0:00 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them as well.
0:08 I'm Feifei and I'm joined by Beth.
0:11 Hi, Feifei.
0:12 I hear you went out for a delicious dinner last night.
0:15 I did actually. I wasn't going to, but my friend twisted my arm and I ended up going.
0:22 I'm guessing you don't mean she physically grabbed your arm and twisted it.
0:26 That would be painful.
0:27 No. If 'someone twists your arm', they persuade you to do something.
0:32 It's often used to describe persuading a person who is unsure or reluctant about doing something.
0:38 So your friend convinced you to go out to dinner when you weren't sure.
0:42 And I'm glad she did because it was an amazing meal.
0:47 Have you had your arm twisted recently?
0:49 Um, yes.
0:51 My mum invited me to a concert and I didn't really want to go because it's not my kind of music.
0:58 But she twisted my arm and I went, and you know what?
1:01 I actually really enjoyed it.
1:02 Ah, that's really nice.
1:04 Let's hear some more examples of the phrase twist someone's arm.
1:12 I really didn't want to spend all that money on an air fryer.
1:16 But you twisted my arm and I'm glad you did.
1:20 It's amazing.
1:22 My general knowledge is really bad, but my friends have twisted my arm, and now I'm on a quiz team.
1:28 You know I hate parties.
1:29 But you've twisted my arm now, so I'm gonna come.
1:36 Twist someone's arm is often used when someone needs to be convinced a lot.
1:41 So, for example, if you offered me a slice of cake, you wouldn't need to twist my arm because I would say yes very quickly.
1:49 But even though it's about persuading, it's mostly used in a friendly light-hearted way.
1:55 Though you can use it to say you were forced into something.
1:59 It's just less common.
2:01 Yeah. Like if I really didn't want to lead on a project, but my manager said I had to.
2:07 Then I might feel that my arm was twisted and I had no choice.
2:11 Indeed. That's all from us.
2:13 We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase.
2:17 See you soon.
2:18 Bye.
2:20 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
2:29 I'm Feifei and I'm joined by Georgie.
2:31 Hi, Feifei. How are you doing?
2:32 I'm well, thank you.
2:33 What about you?
2:35 I actually feel quite emotional, Feifei.
2:38 This morning I watched a video about a man who was reunited with his pet dog after it had been missing for three weeks.
2:45 It was a beautiful story.
2:46 It really tugged at my heartstrings.
2:48 Oh how sweet.
2:50 Now you said the story tucked at your heart strings.
2:55 And that's the phrase we're looking at in this programme.
2:58 'Tug or pull at the heartstrings' means that 'something brings out strong emotions'.
3:04 That's right. But particularly emotions you might associate with the heart. Things like love, compassion, sympathy or sadness.
3:12 So imagine something literally pulling on the nerves or strings attached to the heart.
3:18 Feifei, when was the last time something pulled at your heartstrings?
3:22 Recently I've been following this soap on TV and the two main characters really want to be with each other, and they've overcome a lot of difficulties and we, the audience, really wanted them to be together as well.
3:35 But in the end they still couldn't be with each other.
3:39 It really tugged at my heartstrings.
3:41 Oh, I bet it did.
3:43 Let's hear more examples from our BBC Learning English colleagues.
3:50 I saw my niece perform a song from a musical and it really tugged at my heartstrings.
3:56 So my friend has just got a puppy and he is so cute.
4:00 He was really tugging at my heartstrings.
4:02 I was going through my stuff from high school, and I saw all the silly things that I did with my friend, and all the old memories started tugging at my heart strings.
4:16 Now, we often hear references to the heart when we talk about emotions, don't we?
4:21 Yes, in a similar way, if something affects you emotionally, you can say that 'it touched your heart'.
4:28 Like that video you watched about the man and his dog probably touched your heart. It did.
4:34 And if something 'melts your heart', it means 'you start to feel emotional about something that maybe you didn't before'.
4:41 It's the idea that your heart was icy and cold, but now it's melted.
4:45 Okay. Let's recap.
4:48 We've learned 'tug at the heartstrings', which means 'something makes you feel emotions like sympathy, love and compassion'.
4:56 Remember to check out our website: BBC Learning English dot com.
5:00 For more resources to help you improve your English.
5:03 Thanks for joining us.
5:04 – Bye. – Bye.
5:08 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
5:17 I'm Feifei.
5:18 And I'm Phil. What have you been up to, Feifei?
5:21 Well I just had an old friend visit.
5:23 I told her drop in if you're ever in my neck of the woods.
5:27 And she did.
5:28 Wait, Feifei you live in the woods?
5:30 No, no, it's just an expression.
5:32 'My neck of the woods' means 'my area'.
5:34 Oh, yes. And I think that's the expression we should learn in this programme – neck of the woods.
5:39 Okay. Yes. So when someone is talking about their neck of the woods or 'that neck of the woods', they are talking about an area or part of an area.
5:50 It's quite an informal expression.
5:52 If someone recommends a great restaurant, for example, you might say, "I'll have alook when I'm in that neck of the woods."
5:59 When someone talks about something that's near where you live.
6:02 You might say, "Oh, that's in my neck of the woods."
6:05 Let's listen to these people using the expression neck of the woods.
6:12 I'm going to be in your neck of the woods next week.
6:14 Shall we go for a coffee?
6:16 I live in the suburbs of the city.
6:18 Nothing exciting happens in my neck of the woods.
6:21 I'm not really familiar with this neck of the woods, but I do know a few good shops around here.
6:30 We've been learning the expression 'neck of the woods' to talk about an area or part of an area.
6:36 We've already said that it's quite informal, so it's most likely to be used in speech rather than in writing.
6:43 It's also really common to use a possessive pronoun to relate it to a person.
6:47 We often talk about 'my neck of the woods' or 'your neck of the woods'.
6:51 Well, I need to get back to my neck of the woods now.
6:54 See you next time.
6:55 See you then. Bye.
6:56 Bye.
7:00 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them as well.
7:09 I'm Feifei and I'm here with Beth, who's looking a bit stressed.
7:13 Are you okay?
7:14 Hi, Feifei. Sorry.
7:16 My in-laws are coming this weekend and I've been up to my eyes in housework, and now I've come to work and I'm up to my eyes and emails.
7:26 I haven't even had lunch.
7:27 Oh no, you poor thing.
7:29 It's not good to be up to your eyes in housework or emails, although 'up to your eyes in' is a useful phrase.
7:38 It means 'you are very busy, completely surrounded by something that takes a long time or is stressful'.
7:45 Yes, it means you've got so much to do that it's too much for you.
7:50 It's overwhelming.
7:51 We can use up to your eyes in for work, chores, problems or anything that you're extremely busy with.
7:58 I know I'm up to my eyes in holiday preparation.
8:01 There is so much to do and pack.
8:04 But holidays are always fun.
8:06 That's true. It will be worth it.
8:08 Let's hear some more examples of up to your eyes in.
8:15 My washing machine is broken at the moment, so I'm up to my eyes in laundry.
8:20 I've got so many exams coming up – maths, English, history.
8:25 I'm up to my eyes in revision.
8:27 I need to organise to catch up with all my friends.
8:30 I've been so bad at replying to messages recently. I'm just up to my eyes in it.
8:38 So if you're up to your eyes in something you're extremely busy with something that's stressful or time consuming.
8:45 We follow the phrase with a noun, so you could say, "I'm up to my eyes in housework."
8:51 Or I could say, "I'm up to my eyes in holiday preparation."
8:56 That's right. And it's quite a visual phrase.
8:59 Imagine Feifei piling up all the family's clothes for holiday, all the way from the floor to her eyes.
9:06 Feifei, that is a lot to do.
9:08 I know.
9:09 Right, I think we need to go.
9:11 We have too much to do.
9:12 We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase.
9:16 See you soon.
9:17 Bye.
9:21 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
9:30 I'm Feifei and I'm joined by Georgie.
9:32 Hi, Feifei, how's your day going?
9:34 Not too bad. Thank you.
9:35 What about you?
9:37 Well, actually not great.
9:39 I was taking out the bins this morning and there were maggots everywhere.
9:43 It was disgusting.
9:44 It made my skin crawl.
9:46 Ugh, Georgie, you just said the maggots 'made your skin crawl'.
9:51 And that's the expression we're learning in this programme.
9:54 But what does it mean?
9:55 Okay, well, I'm sure our listeners know what skin is, but, Feifei, what does crawl mean?
10:00 Well, 'crawl' is a verb, and it's a way of moving your body along the ground.
10:05 For example, babies crawl on their hands and knees and animals can crawl too, and it can be quite a creepy movement when they do so.
10:14 That's right. So we even have a nickname for bugs, which is 'creepy crawlies'.
10:19 And if something makes our skin crawl, it means you have the sensation of horrible insects crawling over your body.
10:26 That doesn't sound very nice, does it?
10:28 No it doesn't.
10:30 So if something makes your skin crawl, it means you're incredibly disgusted or frightened by it.
10:37 Let's hear some examples.
10:41 I watched a film about an alien that attacked a group of people on a spaceship.
10:46 The alien made my skin crawl.
10:49 My brother changes his bedsheets about three times a year.
10:54 It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it.
10:57 I saw a news story about a plague of mice.
11:00 There were thousands of them running through people's houses.
11:03 And it just made my skin crawl to see it.
11:10 Georgie, what kind of reaction did you have when you found those maggots this morning?
11:16 Oh, I don't want to think about it.
11:18 My whole body shuddered and shook.
11:20 Like your skin was physically crawling.
11:23 So to remember this expression, you can either think about insects crawling over your skin, or that your skin itself crawls.
11:31 Okay, let's recap.
11:33 We've learned 'makes my skin crawl'.
11:36 Which means 'something makes you feel disgusted or frightened'.
11:40 And remember to check out our website, BBC Learning English dot com, for more resources to help you improve your English.
11:48 Thanks for joining us.
11:49 – Bye. – Bye.
11:52 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
12:02 I'm Feifei and I'm here with Phil.
12:05 How are you, Phil?
12:06 I would say I'm very well, but I'm a bit frustrated, actually.
12:10 Oh no. What's happened?
12:12 My phone case fell apart.
12:14 I'm, I'm trying to fix it, but I just can't put it back together.
12:18 Oh, you are so ham-fisted, Phil.
12:21 'Ham-fisted'.
12:23 Well, that's the expression that we're looking at in this programme.
12:27 The adjective ham-fisted, which is all about being clumsy.
12:31 Now, it might help if we start by looking at what a fist and a ham literally are.
12:38 Yes, your 'fist' is 'when you close your hand and put your fingers together in a ball'.
12:45 It's what boxers use to hit each other.
12:47 'A ham' is 'a big round bit of pork, usually cooked'.
12:52 For example, I often use it to make a sandwich, but in the expression ham-fisted.
12:58 What has ham got to do with someone's fist?
13:01 Okay, think about it visually.
13:04 Imagine instead of hands, you just had two big round bits of meat and then trying to do something. It probably wouldn't work very well.
13:14 Um, it often has this idea about having strength, but no precision or skill, as if you were hitting things with a big piece of meat.
13:25 Things get broken rather than fixed if you're ham-fisted.
13:28 Yes. So this expression is all about being clumsy.
13:32 Are you ham-fisted, Phil?
13:33 Me? Oh, definitely.
13:35 When it comes to doing DIY around the house.
13:38 If I get a hammer, I'm probably going to break something rather than fix it.
13:43 When I'm cooking, um, the number of times I cut myself when I'm cutting vegetables or I drop a plate and it smashes. I think I'm really ham-fisted.
13:52 You certainly sound like you are very ham-fisted.
13:56 Here are some more examples of the expression ham-fisted.
14:04 So I was drawing yesterday with a pencil and I broke it because I'm really ham-fisted.
14:10 And then I borrowed another one from my friend, but I broke that one as well.
14:15 I wanted to learn the piano, but I'm too ham-fisted.
14:19 I just kept hitting the wrong keys.
14:21 Beth brought me a coffee to my desk this morning, but I knocked it on the floor.
14:25 I'm so ham-fisted.
14:32 Feifei, in the examples we've heard ham-fisted was used to talk about literal physical clumsiness, but are there other ways of using it?
14:42 Yes, it can also be used in a metaphorical way.
14:46 For example, you can talk about a ham-fisted approach to solving a problem.
14:52 If an approach is ham-fisted, then it is done without much thought, with no subtlety or nuance.
15:00 So a ham-fisted approach to solving a disagreement at work might leave everyone unhappy.
15:06 It keeps this idea of using force rather than skill.
15:10 Yes. Now to recap.
15:12 We've learnt the expression 'ham-fisted', which is used to describe a clumsy way to do things.
15:19 And that's all from us.
15:20 We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase.
15:24 See you then.
15:25 Bye bye.
15:28 Hello.
15:29 Welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
15:38 I'm Feifei and I'm here with Phil.
15:40 Hello, how are you, Feifei?
15:41 I'm actually feeling incredibly relaxed.
15:46 I've just started doing a painting course.
15:49 I haven't done it before and I wasn't sure if I'd like it, so I'm just dipping my toe into it at the moment.
15:56 But you know what? It's actually quite relaxing.
15:59 Ah, well, the expression that we're learning in this programme is 'dip your toe into' or 'dip a toe into'.
16:06 We'll look at what it means and how to use it.
16:09 Depending on who we're talking about, it can be 'dipping my toe into', 'dipping your toe into' or 'dipping his, her or their toe'.
16:17 Um, Feifei, you said you're dipping your toe into painting at the moment, but what does that mean here?
16:24 Well, 'dipping your toe into something' here means 'to start something slowly and gradually'. Think about going to the beach, especially in England when it's not that warm.
16:37 If you want to go for a swim, but you're worried about the temperature, you might start by dipping your toe into the sea to see how cold it is.
16:47 So this expression means 'starting something gradually to see if we like it or not'.
16:53 And actually we often use this with things like hobbies, like painting.
16:57 So you can say that you're dipping a toe into painting to see if you like it or not.
17:02 Yes, that's right.
17:03 There are two things that are important to remember about this expression.
17:08 One, it means to start gradually, and two, you're starting gradually because you're unsure if you'd like it or be successful at it.
17:18 Okay, so if I give you an example about me. Someone suggested to me that I try cycling to work.
17:24 I thought they were crazy.
17:25 It's a long way. There's bad traffic.
17:28 Why would you do that? But I thought I'd try it.
17:31 So I got an old bike and I just tried it to see if I'd like it.
17:35 I was dipping my toe into cycling and it turned out to be really good.
17:39 Yes. So Phil was dipping his toe into cycling.
17:43 Here are some more examples of the expression dip your toe into.
17:51 I really like reading romance novels, but I think I might dip my toe into true crime and read one of those next.
17:59 I've always done ballet, but I've decided to dip my toe into tap and I'm starting a class next week.
18:06 My mum's always worked as an estate agent, but recently she's been thinking about dipping her toe into hairdressing.
18:16 In the examples we've heard, people are dipping their toe into different new activities.
18:22 Are there other ways of saying it?
18:24 Yes. We also say 'dipping a toe into the water' or 'dipping my toe into the water'.
18:31 Now, this is when it's clear from the conversation what the new activity is.
18:36 It's also possible to use the verbs 'stick' or 'put'.
18:41 Okay, so we can be sticking, putting or dipping our toe into the water or whatever it is that we've just started to do.
18:49 That's right. Now to recap, we've learned the phrase 'dip your toe into', which is used to mean 'starting something new gradually'.
18:58 That's all from us.
18:59 We'll be back next time with another useful English phrase.
19:02 See you then.
19:03 Bye bye.
19:06 Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain phrases used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too.
19:15 I'm Feifei and I'm here with Phil.
19:18 You look a bit stressed, Phil.
19:20 I am a bit stressed.
19:22 I keep volunteering to do extra work and now I've got so much to do.
19:27 And I don't know when I'm going to get it done.
19:29 Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered for so much work.
19:32 It looks like you made a rod for your own back.
19:35 And now you've given me an expression to look at in this programme.
19:39 'Make a rod for your own back'.
19:42 We use it to say that you do something that will cause you problems in future.
19:46 Like volunteering for too much work.
19:49 In this expression, the rod is the thing that will cause you problems.
19:54 It's you that will feel the negative consequences of your decisions.
19:58 If someone invites too many people to a party at their house, they might be making a rod for their own back.
20:05 They'll need to buy or make food for lots of people.
20:09 Let's hear some more examples of people using make a rod for your own back.
20:18 I offered to make a cup of tea at work the other day, and now I've really made a rod for my own back.
20:24 I have to make the morning tea every day.
20:28 I missed a couple of my Spanish lessons, and I've really made a rod for my own back, because now I'm going to have to study extra hard for the test.
20:37 I offered to referee a kid's football match, and now all the parents expect me to do it every week.
20:43 I've really made a rod for my own back.
20:49 Sometimes you might not realise you've made a rod for your own back when you choose to do something.
20:55 Yes. Often when we decide to do something, we don't realise that it could cause problems in the future and that we're actually making a rod for our own backs.
21:04 Luckily, there's no way that listening to our programmes could be making a rod for your own back.
21:10 So make sure that you come back next time for more expressions.
21:14 See you then. Bye.
