Chronic
Meaning: Terrible, awful, very bad
British and Irish slang using 'chronic' to mean terrible or very bad. Different from medical 'chronic' meaning long-lasting.
Examples
- The traffic this morning was chronic. 今天早上的交通太糟了。El tráfico esta mañana fue terrible.今朝の渋滞ひどかった。오늘 아침 교통 체증 끔찍했어.
- His spelling is chronic. 他的拼写太差了。Su ortografía es espantosa.彼のスペリングひどいね。걔 맞춤법 진짜 엉망이야.
- The team's performance was chronic. 球队的表现糟糕透了。El rendimiento del equipo fue pésimo.チームのパフォーマンス最悪だった。팀 경기력이 최악이었어.
- Chronic weather we're having.我们遇上了糟糕的天气。Qué tiempo tan terrible estamos teniendo.ひどい天気だね。날씨 진짜 끔찍하다.
Pronunciation
/ˈkrɒnɪk/
Usage Guide
Context: criticism, disappointment, complaints
Tone: critical, frustrated
✓ Do Say
- That's chronic.那太糟了Eso es terribleそれひどいね그거 끔찍하다.
- Absolutely chronic.简直糟透了Absolutamente terrible本当にひどい완전 최악이야.
- The service was chronic.服务太差了El servicio fue pésimoサービス最悪だった서비스가 끔찍했어.
✗ Don't Say
- Different from medical chronic与医学上的chronic不同Diferente del chronic médico医学用語のchronicとは違う의학 용어 chronic(만성의)과는 다름
- May confuse non-British speakers可能让非英国人困惑Puede confundir a no británicos非イギリス人は戸惑うかも영국인이 아닌 사람은 혼동할 수 있음
Common Mistakes
- Slang meaning: terrible (not long-lasting)
- British/Irish usage different from American
Origin & History
British and Irish slang extension of 'chronic' from meaning long-lasting to meaning persistently bad. Implies something is consistently terrible.
Etymology: From medical 'chronic' (long-lasting) to consistently bad
First recorded: British/Irish slang from 20th century
Cultural Context
Era: 20th century onwards
Generation: All ages in UK/Ireland
Social background: Universal
Pop culture: British sports commentary; Everyday complaints
Regional notes: British/Irish slang meaning terrible. Americans use it differently.
Variations
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