English question (11)

1 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-01-29 17:43 ID:ItTtVVUk

So what do the phrases "get shafted" and "right on" mean? I tried Google but nothing helpful came up.

Thanks in advance!

2 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-01-30 09:29 ID:CTPM+q7k

Ah, slang.

"Get shafted" can be an insult. Here's an example;
Person 1: "Hey, you! Stop doing that!"
Person 2: "Get shafted!"

Or it can mean to get the bad end of things. Example;
"I got the shaft at work and had to stay until late." Pretty much, it's being given some shit. It can also mean that you've mean screwed over(Hope you know what that one means)

"Right on!"
This is good. Example;
Something happens that you like.
Person 1: "We're going to protest war."
Person 2: "Right on!"

Or a more literal approach would be...
Person 1: "How well did you hit the target?"
Person 2: "Right on." The same as perfect or 'Dead Center'.

I hope I could help.
May I ask you native language?

3 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-01-30 17:48 ID:ItTtVVUk

>>2
Oh, it's Finnish

4 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-02 02:21 ID:jdze6rpO

>>1
"Right on" is also commonly used on the West Coast of the USA, particularly in California, sort of insincerely. When a person doesn't necessarily agree with what you're saying, they'll often say "right on," as a neutral or dismissive way of saying, "Oh, OK, whatever."

But it traditionally does mean "Yes! This is good/I agree with you."

5 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-02 02:23 ID:jdze6rpO

>>1
Oh, and to "get shafted" in the U.S. can also sometimes mean "to be cheated."

"He got shafted at work. He finished his project early, but his coworkers took all the credit."

In this reading, "shafted" is a euphemism for "fucked (over)."

It's a very idiomatic expression!

6 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-02 19:29 ID:m4QIVJr5

I commonly hear it used when describing a sports team being beaten, especially football teams, i.e.

"We got shafted last night."

Supporters of a sports team will often use "we" to describe the team, probably because they feel very involved in it.

This is based on Scots English/Anglicised Glaswegian Scots.

7 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-02 22:40 ID:CTPM+q7k

>>4

Similar to the phrase, "Yeah, right" yes?

8 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-03 01:50 ID:cGtTl9Hg

North American slang is all regional.

9 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-04 04:26 ID:CTPM+q7k

>>8
How so? You mean it changes from place to place?

10 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-05 04:00 ID:S3zLksBT

>>10
I think >>8 means that. It isn't a very large change from place to place, but you will notice some differences. I can't think of any examples, though. Still, it's not enough to be significant.

11 Name: Anonymous Linguist : 2008-02-05 04:30 ID:Zq69/+Pr

>>9

Of course. Each coast (including North/South states), each city, even neighbourhoods have their own slang/meanings.

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