Yesterday I was watching a movie called "Gigli" and I heard the expression "Holy macro". I didn't understand it but I took it as a synonym of "Holy cow" which is another expression that represents a state of great shock or surprize. Did I get the meaning right?
my another query is that I heard J.LO speaking "two teas"? isn't a word 'tea' un-count noun? Wouldn't she have to say "two cups of tea"?
Thanks for your help.
The expression you heard is "holy mackerel."
You might hear someone say "teas" colloquially. For example, in a restaurant a waiter might say to one of his co-workers: "I need two teas on table 53, one with honey and the other with sugar."
"Gigli" is bottom of the barrel when it comes to movies, by the way.
In the US, ordering [a number of] teas or coffees is very common. You may also hear someone asking for "a milk" or "an orange juice," referring to one-serving sized containers of milk or orange juice. However, if you're asking someone to get milk or orange juice at the store, you'd usually say "Get [milk or OJ]" or "get some [milk or OJ]" or "get a quart of [milk or OJ]."
My cousin from New Jersey used to say "holy mackerel" a lot, and I too thought he was saying "macro" until I saw it written out somewhere else. A linguist would say he was vocalizing the last L, or making it a "dark L."
In Spanish we say a lot 'un agua' (a water), instead of 'una botella de agua' (a bottle of water).
Mom saw Gigli and told me it was awful.
As in England, some New York City English speakers will vocalize final "L," making "mackerel" /m}kro:/.
<<"Gigli" is bottom of the barrel when it comes to movies, by the way.>>
Yes. Last year I had a couple friends who insisted on renting it to see if it was truly *that* bad.
It is.
