A bit fed up
Die allgemeine Lage in der Welt ist, gelinde gesagt, bedrohlich. Das Wetter spielt verrückt und, ach ja, eine Pandemie haben wir auch noch. Wie gut, dass die Briten Meister der Untertreibung sind – und daher lediglich „ein wenig die Nase voll haben“.
Back in February, when all we had to worry about was an ongoing global pandemic, a lying, party-going prime minister and the rising cost of living, the UK was suddenly hit by three violent storms – all in one week. First, there was Dudley; then came Eunice, with Franklin hot on her heels. These are cute names for hamsters – maybe not for fierce storms.
Dudley brought winds of over 81 miles an hour in coastal areas. Four people were killed by falling trees. Over a million homes were affected by power cuts that lasted several days. And the heavy rain caused major flooding.
Here, in Scotland, train and ferry services were cancelled, but we were spared the worst of the weather. Still, it was very windy for weeks on end. Reluctant to set foot outside, I experienced the three storms on my phone screen. I saw a video of a man in London being pushed over and blown along the pavement. I saw roof sections of the O2 Arena in London flapping about in the wind as if they were made of thin plastic. And I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw a wheelie bin take off, up into the sky, like Dorothy’s house in The Wizard of Oz.
The Guardian had a headline that said, “We’re quite fed up”. Is it only in Britain that someone would say, “We’re quite fed up” when talking about how they feel about extreme weather? The understated headline made me smile.
Understatement, which makes something seem less important, less impressive or less serious than it really is, is used a lot for comic effect in the UK. During the storms, when I had to leave the house to walk the dog, friendly strangers would often greet me with comments about the weather. “A bit breezy,” observed one man, shouting so that I’d hear him over the roar of the wind.
“A bit chilly, today,” said a lady who was all wrapped up in her warm coat, scarf and gloves. I smiled. “Yes, just a little bit,” I replied.
The Guardian headline got me thinking about when English learners are taught the phrase “I’m a bit fed up”. I don’t remember teaching it that often, although it’s such a useful expression.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, “fed up” (informal adjective) means “bored or unhappy, especially with a situation that has continued for too long”.
“Fed up” is a good expression to add to your vocabulary. It’s sure to come in handy sometime. And if you use it to express how you feel about the pandemic, a dishonest prime minister or the rising cost of living, you’ll have mastered the art of understatement.