The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English dot com.
Hello. It's time for The English We Speak, with you, Rob.
And you, Feifei. Hello!
So, Rob, another year over.
Yes, goodbye, 2019. It's been a good year.
But it's time for a clear up.
Rob's tidying up!
Why, Rob?
Well, there's so much junk lying around, let's clear out the old stuff.
I'd like to start the New Year with a tidy office.
Oh, right. We can say 'out with the old, in with the new'.
'Out with the old, in with the new'.
Yep, a good expression, Feifei.
You mean leave old things or old ideas behind
and start fresh with new things or ideas.
I do! It's often said around New Year.
Well, I'd better get on with getting rid of old things
while we hear some examples of this phrase in action.
It's time for me to get rid of my old boots and buy a new pair.
Out with the old, in with the new!
The tech company released their new range last week.
I've already bought something.
It's out with the old chunky phone and in with the new lightweight touchscreen one.
Last year I spent too much time eating cake,
but now for 2020, I'm going to join a gym and get fit.
It's out with the old body and in with the new one!
You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.
In this programme,
we're looking at the expression 'out with the old, in with the new'.
It means getting rid of old ideas or things and starting fresh with new ones.
So, what new things or ideas shall we have for 2020, Rob?
Hmm, well, for a new thing, I was thinking about some flowers in the studio.
Nice.
And for my new idea,
I thought I would start introducing the programme every week —
it's always been you, Feifei!
Excuse me, Rob, I've always introduced the programme. It's ladies first!
Sorry, I'm not changing that.
But, actually, I was thinking about another change.
Oh, yes, what's that?
A new presenter. As we say, out with old — you, Rob — and in with the new. Hi, Dan.
Hey, Feifei!
Hi!
Just joking! Happy New Year, Rob!
You too.
The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English dot com.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
And hello, I'm Rob.
Feifei, why's your hair wet? It's not raining, is it?
No, Rob. I've just been for my swimming lesson. It was a bit scary, actually.
Oh, why's that?
Well, for the first time, I swam into the deep end and couldn't stand up.
The lifeguard had to jump in and save me.
Oh, dear, Feifei. It sounds like you were 'out of your depth'!
Yes, I suppose I was.
Well, I'm 'out of my depth' too.
What, you're learning to swim too?
No, no, I'm struggling to complete this project about statistics
that the boss has asked me to do.
I know nothing about statistics and numbers.
It's just too difficult and I just can't do it. So, I am out of my depth.
Ah, I've got it.
When you are 'out of your depth',
it can mean you are in a difficult situation that you cannot cope with.
It could be because a task exceeds your knowledge or ability.
So, it's a bit like drowning in a situation, but not literally.
Exactly. Let's hear some examples.
I'm so out of my depth in this new job. I haven't got a clue what to do!
When everyone started talking about politics, I knew I was out of my depth,
so I politely made my excuses and went home.
He was clearly out of his depth in the match.
He lacked any skill and couldn't even pass the ball!
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English
and we're talking about the phrase 'out of your depth'.
It describes a situation that is too difficult for you
and you do not have the knowledge or ability to cope with it.
Well, Rob, I may be able to save you! I love statistics and can help you out.
Oh, that's great! And I can help you improve your swimming.
Oh, yes? How can you do that?
You can borrow my armbands, so you'll never sink, even in the deep end.
You'll never be out of your depth again!
Thanks, but I think I should learn to swim properly.
Anyway, when do you need to complete this project for the boss by?
Er, now.
Oh. Come on then.
We had better go and get on with it,
otherwise the boss will throw you in the deep end! Bye.
The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English dot com.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
And I'm Neil. Hi, everyone.
Is everything OK, Neil? You sound a bit annoyed this morning!
Yeah, I'm OK, I'm just a bit frustrated.
I spent a few hours organising all of the books on my bookshelves last weekend,
but then my wife decided to clean the shelves and put the books back in a mess.
They're all out of order again now!
Oh, that is totally out of order!
Yeah, they are now totally out of order.
I'm talking about your wife, not the books.
Eh?
What I meant is that it wasn't fair that all your hard work went to waste.
She should have been more considerate.
Ah, I see. You mean 'out of order' in a different sense!
My books are out of order because they're disorganised,
but my wife was 'out of order' because she was inconsiderate.
That's exactly right!
Let's listen to some other examples of how you could use this alternative meaning.
The referee in Saturday's football match was totally out of order!
I couldn't believe he sent off our best player — he was obviously biased!
A passenger on the train this morning started shouting at me.
She said I pushed her!
I thought she was really out of order.
I couldn't help it. The train stopped so abruptly.
Who took my pen from my desk?
It's the fourth time this week — this is out of order!
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English
and we're talking about the phrase 'out of order'.
This phrase often means that something is disorganised or in the wrong order,
but it is also used in spoken English
to say that someone has been unfair or inconsiderate.
Could you give us another example of this, Neil?
Well, I wrote a script last week which you said was rubbish!
I thought that was a bit out of order!
Oh, dear! I'm sorry if I offended you, Neil,
but I think you might have misunderstood what I meant!
When you printed it out and gave it to me, I couldn't read anything —
there was ink all over it.
Perhaps the printer was out of order?
And that's a third meaning of 'out of order'.
Yes. 'Out of order' also means broken!
Well, that's all we have -
Oh, dear, it seems Feifei's mic is out of order!
What she was trying to say was that's all we have time for this week,
The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English.
Hello, and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei and with me is Neil.
Hi there.
Er, Neil, what are you doing sitting down?
Presenting this programme, like we always do, sitting in a chair.
You clearly don't know about our new healthy working policy!
No more sitting down. Standing up is better for you!
Oh, all right then, I'll stand up, if I have to.
Oh, Neil! No drinking coffee in the studio. Health and safety!
Obviously, you missed our meeting about the new healthy working policy.
You are clearly out of the loop.
What? There's a loop I have to stand in now?
No, Neil. You missed our meeting where we discussed the new healthy working policy,
and now you're 'out of the loop'.
It means you don't have, or are not aware of,
the knowledge a particular group of people do have.
In other words, you've missed out on something.
Oh, I hate missing out on things.
We'd better hear some examples so I can be 'in the loop' about this English phrase.
I've been out of the loop since I went on holiday.
I didn't know Geeta and Bilal had got engaged!
They kept me out of the loop,
so it was a shock to discover that they were moving our sales team to Birmingham!
Please keep me in the loop if you have any more discussions about the building work.
Thanks!
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English
and we're hearing about the phrase 'out of the loop',
which describes not having, or not being aware of,
the knowledge a particular group of people do have.
The opposite is being 'in the loop'. But, Neil, you are 'out of the loop'.
Yes, yes, yes. You've made that clear.
I missed the meeting and I don't know about this stupid healthy working policy.
Where were you anyway?
Oh, down at the café. You know, having a big fry-up.
Eggs, bacon, sausages, mm, delicious!
So unhealthy! That's got to stop. Come on, Neil!
Where are we going?
We're going for a lunchtime run with the rest of the team.
It's part of our new healthy working policy!
Urgh! I think I'd rather stay out of the loop from now on.
— Bye! — Bye.
The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English dot com.
Welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Jiaying.
And hello, I'm Neil.
Jiaying, there's a bit of problem.
Oh, no, what's wrong?
We've almost run out of teabags — there's just one left! What are we going to do?
Don't panic, Neil.
We're just going to have to eke out the last one and share the teabag.
Eat out?
Eke!
Are you OK? Have you seen a mouse?
No, Neil, eke.
'To eke out' means 'to make the supply of something last a bit longer
by using it carefully'.
It's what you do when you only have a small quantity of something
and you want it to last as long as possible.
Like our last teabag.
I'm not sure if eking out this last teabag will make the tea taste very good.
Well, go and find out while we eke out some examples.
Because of the storm,
we had to eke out food supplies before we could get to the shops again.
Our crops have failed this year, so we can hardly eke out a living.
I've lost my job, so I need to eke out what savings I have to survive.
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English
and we're hearing about the phrasal verb 'to eke out'
which means 'to make the limited supply of something last a bit longer
by using it carefully'.
So, Neil, how's the tea?
Ah. Urgh. Like dishwater.
Oh, dear, I think you need to go to the shop and buy some more.
Do I have to? Couldn't we just eke out this script for a little longer?
Sure. Bye.
Bye.
The English We Speak.
From BBC Learning English dot com.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
And I'm Rob. Hello!
In this programme, as you know,
we like to add a little humour while teaching our phrases.
Yes, usually it involves a misunderstanding.
For example, we often pretend
that one of the presenters doesn't understand the phrase.
Yes, they take it too literally, they only understand its word-for-word meaning.
But with this phrase, that would just be too horrible.
And disgusting.
And not to mention physically impossible.
Mm, so let's not go there.
Today's phrase is 'eat your heart out'.
Scary, huh?
Thankfully, it has nothing to do with eating an important part of your body.
It's an unusual expression.
When people say it, they often follow it
with the name of a famous or successful person that they want to be compared to.
But why? It's easiest to explain with an example.
Imagine you're painting a picture.
When you finish, you say, "Eat your heart out, Picasso!".
And what you are saying is that your painting is better than Picasso's.
But, because Picasso was a true master
and your own work is probably not at the same level,
most likely you would be saying this as a joke.
And that's how people often use it, as a joke.
After doing something impressive, they say 'eat your heart out',
followed by someone who is famous for doing that thing.
For example, after cooking a fantastic meal,
they might say 'eat your heart out', and the name of a celebrity chef,
even if they don't think their cooking is better than the chef's.
It's almost like a fun way of expressing pride in your work,
without sounding too arrogant.
I think it's best if we hear a few more examples.
What a goal! How did you score that?!
Not bad, eh? Eat your heart out, Ronaldo!
I've been practising all month and I think I'm getting pretty good.
Want to hear me sing? OK, here goes. Eat your heart out, Beyoncé!
♪ Lahhh! ♪
Would you mind helping me lift this table?
No problem, I'll do it. Eat your heart out, Hulk!
Ah, it's just a table, you're not an Avenger!
This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.
So, there we are — humorously comparing someone's football skills to Ronaldo's,
their singing ability to Beyoncé's and their strength to Hulk from the movies.
And we've resisted all temptation
to create a situation where we ask Feifei to actually eat a heart.
Thank goodness! I really don't feel hungry in any case.
Neither do I. Bye!
The English We Speak.
From the BBC.
Welcome to The English We Speak with me, Neil.
And me, Feifei.
We have an expression which means
'say a person or thing's name to praise or thank them publicly' — it's 'shout-out'.
'Shout-out'. What's the context, Neil?
Well, I've had a really tough year, but I want to give a shout-out to my parents
for all the support they've given me with my new home.
It means I'm praising them publicly.
That's a great example of a shout-out.
It's a way of saying thank you to someone.
Your parents deserve your thanks
for being amazing when they helped you decorate your house.
Last week, I called up my local radio station to give a shout-out
to the people in my area who helped me repair my garden fence.
Yes, I know your fence got damaged in the storm.
Did you neighbours help you with it?
Yes, which is why I gave them a shout-out. Let's hear some more examples.
My teacher gave me a shout-out in the classroom
because I got a high mark in the exam.
I want to give a shout-out to the volunteers
who raised over £1,000 for the children's charity.
We will use the money to take the children on a day out in London.
My uncle gave a big shout-out on the radio
to the doctor who saved my aunt's life
when she choked on her food in the restaurant.
You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English,
and we are learning 'shout-out',
which means 'mention a person's name to express praise or thank them'.
Yes, and I said earlier that it's commonly done publicly
or in front of a group of people.
It's often used in award ceremonies.
People mention someone's name to give thanks for helping them win an award.
Exactly. We often we often say, 'a big shout-out',
and it's used with the verb 'give', 'give a shout-out'.
Hope you've learned how to use 'shout-out'.
— See you next time! — Bye!