2021-08-30 Zhuzh – The English We Speak

Summary

Sometimes things need improving just a little to make them more appealing. Learn a word to say just that – add some ‘zhuzh’ to your English!

Transcript

Jiaying
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Jiaying…

Neil
…and hello, it’s me, Neil. So, Jiaying, what do you think?

Jiaying
What do I think of what?

Neil
My outfit. I’m off to a party soon, so I thought I’d dress up a bit.

Jiaying
Err, Neil, if you don’t mind me saying, you need to ‘zhuzh’ up your outfit.

Neil
Excuse me? Did you just sneeze?

Jiaying
No, Neil. I said ‘zhuzh’ 

Neil
Bless you. 

Jiaying
No! ‘Zhuzh’. This verb is an informal word to mean make something more interesting or attractive by changing it slightly. It’s often followed by the word ‘up’. So, I’m just saying your outfit needs a slight improvement – if you really want to make an impression!

Neil
Oh really! Shall we see if we can zhuzh up these examples first?

Examples
I’ve tried to zhuzh up my living room with some bright yellow cushions. 

Try zhuzhing up your suit with a coloured tie. 

She zhuzhed up her cooking by adding a bit of chilli powder.

Jiaying
You’re listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, and I’m trying to explain the word ‘zhuzh’ to Neil!

Neil
You sneezed again!

Jiaying
No, I didn’t! When you ‘zhuzh up’ something, you make something more interesting or attractive by changing it slightly. So, Neil, how about a coloured shirt to zhuzh things up?

Neil
No thanks, I prefer to wear black.

Jiaying
Come on, Neil, how about some fancy shoes?

Neil
Black ones are fine. To be honest, I don’t have anything fancy to wear.

Jiaying
Oh dear – it looks like you need to zhuzh up your wardrobe, Neil.

Neil
No need – this is a horror-themed party, so just black will be fine.

Jiaying
If you say so, Neil. Bye.

Neil
Bye.