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Introduction

A phrase that means everything. Learn more here

Transcript

Feifei

Hello. Welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so you can use them, too! I'm Feifei, and I'm joined by Georgie.

Georgie
Hi Feifei! How are you doing?

Feifei
I'm actually feeling really rested after the weekend, Georgie. I treated myself to a spa day with a friend. We spent time in the sauna, had a massage, got our nails done - the works!

Georgie
Feifei, that sounds so relaxing – I'm so jealous! So, you used the phrase 'the works', which is our expression in this programme. Can you explain why you used it?

Feifei
Sure. So, when I said 'the works', I meant 'everything', or all the possible extras or items you might expect from a situation. You can go to a spa and just relax in the steam room for example, but me? I did all the activities and used all the facilities – the works! We can use 'the works' in lots of different contexts, can't we? Georgie, can you give us another example?

Georgie
Yes, sure. So, my weekend plan involved a picnic in the park. Lots of people came which meant there was a lot of food to share. We had sandwiches, salad, olives, crisps, sausages, fruit, and even chocolate – the works!

Feifei
Wow. That sounds like a lot of food. Let's hear some more examples of 'the works' from our BBC Learning English colleagues.

Examples
We threw my dad a party for his 70th birthday and it had the works – games, loads of food, we had a band – everything!

This car is absolutely filthy. You're gonna have to vacuum the insides, clean all the windows, polish everything – the works!

I need to relax. So, I booked an all-inclusive holiday. I get access to the pools, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks – the works!

Georgie
Wow! So, as we've heard, we can use this in lots of different contexts. But Feifei, in the examples we've heard, 'the works' usually comes on its own at the end of a list, almost like an exclamation. Is it always like that?

Feifei
Well, that's definitely the most common way of using it, so yes. We do sometimes hear 'with the works' when ordering food. For example, when you go to a restaurant, and you want to order a pizza with all the toppings, you might say 'a large pizza, with the works'.

Georgie
Woah! That sounds very filling. Another similar phrase that people can use in a variety of contexts is 'the whole shebang'. At the picnic at the weekend, we had the whole shebang – I was so full I couldn't eat dinner!

Feifei
I'm not surprised! And I did the whole shebang at the spa at the weekend – I felt very pampered.

Georgie
OK, let's recap. We've learned 'the works', which means everything - all the extras that you might expect in any given situation.

Feifei
If you're looking for more English learning resources, you can find vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening practice – the works! All on our website: bbclearningenglish.com.

Georgie
Thanks for joining us. Bye!

Feifei
See ya!

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