Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Adverb Phrase 24. The adverb phrase today
is like nobody's business. Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone
does something like nobody's business, he or she does it extremely well or to an
excessive degree. So it could be used for both. One meaning somebody has a good
skill, doing it very, very well or somebody goes way too far, way overboard.
They do it to an excessive degree here. Let's continue. Some people think this
phrase may have been invented to avoid using another similar phrase. You know, at
the time " like the devil " we still do use like the devil sometimes too. Also you
know, it's like an intensifier. Meaning you know, that you do something to an
excessive degree or also extremely well. You know somebody could do something
like the devil. Some people may have thought that the phrase" like the devil"
was either offensive, because you know it's like the devil. It is like saying hell
or damn. At one time those were considered to be like dirty words. Or perhaps giving
the devil too much credit or praise. So instead of saying that. Maybe they
started saying like nobody's business to avoid saying like the devil. Okay.
Let's continue. And we have three examples here. Example number one.
Complaints have been pouring in like nobody's business.
Yeah. It could be about a positive thing too. You could say like fan letters have
been pouring in like nobody's business as well. Or number two here. After winning
the lottery, he started spending money like nobody's business.
Yeah. I often hear it used with like spending money. Somebody could be
spending money like nobody's business, to an excessive degree. And
number three. He can run like nobody's business. He may have the chance to
qualify for the Olympics one day. So again of course this one stresses a good
skill. So in the same way, you could say you know, we could run like the devil.
You could even still use that today, meaning that they are very skilled.
Anyway, I hope he got it. I hope it was clear. Thank you
for your time. Bye-bye.