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| Ihre 10 Minuten Englisch pro Woche |
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Dear email,
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This morning, I had to write an awkward email, telling someone that they had completely misunderstood something, and to please maintain a civil tone. I cc-ed a German colleague on my reply who complimented me on the polite Englishness of the email. I was grateful for his kind words. I do think, though, that it’s a cultural thing. From an early age, the British are taught that lots of “pleases” and “thank yous”, verbs like “could” and “would”, plus euphemisms for uncomfortable topics, are important. We’ve listed some funny euphemisms below for you to get an impression.
I’m not sure what euphemism you could use to describe the calorific explosion that is a deep-fried Mars bar. Maybe a “naughty or decadent treat”? Whatever you decide to call this Scottish delicacy, you’ll find the recipe below.
That’s all from me for this week. Happy cooking!
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Inez Sharp
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Editor-in-chief, Spotlight
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awkward: heikel, unangenehm | maintain sth.: etw. wahren | civil: höflich, anständig | euphemism: sprachliche Beschönigung | calorific: Kalorien- | naughty: hier: sündig | treat: Leckerei
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Word of the Week
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demure
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Did you know? The word demure has a new meaning, thanks to TikTok content creator Jools Lebron and her catchphrase, “very demure, very mindful”. Though demure has always been used to describe someone who is modest and shy, it’s now the antithesis to the “brat summer party girl” persona. To be demure is to be very “cutesy”.
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brat: Göre; in der Jugendsprache auch: positive Bezeichnung für eine selbstbewusste (meist: junge) Frau, die ihr eigenes Ding macht | cutesy: süß, niedlich
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Anzeige
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Take the TOEFL and get $30 off
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Take the TOEFL, the top English test, to unlock global opportunities. Get $30 off your registration with the promo code READY2025, valid until January 15, 2025.
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Street Food
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Deep-fried Mars bars
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Scotland has revolutionized the world with its inventions, over the years, giving the world the light bulb, the telephone, television, penicillin and … the craziest snack ever. The deep-fried Mars bar is no urban myth. It can be found all over Scotland. If you’d like to include it in your Christmas menu, here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ cup cornflour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup cold sparkling water (or beer!)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 Mars bars
• vegetable oil, for frying
Preparation
Start by freezing the Mars bars so that they keep their shape while frying. In a bowl, mix the flour, cornflour, baking powder, salt and sugar, then whisk in the water (or beer) to create a smooth batter. Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep fryer or a pot to submerge the Mars bars and heat to frying temperature. Dip the frozen bars in the batter, making sure they are completely coated. Put the bars in the oil and fry until the batter is cooked. Place the cooked bars on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Serve warm.
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plain flour: normales (Weizen)Mehl | cornflour: Maisstärke | sparkling water: Sprudelwasser | whisk sth.: etw. schlagen, verquirlen | submerge sth.: etw. eintauchen | drain sth.: etw. abtropfen lassen | excess: überschüssig
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© Illustration: Kathrin Koschitzki
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Ihr Gutschein für Spotlight
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Sie erhalten die erste Ausgabe unseres Abonnements gratis
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Language
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We did the deed!
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We like to think we’re straight talkers these days. But we do still use euphemisms to make conversation easier, especially around tricky areas such as relationships, money and death. The following euphemisms will help you to navigate potentially awkward conversations without experiencing – or causing – too much discomfort.
We had sex.
We slept together.
We did the deed.
We became intimate.
Our relationship became physical.
We took our relationship to the next level.
I’m poor.
I’m on a fixed budget.
I’m on a low income.
I don’t have unlimited resources.
I have to be careful with my money.
I don’t have a lot of disposable income.
He died.
He passed.
He passed away.
He’s no longer with us.
We lost him.
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straight talker: Klartextredner(in) | euphemism: sprachliche Beschönigung | tricky: schwierig, heikel | awkward: heikel, unangenehm | discomfort: hier: Unbehagen | deed: Tat | disposable income: verfügbares Einkommen
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Quiz
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Find the odd one out
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One of these sentences isn’t a euphemism for “We were drunk.” Which one?
A. We’d had a couple.
B. We had a knockback.
C. We were the worse for wear.
D. We were mildly intoxicated.
E. We were merry.
F. We were tipsy.
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© Illustration: Georg Lechner
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Answer: Sentence B. “We had a knockback” is a euphemism for “We failed.”
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Career Coach
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Visualizing ideal teamwork
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Do you complain about your team? Or do you celebrate your joint successes? Visualization is a great tool that can be applied to the creation of a better team and, above all, more harmonious teamwork. Career coach Frank Peters shares his advice on how to create the ideal team through the power of visualization. Curious to find out more?
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joint: gemeinsam
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© Photo: iStock.com
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People and Places
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The Black Mambas
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In South Africa's Kruger National Park, unconventional rangers protect the Big Five from poachers – all of them women and all of them unarmed. What’s the story behind their success?
As a special gift, our newsletter subscribers can read the online version of the article for free – but only for a week!
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poacher: Wilderer/Wilderin | unarmed: unbewaffnet | subscriber: Abonnent(in)
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© Image: Samsung via Getty Images
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Im aktuellen Magazin
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Best day trips from London
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7 day trips from London | 5 of New York City’s most iconic buildings | Useful euphemisms | A day in the life of a King Henry VIII impersonator
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Christmas traditions
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Santa in the sun
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At ZEIT SPRACHEN, our editors come from all over the world. We asked ZEIT für Englisch contributing editors about their childhood Christmas traditions. In the run up to Christmas, we’ll tell you more about them. Here, our Australian colleague Richard Mote talks about Christmas on the beach.
Australians celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer. However, we still have the same (largely European) Christmas symbols and traditions. While I was growing up, a lot of these things didn’t make any sense to me, such as singing Christmas carols about softly falling snow or darkness, when outside there’s bright sunshine and it’s 38 degrees. There’s actually an old Christmas song that I used to love about how Santa’s sleigh is pulled around Australia not by reindeer (because it's much too hot for them) but by six white kangaroos.
Many Australian families, including mine, traditionally spend Christmas Day or Boxing Day at the beach. And if you go to a beach in Australia at Christmas time, you will see people enjoying picnics in the sunshine, swimming in the sea, and – almost certainly – there’ll be someone surfing the waves in a Santa suit.
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Christmas carol: Weihnachtslied | softly: hier: leise | Santa’s sleigh: Schlitten des Weihnachtsmanns | Christmas Day: 1. Weihnachtsfeiertag | Boxing Day (UK): 2. Weihnachtsfeiertag | certainly: sicher, gewiss | suit: hier: Kostüm
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© Image: Shutterstock.com
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Podcast
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Time for time travel!
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If you could travel anywhere in time, where would you go? The beginnings of mankind? The distant future? Join us for a thought experiment in the latest episode of our podcast, English, Please!
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mankind: Menschheit
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© Image: JianGang Wang via Canva.com
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Quiz
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The world of whisky
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Fancy a tipple? Test your knowledge of whisky in our quiz, and learn more about its origins.
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tipple: hier: Getränk:
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© Image: Shutterstock.com
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Ihnen gefällt „ZEIT für Englisch“?
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Teilen Sie diesen Newsletter ...
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... mit Freundinnen oder Freunden, die ihr Englisch verbessern wollen! Kopieren Sie dazu den Link zur Anmeldeseite und schicken ihn per WhatsApp oder E-Mail weiter.
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Mitarbeit: Dennis Draber, Judith Gilbert, Susanne Krause, Nadia Lawrence, Mae McCreary, Richard Mote, Rachel Preece, Inez Sharp
Folgen Sie Spotlight und Business Spotlight auf Instagram.
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