English, baby!

hang-ups

Date: Mar 18 2004

Quote

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

(Being obsessed with finding a man) is on her particular list of hang-ups. And if you look at the story in the history of her upbringing, her mother really values that. And thinks that is really important and projects that on to her. So that’s part of her journey. Differentiating between what has been projected on to her in terms of expectation and what she really wants for herself.
- Renee Zellweger, actress, talking about Bridget Jones, the character she plays in the Bridget Jones’s Diary films.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

something a person gets unusually worried about, something a person focuses on as a major problem in life, something that gives a person feelings of anxiety, something one thinks about a lot because s/he feels uncomfortable about, something that is constantly disturbing, something a person obsesses about

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

A “hang-up” is something you’re always thinking about. It’s something that has a strong effect on you, because it’s very important. Usually, it’s a negative thing. For example, if you’re very short, you could have a “hang-up” about your height. You could be spending lots of time thinking about your height and wishing that you were taller. Or, if you’re extremely smart, you could have a “hang-up” about your intelligence. You might not want people to think you’re a nerd, so you could pretend that you don’t know things that you do actually know.
Usually, other people will think your hang-ups are stupid. They will probably tell you to get over them – because they’re probably not important. Most likely, you’re a wonderful person and you have no reason to have any hang-ups at all :-)

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

””My sister has lots of hang-ups, but she’s a really cool person. If she would just forget about her problems, she’d be a lot more fun to hang out with. Unfortunately, all she talks about is how she didn’t get in to Stanford and how she isn’t smart enough.”“

””I don’t have any major hang-ups, but I do worry about my clothes sometimes. For some reason, I always feel like my clothes are out of style. I feel like people think I’m a loser because I don’t have the newest, hippest clothes.”“

””My biggest hang-up right now is about money. I just don’t think I have enough money to start a family. I need to save enough so I can buy a house and support my wife before I can even think about having children.”“

””Why are you so hung-up on Alissa? She’s just a girl. There are lots of other girls in the world. Just stop thinking about her and I’m sure you’ll meet someone new very soon.”“

Winners

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

Hang-ups are feelings of fear, anxiety, or embarrassment that possibly make you to behave unnaturally.
by Matilda (Taipei, Taiwan)
In my opinion a hang up is something a person gets unusually worried about or finds it very difficult.
by Elisabeth (Fortaleza, Brazil)
hang-ups is like difficulty, obession or obstacle.
by Kaewta (Bangkok, Thailand)
I think the meaning of this slang could be an emotional problem or a psychological disturbance.
by Anahita (Tehran, Iran)
I think it means someone has some emotional problems.
by Lee (Jiangmen, China)
A hang-up would mean a trauma, somebody’s sort of psichologic problem, intrigue.
by Rick (Boca Raton, USA)
Hang-up means big problem, especially the big problem in the in the emotional part of someone.
by Emily (Qinhuangdao, P.R.China)
a permanent and unreasonable feeling of anxiety esp. about yourself
by mariam (Tunis, Tunisia)
Hang-up here means a psychological or emotional difficulty or inhibition.
by Sherry
things bug you, which drive you crazy.
by yi (Nanjing, China)
I think that it is to do something that you think its good wherever you have to pass to do it or to ob-tained it. It’s a person that really has an osesssion for something or someone
by Alma (Monterrey, México)
I think it refers to something that somebody really want to do or solve but still haven’t been done or solved.
by christine (Guangzhou, China)
“Hang-ups” means “difficulties”.
by ÔÃ (Shenyang, China)
annoyance
by kazuhiko (Yamato, Japan)
“hang-ups” means excuses.
by Dana (Dubai, UAE)
It means things you have got to do, but that you haven’t done for a particular reason and now they are waiting in your list of things to do.
by paola (PASTO, colombia)
it’s like in a waiting list. something that you will consider more about before you do in order to avoid mischoosing
by Joey (Richmond, Canada)
I think it means that the subject that one looking for.
by hongbo (Yantai, China)
“hang-ups” means the planned jobs those must be finished one by one.
by Mansfield (Wuhan , Chinese)
I think hang-ups means things to be saved for later, in waiting have-to-do list.
by Pinkie (Hanoi, Vietnam)
things that one must do
by Elaine (Taipei, Taiwan)
I think it’s a “things-to-do list”
by Caroline (Guarapuava, Brasil)
suspending, un-decided yet, not settled down yet, yet to be known or to be done
by cindy (a small town in east China)
be anxious, or have a fixed idea
by Nan (St.John’s, Canada)
Duty, to be busy with.
by Kshitiz (Sedalia, USA)
I think it means the “top one”,”the most important”,”the first”
by (I-Lan, Taiwan)
a valuable thing in one’s life; a destiny one would be involved;
by LinQing (Fredericton, Canada)
the highlight, the most important
by yu (Hong Kong, China)