All that jazz: The English We Speak - YouTube
Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
Neil: And I'm Neil.
Feifei: And Neil - we have a musical expression...
Do you like rock music?
Neil: Rock. Yeah I love it.
Feifei: Really?
Neil: When I was younger I was in a rock band -
we had it all: long hair, loud guitars, even louder drums, leather... all that jazz!
Feifei: Jazz? Hang on, was it a jazz or a rock band?!
Neil: Aha - very funny - 'all that jazz' is our phrase. And it has nothing to do with jazz.
Feifei: Indeed, it simply means 'and so on', or 'and other similar things'.
Neil: You often use it after listing things.
For example: I love Christmas dinner - you've got turkey, Brussels sprouts, roast potatoes, gravy, all that jazz. It's just great.
Feifei: You're not wrong. I love all that jazz too.
And now you've made my mouth water, so let's take a break and listen to these examples.
Examples: I had a super lazy weekend. I woke up late, got some coffee, went for a walk watched a couple of movies, all that jazz. It was great.
I don't read celebrity gossip. You know: who's going out with who, who got plastic surgery, all that jazz. I'm just not interested!
Feifei: It's often used - in a list of unpleasant or boring things.
Neil: For example: This morning I cleaned the whole house - washing, scrubbing, vacuuming, all that jazz!
Feifei: Yes, by using "jazz" to describe dull things, it's ironic and brings some humour.
Neil: It does, Feifei. Especially when we compare it with the phrase to "jazz up".
You can 'jazz up an outfit' or 'jazz up a meal', for example
- which means to make something more interesting and even glamorous.
Feifei: Before we go, we should of course mention the phrase is also the name of a song from the 1975 Broadway musical, Chicago. Fancy singing it for us, Neil?
Neil: I really couldn't. After all, I was in a rock band. Not a jazz band! What about you, Feifei?
Feifei: Maybe next time. I can't remember the words!
Neil: Excuses, excuses! Bye for now. Feifei: Bye.
