Rob: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Rob Carter.
Wang Fei: And I'm Wang Fei. Did you enjoy the party at the weekend, Rob?
Rob: Of course! And it was good of William to buy all that food and drink – he's a good egg!
Wang Fei: A good egg?
Rob: Yes, he's someone who is good to other people and he's generous too!
Wang Fei: So you're telling me William is a good egg because he's a generous person and he put on a good party?
Rob: Well not just that. He's reliable too – he always does what he says he will do – like helping me with the decorating.
Wang Fei: So a good egg is really a nice person to know then?
Rob: Yes, a good egg is an all round good guy.
Wang Fei: A good guy. Are we really talking about William?!
Rob: We are.

• Thanks for buying me lunch, you really are a good egg!
• I think we can trust her, she really is a good egg.

Rob: So these examples of using good egg mean someone is a reliable, trustworthy and generous person.
Wang Fei: It's a very British term isn't it?
Rob: It is, which is why I tend to say it in a posh voice – good egg. Of course, the opposite of a good egg is a bad egg. Let's hear how this term is used…

• He's a bad egg. I can't rely on him to do anything!
• How can I trust you to be on time? You're such a bad egg!

Rob: So in these examples bad egg is used to describe someone who is not reliable and untrustworthy.
Wang Fei: Actually Rob, I meant to tell you - I bought all the food and drink for William's party. He had forgotten to get any.
Rob: Really? Did he have egg on his face?

Wang Fei: Excuse me?
Rob: If you have egg on your face it means you're extremely embarrassed by your actions.
Wang Fei: Oh I see! William certainly had egg on his face but we still had a good party.
Rob: Of course we did!
Wang Fei: Well don’t forget to check our website.
Rob: That's www.bbclearningenglish.com for lots more useful English words and phrases.
Both: Bye bye.