Word of the Week - 61

BOTHERED

This week's word is an adjective (pronounced /ˈbɒð.əd/). If you say that you are bothered about something then you are saying that it is important to you or that it worries you. If you say that you are not bothered about something then you are saying that you don't care about it and it isn't important to you.

I'm not bothered about what other people think of me - I think it is more important to be myself and not put on a show.

What do you want for dinner, James?
I'm not bothered - whatever's easiest.

(You need to be careful with the intonation of this phrase if you use it to answer a question because you can come across as being rude.)

This expression became something of a catchphrase for British comedienne, Catherine Tate, who uses it often in her sketches of Lauren, a rude high-school student from London. You can check out some of these sketches on Youtube, but you will need a high level of English to understand the accents and humour in the clips. Here is one for you to watch - I highly recommend the videos of Lauren in French class, Chemistry class and English class too!



This word also appears in the expression 'can't be bothered'. Here the meaning is that you don't feel like doing something because you are too tired, too lazy or just not in the right mood to do it.

I can't be bothered to cook dinner tonight - shall we order a Chinese?