lanky

[Unregistered]

Hi there,

I don't know why 'your' is put here. What does it mean? The sentence was taken from dictionary.


I was your typical lanky teenager.

Thanks
pete

 

[heidita]

Hi Pete, this is simply another way of saying: I was the most typical... (the teenager everyone might think of)

Very colloquial.

 

[BobK]

:up: I think this sort of 'your' originally meant 'well known to you [so I'm sure you will agree with my assessment]'. It's now quite common, especially in the mouths of people who are trying to get you on their side - salesmen, estate agents, public speakers. So it applies not just to teenagers. Here's another example: 'I'm just your average Englishman, who wouldn't normally say "boo" to a goose, but I'm so annoyed by this new law that I am writing....'. It became more popular in the '70s because a popular sitcom character (very voluble and opinionated) used the catchphrase 'your actual' in nearly every sentence.

b