expressions used to say
I don’t understand.

These expressions are polite and more formal:

The following expressions are informal, and
Huh?
and
Say what?
can be considered too casual or rude:

Note:
When a person uses one of these expressions, generally it’s clear whether the person didn’t understand or didn’t hear. But if it’s not clear, the speaker might say, “Did you not understand or just not hear me?”

The two following expressions are only used when one didn’t hear what was said. In this context
catch
means
hear
:

Yes, No, Maybe

Saying
yes, no,
or
maybe
may seem like the simplest thing in the world. But in American English, as in many other languages, there are many shades or degrees of
yes,
many kinds of
no,
and innumerable levels of
maybe.
And most of this variation is expressed as idioms. This section offers more than 50 common ways to say
yes, no,
or
maybe
to fit all kinds of situations and intentions. In addition, there are expressions for saying
I don’t know
and
I don’t care.

Saying
Yes

The following expressions give a strong
Yes!
or affirmation. Also, they are often used to show enthusiasm or willingness to fulfill someone’s request or to indicate that one is very sure about something:

The three expressions that follow could be used for any casual situation that requires a
yes
answer. But they’re most often used when the
yes
doesn’t need much show of enthusiasm. In more formal situations, they may be considered rude. These expressions are the opposites of
nah, nope,
and
uh-uh,
respectively:

In addition, here are two ways to say
yes
that have specific uses and implications:

Saying
No

The following expressions are used for a strong
no,
especially a refusal or denial.

Here are two more ways to say
no
that are more specialized:

The three expressions that follow can be used in any situation that requires a
no
answer. They’re very informal and familiar, so in more formal situations they may be considered rude. They are the opposite of
yeah, yup,
and
uh-huh,
respectively.

The expressions that follow are polite ways to say
no:

Saying
Maybe

When you aren’t sure of an answer or don’t want to say
no
directly, you might say one of the following forms of
maybe.
In American society, it’s okay to initially say
maybe
to a request if you’re not sure whether you can (or want to) do it. But it’s considered very bad manners not to eventually say either
yes
or
no.
Here are some common expressions meaning
maybe:

Possibly

The following expressions are truly noncommittal. They don’t indicate whether a
yes
or
no
answer is more likely:

Maybe Yes

The following expressions mean that the answer probably is or will be
yes:

Maybe No

The following expressions mean that the answer probably is or will be
no:

Saying
I Don’t Know

The following expressions are casual and familiar. Depending on the tone of voice, they could be considered a bit sarcastic or rude. But often they are said in a moderate tone, and are simply slangy (and very common) ways of saying
I don’t know.

The expressions that follow are often said when one doesn’t know something and isn’t interested in finding out, or when one is disinterested and doesn’t care to know. They’re often said with a defensive tone of voice.

Responses That Mean
Okay
or
I Don’t Care

The expressions in this section are said in response to a suggestion or to a request about one’s preference. Additionally, there are phrases used to show that one is disinterested or, in some cases, that one wants to appear disinterested.

Okay by Me
and Related Idioms

If you have no specific preference and are agreeable to what others want, you might use one of the expressions that follow: