Ask Native Speakers Get Answers to Your Language Questions

"Buckle up" is a phrasal verb. It means to put on or fasten one's seat belt in a vehicle or aircraft. It's commonly used to instruct people to put on their seat belts! Ex: Buckle up and enjoy the ride. Ex: Johnny, please buckle up before we go.

"Crummy" is an adjective that means poor in quality, dirty, or unpleasant. It's fairly common to use. Ex: The hotel they stayed in was a little crummy, but they didn't mind. Ex: I don't want to hear your crummy jokes.

"Mad chubs" here refers to being very fat or very chubby. "Mad" is an informal way of expressing "so much", "so many" or "very". The term "chubs" here means fat. This is not a common expression to use. It would be more common to say "how did I get so chubby" or "how did I get so fat" in this case.

Yes, that's correct! "Strapping" means big and strong, and is often used to describe boys or men that are well-built. Ex: The Smith family has three strapping sons. Ex: The male lead of the movie was a handsome, strapping young man.

Of course! You could use "Now where do I start?" "How should I start?" "Now, where to start?" "What should I start with? "Where should I begin?" These alternatives all indicate the same meaning as "Now where to begin?" A: Tell me how you two met. B: Okay. Where do I begin? Ex: I'm not sure where to start. Ex: I need to write a paper on mitosis, but I don't know how to begin.

By "he's all," he's referring to a specific behavior that his friend shows. We're not sure exactly what he was going to say since he was cut off. But in this context, it sounds like he was going to mention something that annoys him. That the way his friend acts is a little too excessive for him, which is indicated by "all." Ex: So my friend was coming to town, and I was all excited. And then she canceled!

It's important to use data effectively to maximize your resources and be goal orientated. If you collect unnecessary data, it could mean doing unnecessary work. Or if the data isn't used well, then that's wasted potential for the resource of data. So once data is collected, using it for something specific, to solve problems, or come up with new ideas, will be a good use of the resource.

A "lawmaker" is also known as a "legislator". This is a person who writes and passes laws. Ex: They organised a petition for the legislator. Ex: The lawmakers took notice of what was happening in the state.

"Get pushed around" refers to being told what to do in a rude or forceful way. "Pushing someone around" can also refer to asking someone to do more than what is required of them in a rude way. Ex: My older sister pushes me around by asking me to do things for her, like clean her room. Ex: He got pushed around by his boss too much, so he quit his job.

Here "vested" means "given to" or "authorised by". It's not common in casual conversation. It's used by those with authority. It's a well-known line for the priest to say in wedding ceremonies! You can also use "vested" to mean a personal interest in the success of something. Ex: By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. => By the power given to me. Ex: The government has vested authority to look after its citizens. Ex: I have a vested interest in the success of your business. Ex: I'm vested in my studies. I need to do well!