Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 287. The idiom today is in tandem. Okay. Let's
take a look at the note here. If something happens, was purposely planned
or acts in tandem, it happens at the same time. Kind of like simultaneously or
pretty close to it or together with someone or something else. All right. So
something... so some people might work kind of as a team doing something together at
the same time. That's the idea. All right. We have a second meaning too. If
something is in tandem, it is in a single-file. It's following each other too.
All right. So let's continue. The origin of the word tandem you know, tandem by
itself, comes from Latin and it originally meant "at length" You know , that
something was longer. In the past it was often used as a name for like a carriage
pulled by horses. One harnessed in front of the other. So
two horses, two horses with one in the front and another one behind it and
pulling a carriage. Okay. A harness in front of the other.
Starting in the 20th century, they say the phrase is or was starting to be
mostly used to mean people working together as a team. Okay. And that's
pretty much... that's pretty close to the way we're using it more often now. Okay.
Let's continue. The noun tandem is still used today to mean a two-seated bicycle.
Yeah. Sometimes you hear this. You know they have that one seat in the front, one seat
in the back. And you know two people could ride a bicycle together. You know,
with both of them pedaling. That's usually referred to as a tandem or any
vehicles that are connected kind of like this or following behind each other. Okay.
Great. So let's look at several. We got ... we actually have four examples here to try
to cover all these ideas. Let's look at the first one. During the 2002 Bali
attack or terrorist bombing. Three explosions were set off in tandem in
order to have the greatest effect and do the most damage. Yeah. I don't know if
you're old enough to remember this now because it is a little while ago I think
they set off one in a bar which actually made a lot of the people ... but that wasn't
the worst one but it made a lot of people run out of the bar and run to
another area right where another bomb went off and then, and then the same thing.
another bomb close by. So it ended up having the most damage. It actually had
people running into the area where the next bomb was going to go off. So they were
all set off in tandem. Kind of simultaneously or very soon following each other. Okay.
Let's look at number two. His passport and working visa will
expire in tandem. The last time he extended his work visa the immigration
office would not extend it past the expiration date on his passport. So then
it ended up making both of them ending on exactly the same day. So they will end
in tandem. So together simultaneously at the same time. All right. Number three.
here. Everyone in that funeral procession followed in tandem. So no one would get
lost. All right. This is the like... the second meaning here. Moving in a
single-file. And then the last one. Again you know, also groups armies. The two
armies decided to attack in tandem from both sides to defeat their common enemy.
So they're both attacking in exactly the same time from two different directions,
You know, in order to defeat their common enemy. They both have the same enemy . All
right. Great I hope you got it. I hope it was clear. I hope it was informative. Thank you for
your time. Bye-bye.