20 weird and wonderful English expressions (Reduplicatives)
Informal English vocabulary for social situations.
[Last updated on 08/12/2023]
There’s an amazing variety of interesting and amusing expressions in the English language. Most are known by native speakers, but these English expressions are not commonly used in English language courses. The English expressions in this blog focus on a specific type of English vocabulary known as reduplicatives.
Develop your English vocabulary with these catchy expressions to sound like a native speaker. Just remember that these are generally informal expressions and more commonly used in social situations.
Reduplicatives typically come in pairs and there are three main types:
The first word is the same as the second word.
chop chop (hurry up)
bye bye (goodbye)
The second word is very similar and rhymes with the first word.
easy-peasy (very easy)
super-duper (great)
The second word is very similar but has a vowel change.
chit-chat (friendly or gossipy conversation)
hip-hop (type of music)
The repeating of parts of words is referred to as reduplication and demonstrates the fun that you can have playing with English words and phrases. They might be confusing at first, but give it a try!
20 weird and wonderful English expressions (reduplicatives)
We’ve chosen twenty British English reduplicatives to develop your English vocabulary with expressions that are commonly used by native speakers. Let’s get started!
airy-fairy
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
unrealistic or impractical.
Example
I get bored of listening to his airy-fairy ideas about getting famous in the future.
argy-bargy
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
a loud argument or heated discussion.
Example
There was a lot of argy-bargy outside the local nightclub on Saturday.
dilly-dally
[informal] [verb]
Meaning
to waste time.
Example
You can’t be late for your interview today, so don’t dilly-dally and get ready now!”
fuddy-duddy
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
a person with old-fashioned ideas and opinions.
Example
Don’t listen to that old fuddy-duddy. He’s ideas about education are so out-of-date.
funny money
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
illegal or counterfeit money.
Example
Some shops don’t accept €500 bank notes in case it’s funny money.
higgledy-piggledy
[informal] [adjective, adverb]
Meaning
untidy, disorganised or unplanned.
Example
She keeps her office in such a higgledy-piggledy fashion that I’m surprised she can work properly.
hunky-dory
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
fine, very satisfactory, going well.
Example
Thankfully, everything was hunky-dory with the trains on the way to work today.
hurly-burly
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
an activity that is busy and noisy.
Example
I now avoid the hurly-burly of Christmas shopping downtown by ordering everything online.
holy moley
[informal] [exclamation]
Meaning
used to express surprise or astonishment.
Example
Holy moley! There’s torrential rain and a massive flood in my best mate’s hometown.
itsy-bitsy
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
very small or tiny.
Example
They live in an itsy-bitsy house in the countryside.
lovey-dovey
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
to show affection in public in an open or embarrassing way.
Example
We were sitting next to this lovey-dovey couple on the bus. It was really distracting!
namby-pamby
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
weak, indecisive or very sensitive.
Example
I hate speaking to namby-pamby politicians about their failure to deliver on earlier promises.
nitty-gritty
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
the main facts or aspects of a situation.
Example
We need to get down to the nitty-gritty so that we finish this meeting before 6 o’clock.
okey-dokey
[informal] [interjection]
Meaning
to show that you agree or accept something.
Example
Okey-dokey. We’ll meet at 7 o’clock tonight outside the restaurant.
silly-billy
[informal] [noun]
Meaning
a person who is acting in a way that is not careful or without thinking (used with children).
Example
Don’t be a silly-billy. You’ll hurt yourself if you’re not careful.
teeny-weeny
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
very small or tiny.
Example
We weren’t impressed with our teeny-weeny room that the hotel gave us for our summer holiday.
shilly-shally
[informal] [verb]
Meaning
to hesitate to make a decision or take to long to do something.
Example
You need to shop shilly-shallying and decide if you want to accept that job offer.
topsy-turvy
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
confused or disorganised.
Example
It has been a topsy-turvy start to the season for my local football club.
willy-nilly
[informal] [adverb]
Meaning 1
something happens without choice.
Example
His wife was drawn willy-nilly into a family argument when they were visiting his parents.
Meaning 2
to do something without planning or in a careless way.
Example
Our grandmother decides willy-nilly what to buy us for Christmas.
wishy-washy
[informal] [adjective]
Meaning
not clear or lacking substance.
Example
He didn’t get the job because he only gave a wishy-washy description about why he would be suitable for the position.
Tips to develop your English vocabulary
Even native English speakers don’t know all of the words in English, but it’s great to increase your understanding of English words and phrases step-by-step.
For ideas and tips to develop your vocabulary and other English expressions we recommend visiting our English vocabulary blog and free online lessons.
We also provide English courses in Munich and online. Our English trainers listen to your needs and set individual targets. We work together to develop your English language skills and improve your fluency so that you can advance to the next English level.