Here are the answers from last week's homework. How did you get on?  

HOMEWORK: “SOCIAL TYPES”

PART A

What does “posh” mean and what is the origin of the word ?

Posh means elegant, expensive, upper-class. For example “a posh restaurant”. Sometimes it can also have a disapproving  tone. For example, “she speaks with a very posh accent”.   

It is said that the word POSH originated when wealthy people travelled to and from India (in the days of the British Empire). To avoid the hot sun in the Indian Ocean during the voyage, the richer passengers specified that their cabins should be on the left side (“port”) of the ship going out to India, and on the right side (“starboard”) on the       way home. Port Out, Starboard Home (P.O.S.H.)

PART B

1. Alex is always very lively and the centre of the group. People always have a good time when Alex is around. Alex is the Life and soul of the   party

2.Jane is so negative and boring. She has a depressing effect on any group of people she is with. She’s a Wet blanket

3.Alex is confident and interested in other people. Alex likes to meet different kinds of people. Alex’s a Good mixer

4.Paul goes to parties and other occasions without an invitation; he just walks in. He’s a Gate-crasher

5.Unfortunately Jane is not usually asked to dance by anyone. She just stands there in hope. She’s a Wallflower

6.Paul just can’t stop talking. He goes on and on excitedly, about totally unimportant things. He’s a  Chatterbox

7.Alex loves to discuss and pass on news or rumours about people’s private lives. Alex is a real Gossip

8.Jane is dangerously attractive to men. Half the men she meets fall in love with her. She’s a Femme fatale

9.John knows he is attractive to women. They always fall for him. He’s got lots of girlfriends. He’s a real Don Juan

10.Jane is very conscious of her social position and is always trying to improve it by meeting “upper-class” people. She is a Social climber