The English We Speak – Wow factor

Feb 042015

BBC Learning English: The English We Speak – Wow factor: means it’s very intense.

Harry and Feifei talk about a colloquial expression popular with young people for when things or people are very intense.

_______Show Transcript______

Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Feifei and joining me is Harry.

Harry
Hello there! And the expression we are going to look at in this programme is ‘wow factor’.

Feifei
We’ll look at what it means and when you can use it. So anyway Harry, how’s the flat hunting going?

Harry
Oh, don’t ask! Not very well, really. I mean, I’ve seen a few places so far, but they didn’t really appeal to me.

Feifei
So none of them were any good?

Harry
They were OK. Adequate I suppose. I could live in some of them if I had to, but none of them had the wow factor. Do you know what I mean?

Feifei
Not really. The wow factor? What is that?

Harry
The wow factor? Something that makes you go ‘wow’ when you walk in. ‘Wow’ is something we say in English when we’re surprised. So, you know, a sun deck, a view of Big Ben, a steam room, a granite cocktail bar, a shared swimming pool – that kind of thing. My friend who teaches English in Indonesia has his own swimming pool and I was hoping …

Feifei
Yes, but this is London. It’s quite hard to get any of those things unless you spend a lot of money. What else can have the wow factor?

Harry
You hear it a lot on TV. On cooking shows, when someone creates an exciting tasty dish they say it’s really got the wow factor.

Feifei
Yes, I heard that. ‘It’s just an omelette, but the chillies give it a real wow factor’.

Harry
That’s right. And in singing competitions, if the singer delivers an exciting performance, the judges say they really had the wow factor.

Feifei
So, you can apply it to anything or anyone that is surprisingly good or impressive?

Harry
That’s right. Let’s listen to some more examples.

Examples
He’s just bought a new Italian sports car – it’s really got the wow factor.

We’re going to completely re-decorate the restaurant so there’s more of a wow factor when you walk in.

Your CV looks OK. Your work experience is solid, but there’s no real wow factor that will impress employers.

Feifei
So, do you think you’ll find a place to live with the wow factor?

Harry
I’m not sure. But if I don’t, I might spend my money on a 72-inch 3D TV. That way people will still get the wow factor when they walk in.

Feifei
That would certainly have the wow factor, and I want to come round and watch some cookery shows and singing competitions.