The English We Speak – Use your loaf

Jan 212014

BBC Learning English: The English We Speak – Use your loaf means think about things before you do them.

What’s the connection between bread and common sense? Rob and Li discuss an expression you might use when someone does something silly.

_______Show Transcript______

Rob: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me Rob and a very hungry-looking Li.

Li: (mouth full of food) Hello.

Rob: Erm, Li, you’re talking with your mouth full. Can you wait till lunchtime please?

Li: No I can’t – I’m starving.

Rob: Well, be careful – you’re making such a mess in here.

Li: Ever since I started jogging before work, I just have to eat a big snack mid-morning or I feel faint by lunchtime.

Rob: Well, maybe, but you know you’re not supposed to eat food in the studio. It’s a really bad idea – you could damage the equipment. Oh no – look! There’s salad and mayonnaise all over the recording desk! Li, use your loaf!

Li: Use my loaf? Yes, that’s a good idea. If I use bread, I can make a sandwich, which will be much tidier.

Rob: No, I mean use your brain – think about things before you do them!

Li: Eh?

Rob: Well, in English, if you are slightly annoyed with someone because they are doing something they haven’t thought about properly, you can say ‘use your loaf’.

Li: Oh I see. Loaf here is slang for head.

Rob: That’s right. It’s a little old-fashioned but it’s still something you might hear. My parents or grandparents would use it for when I did something a bit… stupid.

Li: Here are some examples.