Hej på er!I'm trying to improve my English. The are some words and expressions that I haven't been able to find in the dictionary. They are from an article in TIME ("The Littleton massacre") and from Nick Horby's book "about a boy". If there is a kind-hearted person out there who can help me I would be grateful.
*jocks
McSpot: Athletes. The sort of people who are very good at sports and tend to look down on those who aren't.
*preppies
McSpot: Rich kids. Frequently also jocks, if they are rich and like sport.
*Goths
McSpot: An attitude; a way of life. Frequently thought to be death-obsessed and terminally unhappy. Look here for more information. Musical tastes; think The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim...
*kindly spirit (Just a good person?)
McSpot: yes.
*stoners and deadbeats
McSpot: The term given to anyone who would rather sit around and smoke or drink rather than work a 40-hour week.
*Peekaboo
McSpot: A game you play with a baby; you hide behind your hands so the baby cannot see your face, then open them suddenly and smile at the baby while saying "peekaboo"; though that's not the way it was meant where you read it.
It basically means "surprise!"; since the whole point of the game is hiding and surprising the baby.
*mentoring
Looking after; teaching.
*busting "When they were both busting for a pee after a car journey."
Does 'busting' come from 'bust' or 'bustle'?
Neither; it's slang; and comes from "bursting". It means that they needed the toilet...
* "Been burning the candle at both ends?"
Staying up late at night working; if you burn a candle at both ends, you get twice the light, but it only lasts half as long. Similarly, if you "burn the candle at both ends" by staying up; you may get more done, but you will feel tired the following day.
If someone would like to learn Swedish -I can help you!
Thank you.
Kind regards
Björn Öfverström
