| Neil: | Hi, I'm Neil and this is Helen! |
| Helen: | Hello. |
| Neil: | What's wrong Helen? You're looking rather sheepish. |
| Helen: | Sheepish? Like a sheep? I know my jumper is quite woolly. |
| Neil: | I don't mean you look like a sheep. I mean you look sheepish, which is quite different! |
| Helen: | Of course, looking like a sheep and looking sheepish are two totally different things, obviously! |
| Neil: | Yes. If I say you look like a sheep, it means, well, you look like a sheep. But if I say you look sheepish, it means you look embarrassed or ashamed about something. |
| Helen: | To look sheepish means you look embarrassed or ashamed—like you've done something wrong or silly? |
| Neil: | Yes! |
| Helen: | Ah, yes. |
| Neil: | Listen to some examples: |
| Tom walked into the room looking sheepish. |
| Emily grinned sheepishly as she closed the door behind her. |
- James gave her a sheepish look.
Neil: So, come on Helen, why are you looking sheepish today?
| Helen: | Ah, well ... |
| Neil: | Yes? |
| Helen: | Well, you know that book you lent me? |
| Neil: | My favourite book of all time—the original edition of The Private lives of the Greatest Cats in History? |
| Helen: | Yes. |
| Neil: | OK Helen, now you're looking very sheepish indeed, so you'd better hurry up and tell me what happened to it. |
| Helen: | I dropped it. |
| Neil: | You dropped it? Well I hope it's not damaged, otherwise I'll have to - |
| Helen: | ... in the river. |
| Neil: | In the river! You dropped it in the river! |
| Helen: | It was carried away, I couldn't get it out. |
| Neil: | Oh no! |
| Helen: | I'm so sorry. That's why I am looking sheepish. |
| Neil: | You should be looking even more sheepish than that. In fact, I expect you to look sheepish for several days. It was the best book in the world! 'Sheepish' doesn't do it justice ... |
