[00:00.34]Hi, I'm Helen, and welcome to The English We Speak. Sorry, I'll be with you in a minute, Chris. I'm just on the phone to Rob.
[00:07.70]Sure.
[00:08.94]Rob, do you need me to come and record with you in the studio this afternoon?
[00:12.03]No, don't worry. I've got Neil coming over to record with me.Everything's hunky-dory.
[00:18.00]Everything's what?
[00:19.54]Gotta go. Speak to you later, bye.
[00:21.48]OK, b-, oh, he hung up.
[00:25.38]Having a busy day, Helen?
[00:27.17]Yes, it's been so busy. I've got to move all these boxes. How's your day going?
[00:32.99]No problems really. I've finished my script and I've already recorded another programme with Rosie. I'm hunky-dory.
[00:40.11]Hunky-dory? That's what Rob just said to me. Neither of you is very hunky though.
[00:46.48]What?! Well, hunky means muscular doesn't it? Well yes, hunky is a slang word for describing someone who is muscular.
[00:54.99]So, you're not telling the truth when you say, I'm hunky… Dory. My name is not Dory though. Why do you call me that?
[01:03.23]I wasn't lying and saying "I'm hunky", and I wasn't calling you "Dory" either. The phrase hunky-dory doesn't have anything to do with being muscular. It's an informal way of saying something's fine or satisfactory.
[01:17.89]Ohhhh. It's a bit of a strange phrase though. Yes, it is. No one really knows where it comes from, other than it's believed to be an American phrase. I see. So how can you use it?
[01:31.03]Well, here are some examples.
[01:33.02]I was really worried I'd lost her, but everything's hunky-dory now. She was waiting for me by the car.
[01:39.64]Our washing machine broke last night. An engineer is coming to take a look at it today, so it should be hunky-dory soon.
[01:47.40]So you can use hunky-dory as an informal way to say that a situation is fine.
[01:53.67]Now I understand. Well, sadly nothing is hunky-dory for me. I've got all these boxes to move.
[02:02.73]Is that why you invited me here?
[02:05.07]Maybe?
[02:06.81]Hmm right then, let's get on with it. Right, where do you want them? Just over there, thanks.
[02:15.07]OK. Haha. My work will soon be done.