There are many phrases in English for going overboard.
Is Michelle comma happy?
In today’s episode, we share a unique way to use the word ‘happy’ to talk about overdoing something.
Learn how to use this in your conversations today.
A new meaning for ‘happy’
Michelle asks Lindsay if she feels happy.
Lindsays says she’s generally a happy person especially when she is on the mic.
She really loves podcasting.
In today’s episode you will learn about a different way the word happy is used in conversations.
This is modern slang and it is good vocabulary to sound more like a native English speaker.
Michelle shares a story of when she was in 4th grade and her teacher would always tell her she was ‘comma happy.’
She was learning punctuation at that time and it meant that she used commas a lot.
She would use commas too much and her teacher saying ‘comma happy’ is a way of teasing about it.
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Just like Michelle, you can look back on what you did when you were younger.
Noun + ‘happy‘
The way Michelle’s teacher used happy is pretty common.
The structure is a noun followed by the word happy.
This means that someone really enjoys doing something or overdoes it.
It is a fun way to say someone does something too much or overuses something.
This can help build connections by playing with words and saying something without offending someone.
Examples
- Their boss was meeting-happy, so they had a meeting every other day.
- I’m a little salt-happy when it comes to cooking, so let me know if you don’t want too much salt.
- You’re really water bottle-happy. Maybe you should just buy yourself a good one.
- Wow, this channel is too commercial-happy. I’ll just fast-forward through them.
Use it in moderation
It can be fun creating your own word when adding ‘happy.’
Take note that you can’t use this with everything.
It can sound awkward if you say it all the time.
When saying someone is doing too much of something, you should get a feel of the situation and use it appropriately.
Using this has a bit of a teasing feel and sounds a little critical.
You should consider your relationship with the person you’re talking to.
Decide if you can tease them a little.
If you’ve already said it once, you can use other words that mean the same thing.
We’ll share a few parallel expressions.
#1: Overdo
Example:
She really overdoes the decorations, don’t you think?
#2: Go overboard
Example:
Don’t go overboard with corrections. Just focus on the grammar.
Doing things in excess
Michelle asks Lindsay if she does anything in excess.
Lindsay shares that she recently became ‘olive oil-happy’ this summer.
She eats a lot of salad and she uses a lot of olive oil in her meals.
This is a good example of Lindsay teasing herself.
She points out something she does too much.
Michelle shares she can be ‘lemon juice-happy’ when she’s cooking.
She can go overboard putting lemon on her avocado toast or her popcorn.
Roleplay
Lindsay and Michelle share a roleplay using the vocabulary shared in today’s episode.
In this scenario, Lindsay and Michelle are planning their friend’s birthday party.
Lindsay: So I think there should be an open bar.
Michelle: Ahh Lindsay, I don’t want to overdo it. That’s expensive.
Lindsay: Yeah, but it will be fun. I promise I won’t go overboard on everything else.
Michelle: Fine. Try not to be decoration-happy this time either!
Lindsay: I won’t, I won’t!
Takeaway
Using happy with a noun is a fun slang way to make a new word.
Experiment with this and try to build a connection with someone.
This is a great way to share things you love to do or a way you go overboard.
Keep bringing your English skills to a higher level by adding more to your vocabulary.
Keep practicing conversations in English with friends and family using these expressions.
You can never go overboard learning more English!
What is something you sometimes overdo?
Share it in the comments below.
