2011-05-15 Words and Their Stories: Brass Tacks
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Our expression today is “getting down to brass tacks.” It means to get serious about something, to get to the…
2011-05-08 Words and Their Stories: Top Brass
I’m Susan Clark with the Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. The Italians have an old saying, “Il dolce far niente.” The words mean it is sweet, or enjoyable,…
2011-05-01 Words and Their Stories: Water Expressions
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Expressions about water are almost as common as water itself. But many of the expressions using water have unpleasant meanings.…
2011-04-24 Words and Their Stories: When the Cat’s Away
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising that there are many expressions about cats.…
2011-04-17 Words and Their Stories: Hobson’s Choice
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Making choices is necessary, but not always easy. Many of our expressions tell about this difficulty. One of these expressions…
2011-04-10 Words and Their Stories: Fish Expressions
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. (MUSIC) Americans use many expressions about fish and fishing. For example, if something sounds fishy, it may not be true.…
2011-03-27 Words and Their Stories: Proverbs About How to Live
Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Today we explain more popular proverbs. A proverb is a short, well known saying that expresses a common truth or…
2011-03-20 Words and Their Stories: Hold Your Horses
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Today, we tell about “horse” expressions. In the past, many people depended on horses for transportation, farming and other kinds…
2011-03-13 Words and Their Stories: Monkey Expressions
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. monkeys are very similar to us in many ways. Most have ten fingers and ten toes, and brains much like…
2011-03-06 Words and Their Stories: Deep Six
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Sailors seem — to those of us on land — to lead exciting, even mysterious lives. Many things are different…
2011-02-27 Words and Their Stories: Food Expressions, Part Three
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. We present more expressions about food. They are from Elenir Scardueli, a listener in Brazil. My mother always told us…
2011-02-20 Words and Their Stories: Food Expressions, Part Two
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. We received a list of expressions about food from Elenir Scardueli, a listener from Brazil. Today we will talk about…
2011-02-13 Words and Their Stories: Food Expressions, Part One
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. A listener from Brazil, Elenir Scardueli, sent us a list of popular expressions about food. So today we will talk…
2011-02-06 Words and Their Stories: Ace in the Hole
Now, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, a program in Special English by the Voice of America. It is surprising how many expressions that Americans use every day came from the card…
2011-01-30 Words and Their Stories: Medical Expressions
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES. Many professions have their own words and expressions. This is true for the medical profession. Doctors use many technical terms…