Discussion Forum—A Way with Words, a fun radio show and podcast about language

Thank you very much.I also want to know when English people use "absobloominglutely"?

It, and similar phrases, would only be used in informal settings, mostly in spoken contexts, but also in very familiar writing. In formal writing, it would only be appropriate to reproduce dialog.

For me, the most notable use of abso-bloomin-lutely occurs in the movie My Fair Lady. Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle sang -- or rather I should say "Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle sang," since Hepburn did not do the singing -- in "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?":

Aow, so loverly sittin' abso-bloomin'-lutely still.
I would never budge 'till spring
Crept over me windowsill.

Note that "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?" is punctuated by Lerner with a question mark, rather than an exclamation point.

farnaz babaie said:

Hello.I am Farnaz.From Amir Kabir University Of Technology.When I was looking up "absobloominglutely in internet,I found this discussion.I want to ask you about the definition of this word.I need it ar once.It is essential.thank you!!!!

I love that there is correspondence from Tehran on this website, and best of luck to you Mr. Babaie in your university education. The -blooming- part of absobloominglutely is an emphatic interjection within an English word; that is, it is affirming even moreso whatever idea was given that the mere word absolutely could affirm. It is usually an excited statement, I would say. So it is not just yes, it is very, very much YES!.

I would also say that the blooming interjection is heard more from Brits and Aussies than it is from Americans. Perhaps I've been spending too much time in NYC and LA, where the word fuck is used as frequently as any article, but, if I were to hear the exclamation at all, I would have heard it as absofuckinglutely. Though it may be crass (I'm not claiming I have virgin tongue here; when I'm around my friends from LA, I swear like a particularly-foul-mouthed sailor), I have certainly heard that iteration more than I have the former.

Hello my friends.As you guess,Farnaz is a farsi name.I am from Iran.My home town is Urmia,West Azarbayjan, and I am a university student in Tehran.But .....I am a girl so it must be Miss Babaie!!!!.I can speak farsi but in fact I am turkish.I am studying industrial engineering.There is no problem if you have any other questions.I am ready to answer.I am really interested in answering your questions.I will be happy if I can help you in the meaning of farsi and turkish words.And.....thank you very much for your help.It was all great.

All you said is right.In Tehran I myself prefer to speak farsi.But in Urmia,a turkish city,we all speak turkish.I speak English in my English class in university.My physics is in Engliah too.beside all,I am comfortable in farsi.

I want to apologize for my inadvertent sexism, Ms. Babaie. I certainly should have checked to see if the name Farnaz is particularly gendered (though I may not have found it, since I would have been looking for Farsi or Persian names). That said, I am even more ecstatic that we have correspondence from a woman university student in Tehran, whether you are from there or not. Anyway, best of luck to you in your life and your studies.

Since you put yourself open to questions, I have one for you. The reason your English class is conducted in English is clear, but why is your physics education in English? Although I surmise it is because much of the current physics literature is in English, some of our most foundational physics was the product of German, French, and other non-English-speaking scientists, and published in that language. So why English in physics? Is it the same for chemistry? Biology (Linnaeus would seem to favor Latin in that case)?

Here's a question, and it's silly—trivial—but the answer may be fun. I once had an email conversation with someone in France (I was trying to improve my French) and we got to talking about school. Now, all my life in the US I've been accustomed to children going to school Monday through Friday from about 0900 to 1500 or 1600, so I'd never thought of there being other ways to do it. But he told me (let's see whether I get this right) that they go to school Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri and Sat, and that elementary and high-school kids attend different halves of the day, like one from 08-13 and the other 13-18, or something like that. It doesn't deserve astonishment, but somehow I was so used to the way I grew up with that it never occurred to me that other countries might do it differently.

So what days and times do your children attend school in Iran (or, for that matter, Turkey and Azerbaijan)?

I have another question, Ms. Babaie. You said you are in an English class at the university, and I would guess that you have had other English training if you were in Turkey. But I wonder, what is the general level of English teaching in Tehran, where you are now? English is, of course, the de facto global business language (perhaps years from now it will be some combination of English and Mandarin, but that is another discussion), so it is essential now for any global education. But how prevalent is English in Iran? That is, from what you have seen, do many people learn English in Tehran, especially beyond the university setting? Do people there feel that English is important, or do more people try to learn Mandarin Chinese, since China is a closer ally to Iran that is the United States (also, China will overtake the United States as the seat of the global economy in a few decades, if not sooner)?

Hello again.I forgot something.It is my weblog.I would be happy if you have any comments about that.Thank you.
http://www.my-marvelous-world.persianblog.ir (-is not underline)