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English In Use - 'They Wink It's All Over ... It Is For Now'

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

Football fans of a certain age will get The Sun's headline 'They Wink It's All Over...It Is For Now' which appears on a story that US president Barack Obama winked during a press conference after politicians struck a deal to stop the US plummeting off a multi-billion dollar fiscal cliff.

It is a play on 'They Think It's Alll Over,' a  comment by a TV commentator after England scored their fourth goal in their 4-2 World Cup final win over Germany in 1966, replacing "wink" for "think".

wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one eye, and it's an informal mode of non-verbal communication.  It usually signals some shared hidden knowledge or intent, which may also include, in all contexts, sexual attraction.  I wonder what Mr Obama was thinking!

 

 

 

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