Feifei Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, I’m Feifei…
Neil And hello I’m Neil.
Feifei Hey Neil, I couldn’t help overhearing just now but Rob say he’d bought a new sports car?
Neil Yes, a red one with one of those tops that folds back.
Feifei It must have cost him a fortune!
Neil Oh you know Rob – he spends money left, right and centre.
Feifei You mean he spends it in all directions?
Neil That’s right.
Feifei So he spends money in Oxford Street – to the left. Bond Street – to the right. And sometimes at Oxford Circus – in the centre?
Neil I didn’t mean physically on the left, right, and centre. It’s a phrase that just means everywhere or all the time.
Feifei Ah got it. I suppose left, right, and centre is everywhere – in all directions.
Neil That’s correct– and there are examples left, right, and centre – such as these…
Examples I’m not surprised the cafe closed. It’s been losing customers left and right over the past couple of years.
You can’t miss that new film; they’ve been promoting it left, right, and centre.
Feifei That’s left, right, and centre – a phrase to mean everywhere or all the time. So how does Rob afford a new sports car?
Neil Well our boss has been handing out bonuses left, right, and centre – he must have got a big one!
Feifei The bonuses aren’t that big. It’s the bank – they’re happy to give out loans left, right, and centre!
Neil I think you may be right – anyway the good thing is he’ll take us for a drive in his new car. And here he comes now…
Rob Hi there. Jump in!
Neil/ Feifei Bye for now.