Rob: Hi, I'm Rob and welcome to 6 Minute English,
where we talk about an interesting topic and
six items of related vocabulary.
Neil: And I’m Neil… And today we’re
talking about wetiquette! What’s that, Rob?
Rob: I have no idea!
Neil: Well, you won’t find wetiquette
in many dictionaries – it actually
means ‘swimming pool etiquette’.
W-etiquette – get it?
Etiquette is a set of rules for how to
behave in social situations.
And wetiquette is a
set of dos and don’ts to keep
things calm in the water.
Rob: Dos and don’ts are also rules
telling us how to behave.
So things like ‘No running
by the pool’ or ‘No diving in
the shallow end’. Am I right?
Neil: Yes and no, Rob. Those are
traditional swimming pool rules.
But wetiquette covers
slightly different things.
Rob: OK, well before we get to those,
I have a question for you, Neil.
According to the US Water Quality
and Health Council, how many
people admitted to not showering
before using the pool? Is it…
a) 7%, b) 17% or c) 70%.
Neil: Well, I’m going to be optimistic
and say 7%, Rob.
Rob: So I take it you do always take
a shower before swimming, Neil?
Neil: Correct. Taking a quick shower
is such an easy thing to do,
and it stops all that horrible sweat and
bacteria getting in the pool water!
I can’t understand
why some people don’t do it!
Rob: I can see it’s making you quite
hot under the collar - and
that means angry.
Let’s listen to swimming specialist,
Jenny Landreth, talking about
what annoys her.
Jenny Landreth: I'm very keen on my
wetiquette in the pool.
Interviewer: It's that thing where people
can get quite cross about, which is:
Do you go around clockwise or anticlockwise?
Do you overtake or not?
Jenny Landreth: People need a rule.
We need to observe the rules
of the pool and I'm very keen on that.
Most other swimmers will suffer from
lane rage if people are in
the wrong lane of the pool.
And don’t know how to observe
the rules of that lane.
Interviewer: Lane rage – you mean
if you’re a kind of slow swimmer and
you dare to go in the fast lane?
Jenny Landreth: Well, I hate to say it,
but it is quite often that gentlemen
quite often misjudge their speed and
think they’re slightly faster than they are.
Interviewer: Ah! The male ego here!
Jenny Landreth: They quite often don’t
like it if there’s a woman swimming faster
than them. So very often they’ll go
in the slightly faster lane and
should be gently encouraged
by wetiquette to get in the correct lane.
Interviewer: Know your speed.
Jenny Landreth: Yes.
Rob: That was Jenny Landreth – a
swimming specialist – talking about the
things that annoy her about other
people in the pool.
Neil: Yes. Jenny doesn't like it when
people are slower that they should be
for the fast lane.
Older men, like you, Rob.
Rob: Neil, how dare you!
Yes, Jenny gets 'lane rage'.
Neil: Lane rage! Where swimmers get
hot under the collar when there’s
a slow swimmer in the fast lane.
Rob: Swimming lanes are the vertical
sections of a swimming pool that
are often labelled as ‘fast’, ‘medium’,
and ‘slow’. Do you know your speed, Neil?
Neil: Yes – I’m fast.
Rob: Are you sure you are not
misjudging your speed?
Do you think you might actually be
a medium-fast swimmer?
Neil: To misjudge means to guess
something wrongly. And our ego is the
idea we have of ourselves –
with regards to how important
we feel we are. And to answer
your question, Rob, no,
I’m definitely fast.
Rob: Are there other things swimmers
should be aware of in the pool?
Neil: Yes – if somebody taps
your foot, it means they
want to overtake you.
Rob: Overtaking means to pass
another person travelling
in the same direction because you
are going faster than them.
Neil: I hate it when swimmers overtake me!
Rob: Really, Neil? Is that your
male ego talking?
Neil: No, not at all – I just hate
getting splashed.
Rob: I see. Well perhaps now is
a good time to move on and hear
the answer to today’s quiz question.
Remember I asked: How many
people admitted to not showering before
using the pool? Is it…
a) 7%, b) 17% or c) 70%?
Neil: I said 7% and I hope I’m right.
Rob: Well, I’m afraid you’re wrong, Neil.
It’s actually ten times that amount –
it’s 70%! The 2012 US report from
Water Quality and Health Council
found that around 70% of people
do not shower before taking
a swim in the pool – adding to
the number of germs in the water.
Neil: Perhaps swimming pools should
start fining people who don’t
take a shower? That might
make a difference. Now, let’s go
over the words we learned today.
Rob: Yes, the first one is ‘dos and don’ts’,
which are rules telling us how to
behave in a particular situation. For
example, “What are the dos and don’ts
of meeting the Queen?”
Neil: Good question – Is the correct
etiquette to call her Your Highness
or Ma’am? Are there
certain subjects you shouldn’t
talk about?
Rob: Do you shake her hand
or curtesy?
Neil: These are things you need
to know – or else the Queen
might get ‘hot under collar’ -
that’s our next word, and
it means angry!
Rob: “Both politicians got hot
under the collar and
insulted each other.”
Neil: OK – number three is ‘lanes’ –
which are the vertical sections
of a swimming pool that are
often labelled as ‘fast’, ‘medium’,
and ‘slow’.
Rob: “Our British Olympic gold medallist
is swimming in lane one.”
Neil: Our next word is ‘misjudge’
which means to guess something
wrongly. For example,
“I’m sorry I misjudged you, Rob.
Please forgive me.”
Rob: Oh alright then, Neil. But don’t
misjudge me again OK?
Next up is ‘ego’ – which is our
sense of how important we are.
Neil: “Losing the race was
a huge blow to her ego.”
Rob: And our final word is ‘overtake’ –
which means to pass another person
travelling in the same direction
because you are going
faster than them.
Neil: “I don’t enjoy overtaking
big lorries on the motorway.”
Rob: Neither do I, Neil.
Now one of the don’ts of this
show is not talking for more than
six minutes. So
it’s time to say goodbye!
Neil: But please visit our Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube pages
and tell us what makes you
hot under the collar!
Rob: And remember – you can
explore our website:
bbclearningenglish.com, where
you'll find guides to grammar,
exercises, videos and articles
to read and improve your English.
Bye bye!
Neil: Goodbye!