It’s a no brainer

I was watching a soap on the TV last night and one of the character’s said “It’s a no brainer” meaning the choice was obvious and it didn’t require any intelligence to make it.

“When I was asked to choose between a holiday on Hainan Island and a visit to the tax inspector it was a no brainer.”

“Taking care of your health is a no brainer. Everyone needs to be aware of it.”

Colloquial expressions like “It’s a no brainer” come and go. The fashion for them is a fickle business. Nobody now uses terms like “groovy” or “far out” unless in a very ironic manner. They are phrases forever linked to the 1960s.

While slang words, in general, have a short life, one word has become ubiquitous among young people all over the world. “Cool” is a temperature between cold and warm but it also a general state of well being or something that is fashionable and attractive.

“Susan’s dress is really cool”

“It’s not cool to get drunk in front of your boss”

“Hey that’s cool, you’ve taken up yoga”

So while colloquial expressions and slang words come and go, “cool” stays cool forever.

Vocabulary:

a soap (opera) (n.) - a TV drama series

colloquial (adj.) - informal, conversational

fickle (adj.) - unfaithful, changeable

groovy (adj.) - wonderful

far out (adj.) - amazing

slang (n.) - popular but unauthorized language

ubiquitous (adj.) - is everywhere, omnipresent

(Source: www.englishonline.org.cn)

Johnny Grammar is English Online's resident grammar teacher. Johnny loves to tackle your worst grammar nightmares and provide you with simple explanations.

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