What English phrases really mean

We've all been there – we're talking to someone and they say one thing, when we know they mean something else! British people love to play with language, using it deliberately to disguise, misdirect or even change their meaning entirely. But why do we do it? And what are some of the common things to look out for? Pippa and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary. Find a full transcript, worksheet and interactive quiz for this episode at: Learning English from the News - learn English from news headlines here: ✔️

You can listen to What English phrases really mean online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

What English phrases really mean is an episode from 6 Minute English by BBC.

This episode is 6:38 long.

This episode was published on Jan 15, 2026.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from 6 Minute English when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.