Back to school or back to the office: September often goes hand in hand with the end of the holidays. Your colleagues will probably talk for hours about their beach holiday or their family trip… What if you took advantage of this to show off too? You don’t need to have spent your holidays on the other side of the world to do this. Bluff them with cool words in English ! We took advantage of the summer to ask our trainers and teaching staff what the most stylish words in the language of Shakespeare were. Here is the first part of their selection…
1. Demeanour
Attitude, behaviour, manner… We all know these terms. But if you use demeanour to talk about someone’s behaviour at your next meeting in English, your colleagues will be speechless.
Example :
Our new assistant is a real gem ! We all love her professional and thoughtful demeanour.
2. Flabbergasted
In addition to being particularly stylish, this word, first coined in 1772, was used as slang at the time. It is used today to evoke great shock, surprise or a state of astonishment.
Example :
You should have seen his face when I told him about my promotion: he was flabbergasted !
3. Bumblebee
We’re sure this word is not unfamiliar to fans of the Transformers film series. For the rest of us, it means bumblebee (the insect). It is made up of bumble (to hum) and bee. So it’s a buzzing bee… Cool, isn’t it ?
Example :
Oh, look! This bumblebee is trapped inside. Please open the window so it can fly out.
➡️ These cool words are perfect for building your vocabulary: a must-have step to improve your written and spoken English.
4. Nonsensical
In everyday life, there are plenty of absurd situations ! So, here is a word that is both cool and useful in many circumstances.
Example :
Sticking with this supplier last year was a nonsensical decision. We should have found a cheaper one.
5. Eavesdrop
Are any of your colleagues eavesdroppers ? Do they eavesdrop on conversations that don’t concern them ? How about suggesting that they stop eavesdropping ?
Example :
You know, you should stop eavesdropping. It’s really rude.
6. Doublespeak
It’s a simple word, but a good one! It is used to refer to “double-talk”, which means deliberately obscure or ambiguous, in order to hide the truth.
Example :
His answer wasn’t clear when we asked about our budget for this project. This kind of doublespeak is so irritating!
7. Gallivant
In the dictionary, gallivant is usually translated as “to wander”. However, there is a slight nuance that makes this word even cooler than it already is. The precise meaning would be: to wander around without worrying about anything. Carpe diem.
💡 Good to know: gallivant can also be used to refer to a person who flits from one affair to another.
Example :
She quit her job last week. She wants to gallivant around the world.
8. Keen
Tired of using very interested ? Then use keen instead !
Example :
Pierre is such a positive person… And a keen learner! I hope he’ll be hired in our company after his internship.
Did you like our first selection of cool words in English ? Stay tuned ! We’ll be revealing the rest of our ranking very soon. In the meantime, check out our range of distance learning language courses.