English, baby!

简体
not one's cup of tea
特长

Date: Feb 16 2012

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“I could try to play more good guy parts, but it’s not my cup of tea.”

- Actor Mark Wahlberg on playing a bad boy in most of his movies. (Us Weekly)

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

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not one’s preference, not something one really enjoys

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

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The British love their tea. So it isn’t surprising to hear an English expression that uses tea. And it’s not just the British who use the expression not my cup of tea. Even though most Americans prefer coffee over tea, they’ll still say something is not their cup of tea if they don’t like it. An American might even say that tea is not his cup of tea!

Since many English people love tea, a cup of tea came to mean something pleasant and enjoyable. So something that is not your cup of tea is something that you don’t find enjoyable. It’s something you do not like or prefer.

The actor Mark Wahlberg may not be a tea drinker, but he still uses the expression not my cup of tea to talk about the kind of characters he prefers playing in movies. Wahlberg doesn’t like playing characters who are too perfect or nice. That’s just not his cup of tea. He would rather play bad boys or tough guys. You could say the characters he likes to play aren’t like tea at all, because they aren’t pleasant, easy-going or cozy. They’re more like a strong shot of whiskey.

What kinds of movies, hobbies, activities or foods are not your cup of tea?

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

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“Baseball is not my cup of tea. I’d rather watch basketball.”

“Mark needs to lose weight, but exercising is not his cup of tea.”

“Some people like musicals, but they are not my cup of tea.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	It is not my favorite thing to do. by Julissita
	Something not to your liking. You could also say: "It's not my thing" by Buttafly
	"It's not my cup of tea" means "I don't like it." by Fateme.A
	not one's chosen or preferred thing by goodmahsa
	Something that's not in accord with one's liking or taste. by candycandice

Want to guess next week's slang?

Comments

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cloudia19

Sri Lanka

lying is not my cup of tea

indah said

Indonesia

and also in Indonesia say : “lier”, It’s not my cup of tea means “I don’t like it.”

khaethe

Philippines

in other words it’s not my doing or type.. like “married man isnt my cup of tea”

^_^yan

China

is my cup of tea here ? haha

Serenini

Brazil

Well, I guess what we say here in Brazil is: it’s not my beach!
Hehehe…
This can also mean something is not your speciality, you are not exactly an expert in something.
:)

simoroshka

Russian Federation

Russians are fond of tea too, but I don’t remember any expressions with it..

Abdu Elkhalike

Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

hello every body

narges

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

movies : eh, horror , fighting and science fiction !!!! i hate these kinda movies,
foods: ANY mixed foods that i cant see the ingredients, and some sea foods, .....
hobbies: chess, play video games, ....
but my cup of teas are:
movie: romance, psycoligical, .... /food: sone foods which contains noodles, beans, vegtabeles,.... /hobbies: surfing on the net, reading book, /activities:hanging out with friends, going to art galleries, going to cafes,parks,cinemas, .....