Imagine this you run into an old friend, maybe someone you went to school with, or a colleague you haven't seen in a long time.
What do you say?
In English class, you probably learned something like, how have you been?
Or, what have you been up to?
And sure, those are perfectly fine.
But what do native speakers actually say?
What do people text each other, post on social media or say when they're catching up with their best friend over coffee?
Hi and welcome back to English Snacks, the podcast that gives you bite-sized English lessons you can use in real life.
I'm your host, Amber.
Today's episode is a great one.
We learned last time about catching up with someone and not the boring textbook way.
We're going modern.
Slang, idioms, expressions people actually use.
Every single day.
Let's start with the basics.
Catching up.
When you catch up with someone, you share news to find out what's been happening.
Simple, right?
You might say, we need to catch up soon, or catch me up.
But here's where it gets more interesting.
What about when the news is a little juicy, a little dramatic?
Maybe there's some gossip involved.
This is where modern English really comes alive.
Enter Spill the Tea.
Spill the Tea means to share gossip or exciting secret information.
The T stands for truth or just really good gossip.
So if your friend texts you and says, spill the tea, what happened at the party?
She wants details, all of them, right now.
You might also hear the shorter version, just spill, like this.
Okay, spill.
I heard you got a new job.
Same idea, just faster.
Now let's talk about Dish the Dirt.
This one has been around for a while, but it's still very much used today, especially if you enjoy a bit of drama.
Dish the dirt means to share gossip, usually something a little scandalous or private.
For example, come on, dish the dirt.
What really happened between those two?
The word dirt here means negative or secret information.
It's not very kind but it's very, very common in everyday English.
And then there's just dish on its own which works the same way.
For example...
Now here's a word that has been everywhere recently, especially online and on reality TV shows.
If something is low-key...
It means you feel it a little bit, quietly.
You're not making a big deal of it.
I'm low-key obsessed with this podcast.
Or, I low-key knew she was going to leave.
It's subtle, understated. and very modern.
The opposite is high key when something is very obvious or you feel it strongly.
I am high key stressed about this presentation.
There's no hiding that one.
Next, fill someone in.
This is a really useful expression.
It means to give someone information they missed.
For example, Or Let me fill you in on what happened over the weekend.
It works well in business with friends and with family.
And then there is bring someone up to speed, which means to update someone on recent events.
For example, let me bring you up to speed.
A lot has changed since you were last here.
And finally, two great expressions from the internet.
The tea is scalding.
This means the gossip is really hot and dramatic.
And no cap, which means no lie or lie.
I'm being completely serious.
For example, no cap.
That was the best episode of English Snacks I've ever recorded.
So there you have it.
A whole new toolkit for catching up, sharing gossip and updating people and sounding like you truly belong in a modern English conversation.
Try using one of these expressions this week, even just once.
Put it in a text message or say it to a friend.
You might surprise yourself!
Thanks for joining me.
Feel free to subscribe for more episodes coming soon.
Please check the show notes for a free gift from me.
I'm looking forward to spilling more with you next time.
So as always, come hungry for knowledge.