They are just in a bad mood all the time. The difference between a Debbie Downer and a Negative Nancy is that a Negative Nancy is not necessarily sad about something. This is someone who never seems to have anything nice to say. Negative Nancy refers to someone who, you guessed it, is always negative. “Sally is always being such a Debbie Downer. By being sad, they tend to “bring down” others around them, making them feel sad, too. “Gosh John, you’re such a Chatty Cathy, always talking, talking, talking.”ĭebbie Downer refers to someone who is in a sad mood most of the time. They are not to be taken too seriously.Ĭhatty Cathy refers to someone (not necessarily a girl) who is very talkative and never seems to be quiet. Nowadays, anytime someone uses these phrases, they are using them in a very joking way. Luckily, there is no hidden meaning behind these English phrases and they are easy to learn. Together, these three slang phrases are the cheesiest of all cheesy slang words. Chatty Cathy / Debbie Downer / Negative Nancy The idea is that everyone comes to the party wearing a very ugly sweater, one your grandmother might knit you as a present. However, “tacky” sounds more negative and generally is used to refer to something that is cheap or in bad taste.įor example, around Christmas time, “tacky sweater parties” (also known as “ugly sweater parties”) are very common in the United States. Similar words to “cheesy” include “corny” and “tacky.” “Corny” is a synonym (a word that means the same thing) of cheesy. Even the word “cheesy” is itself a little cheesy. As already mentioned, any of the other words and phrases on this list could be considered cheesy.(“Cheetahs” plays with the word “cheater,” or someone who breaks the rules in a competition so they can win.)
“Why should you never play poker in the jungle? Because there are too many cheetahs.” (To get this joke, you have to remember that the number “eight” sounds exactly like the verb “ate.”) (“Guts” can refer to either the stomach and intestines or to having the bravery and determination to do something.) “Why didn’t the skeleton cross the road? Because he had no guts.”
Chatty Cathy / Debbie Downer / Negative Nancyĭownload: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬan take anywhere. Also, they are more likely than “cool” slang to be understood and used by people of all ages.įinally, this kind of slang lets you look closer at English-language culture and see what makes it fun and unique! It helps your conversational skills to understand that these words and phrases are often not being used seriously. Why should you learn “uncool” and silly slang? Well, for one thing, it is incredibly fun! You can use it to lighten the mood (make things less serious) in a conversation and to joke around with native speakers. By josephzapinski Last updated: Ap10 Common English Slang Words and Phrases That Are Silly Enough to Embarrass Native Speakers