Not a sausage

Neil Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Neil…

Feifei
…and I’m Feifei. So, Neil, did you hear anything?

Neil About what, Feifei?

Feifei Rob’s new job. He must have told you something?

Neil No. He didn’t even mention it.

Feifei How strange. Not even a little clue?

Neil No, not a sausage .

Feifei Well, I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime - let’s explain that wonderful phrase you just used.

Neil
In this programme we are teaching you the very cute but slightly old-fashioned phrase: not a sausage .

Feifei
We use it to mean ‘nothing at all’. It’s generally used for emphasis or to show mild surprise.

Neil It’s informal and friendly. Let’s listen to some examples to get a better sense of how it’s used:

Examples A: Did you find any good deals? B: No, not a sausage .

A: Did the boss say anything about my project? B: No, sorry, not a sausage .

A: Are there any sandwiches left? B: I’m afraid not. Not a sausage .

Feifei That last one might have sounded confusing: No sandwiches left?

Neil Not a sausage ! Yes, confusingly, we were asking about another kind of food - and the answer was still not a sausage .

Feifei You know what? All this talk of sausages is making me hungry.

Neil Indeed. I’m meeting Rob for lunch - fancy joining?

Feifei Great. Hopefully he will finally spill the beans about this mysterious new job.

Neil Ooh - to spill the beans - meaning to reveal your secrets. It’s often used when you share a secret you didn’t mean to share!

Feifei Another great phrase. So, what do you fancy for lunch?

Neil Well, it has to be a full English breakfast. With beans and… sausages!

Feifei But of course! Bye everyone!

Neil Bye.