Terrible Excuses

Terrible Excuses

By José Luis Isais V. Adapted from BBC Learning

Part 1

Have you ever taken a sickie? If so, what did you say to your boss? It seems many people in the UK like to blame their pets for their absence. One person said they couldn't come to work because their rabbit was missing. Perhaps that was a white lie; this next one though sounds more like a porky.​

A worker said that he couldn't come to work because he had to take his dog to the vet. This might seem reasonable - apart from the fact that the man told his boss his dog was dead as a previous excuse for skiving off. ​

Part 2

If you've ever worked as a teacher, you'll know that children can be very creative when it comes to excuses for not doing their homework. Once again, it's popular to blame pets. According to a BBC survey, almost 10 percent of excuses involve pets eating the assignment. "The dog ate my homework" is a legendary excuse - no one is sure if a student has ever really used it. More sinister is the claim that one pupil made: she said that she saw a ghost flying away with her homework in the night. 

Part 3

But it's not just workplaces and schools which attract fibbers. People caught claiming welfare benefits illegally have also tried to con the authorities. A husband whose wife was working while also on the dole said that he didn't know she had a job because he was always in the garden shed during working hours.  

In the UK, people need to buy a licence in order to watch TV. And it's pets again that people rely on for their alibi. One man who didn't pay said, "Apparently my dog, which is a corgi, was related to the Queen's dog so I didn't think I needed a TV licence". 

Part 4

There are many more ridiculous excuses people have made for not doing the things they were supposed to do. But there isn't enough room on this page to fit them all. And besides, I can't carry on because the cat's eaten my keyboard. 

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Multiple Choice

Which excuse was not real?

• "More sinister is the claim that one pupil made: she said that she saw a ghost flying away with her homework in the night."

• One person said they couldn't come to work because their rabbit was missing.

• A worker said that he couldn't come to work because he had to take his dog to the vet.

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of FIBBERS

• a polite word for liars

• British slang for claiming unemployment benefit

• an excuse for doing something bad

• con trick or cheat (someone)

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of SICKIE

• a day when someone uses sickness as a false excuse for missing work or school

• a lie which is harmless

• British slang for a lie

• missing work or school without a good reason

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of SKIVING OFF

• a day when someone uses sickness as a false excuse for missing work or school

• a lie which is harmless

• British slang for a lie

• missing work or school without a good reason

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of WHITE LIE

• a day when someone uses sickness as a false excuse for missing work or school

• a lie which is harmless

• British slang for a lie

• missing work or school without a good reason

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of ALIBI

• a polite word for liars

• British slang for claiming unemployment benefit

• an excuse for doing something bad

• con trick or cheat (someone)

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of ON THE DOLE

• a polite word for liars

• British slang for claiming unemployment benefit

• an excuse for doing something bad

• con trick or cheat (someone)

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of CON

• a polite word for liars

• British slang for claiming unemployment benefit

• an excuse for doing something bad

• trick or cheat (someone)

Multiple Choice

Choose the meaning of PORKY

• a day when someone uses sickness as a false excuse for missing work or school

• a lie which is harmless

• British slang for a lie

• missing work or school without a good reason

Open Ended

What is your BEST excuse?