Helen: Hi, I'm Helen, and welcome to The English We Speak. Sorry, I'll be with you in a minute, Chris – I'm just on the phone to Rob...
Chris: Sure.
Helen: Rob, do you need me to come and record with you in the studio this afternoon?
Rob: No, don't worry – I've got Neil coming over to record with me. Everything's hunky-dory.
Helen: Everything's wha-?
Rob: Gotta go. Speak to you later – bye!
Helen: OK, b- … Oh, he hung up.
Chris: Having a busy day, Helen?
Helen: Yes, it's been so busy – I've got to move all these boxes. How is your day going?
Chris: No problems really. I've finished my script and I've already recorded another programme with Rosie... I'm hunky-dory.
Helen: Hunky-dory? That's what Rob just said to me. Neither of you is very hunky though…
Chris: What?!
Helen: Well, hunky means muscular doesn't it?
Chris: Well yes, hunky is a slang word for describing someone who is muscular…
Helen: So, you're not telling the truth when you say, 'I'm hunky… Dory'. My name's not 'Dory' though – why do you call me that?
Chris: I wasn't lying and saying 'I'm hunky'… and I wasn't calling you 'Dory' either. The phrase hunky-dory doesn't have anything to do with being muscular – it's an informal way of saying something's fine or satisfactory.
Helen: Ohhhh… It's a bit of a strange phrase though.
Chris: Yes, it is. No-one really knows where it comes from, other than it's believed to be an American phrase. Helen: I see. So how can you use it?
Chris: Well, here are some examples:
I was really worried I'd lost her, but everything's hunky-dory now – she was waiting for me by the car.
Our washing machine broke last night. An engineer is coming to take a look at it today, so it should be hunky-dory soon.
Chris: So you can use hunky-dory as an informal way to say that a situation is fine.
Helen: Now I understand! … Well, sadly nothing is hunky-dory for me… I've got all these boxes to move.
Chris: Is that why you invited me here?
Helen: Maybe…?
Chris: Hmm… right then, let's get on with it. Right, where do you want them?
Helen: Just over there, thanks.
Chris: OK…
Helen: Haha! My work will soon be done! … Join us again for another edition of The English We Speak and visit our website, bbclearningenglish.com. Bye!