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Introduction

This expression is a way to say someone did something really well. Learn it here.

Transcript

Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them as well. I'm Feifei, and I'm joined by Beth. Hello Beth!

Beth
Hi Feifei. Did you watch the awards show last night?

Feifei
With that singer? Yes. Incredible. The vocals, the outfit, her confidence - she ate.

Beth
When you say 'ate', you're not talking about food, are you?

Feifei
No, no. In modern slang, 'ate' means someone did something very well. It's often used for performances and fashion.

Beth
Ah, OK. So, if someone gives a motivating speech with loads of confidence, I could say they 'ate'?

Feifei
Absolutely. So I went to this fancy dress party the other night. My costume ate. It was fantastic.

Beth
Oh, I want to see pictures.

Feifei
Let's listen to more examples of 'ate'.

Examples
Georgie had such a cool hairstyle yesterday. It absolutely ate.

Did you see the Women's Euros football final? Chloe Kelly's winning penalty ate.

We went to do some karaoke the other night, and Beth chose a big musical song to sing. She got up there, and she ate and left no crumbs.

Beth
Now, we just heard an example with 'ate and left no crumbs'. We can add 'and ate no crumbs' to mean something is completely faultless – nothing was left behind or is negative. So, it's an even bigger compliment!

Feifei
Yes, and another word that has a similar meaning to 'ate' is 'slay'. You can use them in the same way, but remember they're both informal slang.

Beth
You ate that definition, Feifei. What an episode!

Feifei
Right? We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase. See you soon!

Beth
Bye!

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