Hello and welcome to
The English We Speak. I'm Feifei.
And I'm Neil. Hey Feifei, shouldn't
we be celebrating?
Why?
Haven't we presented a hundred of these
The English We Speak
programmes together?
A hundred? Oh no, we've done way more
than that.
I could present these programmes
standing on my head!
That I would love to see!
Not literally. I mean do it easily without difficulty.
I know that Feifei – but you probably
could present this programme standing on
your head because you're an old hand at this.
Excuse me? I may have presented this
programme for many years but I do not
have old hands. How rude!
Don't worry, I wasn't referring to your
hands – they look lovely. If you are an
old hand at doing something, it means
you are very skilled and experienced.
It was a compliment!
Oh right. Thanks. Let's hear some
examples of this phrase in action.
Let's get Mike in to solve our IT problem
shall we? He's an old hand at
fixing computers.
Miguel is an old hand at map reading, so
let's make him the leader
on our mountain trek.
I can see you're an old hand at project management.
It would have taken me days to create
a spreadsheet like that!
This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English
and we're learning about
the phrase 'an old hand', which describes
someone who is skilled and
experienced at doing something.
It's a handy phrase, isn't it! But come on
Feifei, as you are such 'an old hand'
why not have a go at really presenting
standing on your head?
OK Neil, as you're paying me a
compliment. Here goes… give a hand!
Ouch!
Are you OK? I think you should stick
to doing what you are most
skilled and experienced at.
You mean not listening to
your silly suggestions?
I'm an old hand at
making silly suggestions, Feifei!
Let's forget our celebration
shall we? Bye!
Bye.
Hello, welcome to The English
We Speak, with me, Feifei.
And me, Rob. Now Feifei, would you
call yourself hard-nosed?
Oh here we go again - you're trying
to insult me. Can we leave my nose out of
the conversation please?
I was starting to compliment you.
Go on - why is having
a hard nose a compliment?
Not having a hard nose but
being hard-nosed describes
someone who is practical.
OK.
Someone who is determined
and tough-minded. That's you, isn't it?
Hmmm maybe. Well, yes I suppose
that could describe me.
I thought so. Let's hear some more
examples of this word 'hard-nosed'.
She's a hard-nosed reporter - she got
the scoop that none of the other
TV channels managed to get.
When my son was ill I asked
my boss for time off but he's so
hard-nosed he said 'No'!
Our company is in financial trouble.
We need a hard-nosed business person
to come in and save us from closing.
This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English and
we're learning about
the word 'hard-nosed', which describes
someone who is practical,
determined and tough-minded.
But hold on, Rob...
Yes?
I've been researching this word
and understand that being hard-nosed
also describes
someone who is stubborn,
unforgiving and insensitive!
Erm, Rob, can we talk about this please?
I was trying to be nice!
I don't care. I will not forgive you.
What about if I called you soft-nosed?
No. From now on I'm only going to
present with Neil. Now, I've got a pile of
work to do so I'm off
to write some scripts.
There you go - hard-nosed - practical,
determined, stubborn and unforgiving.
Goodbye!
What did I say?
Hello, I'm Feifei and this is The English We Speak.
and hello, it's Rob here. Err, Feifei, I hope
you don't mind me saying but you look
a bit hot and sweaty.
That's because I've been training
for this 'thing' that Dan's having for his birthday.
A 'thing' - what sort of thing?
Well, according to his party invitation,
he's having a knees-up to celebrate his birthday.
I'm not sure what it is but I wanted to be prepared
by getting fit. Look I can get my knee up to my chin!
That's impressive but completely unnecessary.
A knees-up is an informal way of saying
a lively party where there's usually dancing.
So he's having a party!
Oh right. So I've been invited to Dan's birthday
party! Well, if there's dancing I still need to get fit.
That's true. Let's hear some more examples
of people having a knees-up.
Sorry I'm a bit sleepy today. We had
a big knees-up last night. It was great!
We're planning a knees-up for Dad's 70th birthday,
I hope you can come.
Now our exams have finished, let's
have a knees-up at my house tonight!
So a knees-up is a lively party or gathering
to celebrate something. This is going to be fun!
Oh yes, there'll be dancing.
Good.
Eating and drinking.
Perfect.
And lots of celebrating. But this knees-up
will be missing one thing.
Oh yes, what's that?
Me. I won't be coming - I haven't got time.
I'm up to my knees in paperwork.
Up to your knees in paperwork?
You mean you've got too much work to do?
Come on Rob, be honest. You haven't been invited!
Well, yes. I can't dance anyway.
I've got a bad knee.
Excuses. I'll let you know how it goes. Bye!
Bye!
Hello and welcome to The English
We Speak with me, Feifei.
And me, Roy.
We may sound a little different - that's
because we are not able
to record in our normal studios
during the coronavirus outbreak.
In this programme, we have an
expression that is used to describe
the minimum number of people that are
required to run a business.
Speaking of which, there
are not many people working in
the train stations today.
No, you're right. It's because of
the strikes on the trains.
Ahh, so that's why it was hard
to get a train this morning!
The train companies decided
to run the trains on a skeleton crew!
What!? Skeletons driving the trains?!
Is this some kind of ghost story?
I think I'll walk home!
No, Roy! 'Skeleton crew' refers to the
minimum number of people
needed to run a business
or an organisation.
Ahh yes, and it's usually in times of crisis
or during an emergency,
for example the coronavirus,
that people run businesses
with a skeleton crew.
Exactly. Let's listen to these examples.
Due to the financial problems of the
company, the office will be run
with a skeleton crew
for the foreseeable future.
The Covid-19 emergency means
that we will run the buses with
a skeleton crew until further notice.
A skeleton crew will be needed to keep
the park open over the winter months.
This is The English We Speak from BBC
Learning English and we're talking
about the expression
'skeleton crew', which is used to talk
about the minimum number
of people needed to run
a business or an organisation.
I love the expression 'skeleton crew'.
It makes me think of a pirate ship
run by skeletons.
We can also use the words 'skeleton staff'
with the same meaning.
Well, one good thing when there's
a skeleton staff at work is there's
no queue for the cafeteria!
Trust you to think about food!
Well, I'm just glad there aren't real
skeletons working at the BBC.
That's just in horror stories!
Exactly, you don't need to worry about
skeletons walking around.
They're not real! It's vampires
you need to worry about! Ha ha ha!
What!?
Bye, Roy.
Bye, Feifei.
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.
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 are
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 think I'm getting pretty good.
Want to hear me sing?
OK, here goes!
Eat your heart out, Beyonce!
Would you mind helping me lift this table?
No problem, I'll do it.
Eat your heart out, Hulk!
Hey, 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 Beyonce'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!
Hi! Err, Neil.
Yes?
What are you doing?
Oh, I'm just standing here,
I'm... Actually, I can't remember
why I came in here.
You seem miles away! We're
in the studio, and we're about
to record an episode
of The English We Speak.
Of course we are, sorry.
I had a brain fade there.
Anyway - let's get on
with the programme. And the phrase
we're going to teach is... brain fade!
Imagine that.
Haha! Well, let's explain it.
'Brain fade' is a slang term meaning
'a short period when you
can't think clearly or remember things'.
For example: when you walk into
a room and forget why you went there.
That's a brain fade. Never happens to me!
And how about this: when you
can't remember where you put your keys?
Now you mention it, where are they?
Hmm. We often use it with 'have':
to have a brain fade.
Let's hear a few more
examples of this phrase in context.
I saw an old colleague on the street
last week. Completely forgot her name!
A serious case of brain fade.
Really embarrassing.
I'm sure I did terribly in the exam.
I had a major brain fade.
I hate doing job interviews. It's not that
the questions are difficult, I just get brain
fade as soon as I walk into the room.
Can't even remember my own name!
You're listening to The English
We Speak from BBC Learning English.
The expression we're looking at
in this programme is 'brain fade'.
Neil? Neil?
Good. Err. Give me a second.
What now?
I took my glasses off while
we were listening to those examples.
And you know,
I can't see them anywhere.
Neil.
Yes?
They're on your head.
That's a relief. Another brain fade, I'm afraid.
I think I just need
a good night's sleep.
You do that! That's our phrase,
brain fade. Let's hope we made it easy
to remember!
Bye.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak
with me, Feifei
And hello, I'm Neil.
And I have to say, Feifei, that's a very cool,
but warm, woolly hat you're wearing.
Oh thanks, Neil.
It's unusual to get a compliment from you!
You're welcome.
But why are you wearing it in the studio?
Well, it's so cold outside.
I had to wear something to keep my head warm.
I suppose I should take it off now?
Actually, no.
Can you pull it down a bit more, so it covers your eyes?
Well, if you say so.
There. How do I look?
Beautiful!
And it demonstrates the English phrase perfectly:
'to pull the wool over your eyes'.
Another strange English phrase!
Neil, does it mean 'not being able to see'?
or maybe, 'to have a very warm head'?
No. 'To pull the wool over somebody's eyes'
means 'to trick or deceive someone
so it stops them discovering something'.
Right. But you don't actually have to wear
a woolly hat to do this.
You don't. But for now, keep the hat where
it is while we hear some examples.
You can't pull the wool over my eyes!
I know you've been smoking.
I can smell it!
He tried to pull the wool over the eyes of
the shareholders and not tell them
the company was bankrupt.
But they soon found out.
You can't pull the wool over her eyes.
She's too smart.
She'll find out you've been dating her best friend.
You're listening to The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English
and we're finding out about the expression
'to pull the wool over someone's eyes',
which means 'to trick or deceive someone
to stop them discovering something'.
So it's really about hiding something from someone.
Exactly!
So are you pulling the wool over my eyes?
Neil?
Are you there?
Ha ha! She'll never know I've taken the
biscuits from her handbag.
OK, Feifei, you can remove your hat now.
Sorry, it was just funny looking at you like that!
Pulling the wool over my eyes is no joke!
I know you stole my biscuits.
You'll pay for this.
Oh no! Time to go! Bye!
Neil, come back!
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
I'm Feifei and, oh, excuse me please.
Rob, can we have your attention please!
Oh alright then. Hello, I'm Rob.
Rob, could you take your feet off the table please?
Oh, alright then. There you go.
Feifei, do I have to present this programme today?
Why, what's wrong?
Well, I've done so much work already
and according to my watch, I should be
having a coffee break now.
Really! Rob's being lazy because he
was out late last night.
Rob, there is a phrase to describe your condition.
Oh yes. Overworked? Energetic?
No - the opposite. It's 'bone idle'
literally, you are idle right through to
your bones. In other words, you are very lazy!
It's a great phrase Feifei, but that doesn't
describe me. Look, I've just moved my little finger.
Ha ha! I think we had better hear some more
examples while you move the rest of your body.
The doctor has told my brother
to do more exercise,
but he won't do it, he's bone idle.
You are bone idle - you've been at home
all day and you're still in your pyjamas!
My boyfriend's bone idle. He won't even
get off the sofa to answer the phone.
So the phrase 'bone idle' means very lazy
like Rob! Hey Rob, I hear it's Dan's birthday
today and he's brought a cake in for us all to share.
Cake! I love cake! Great! Come on, let's
go and get some before it's all eaten.
Ah, you're moving now
but you're not going anywhere
until you've finished this programme.
Come on then, tell me what to say.
Just read this script.
OK, let me see. Hold on, the script says
that you're about to say
'It's not Dan's birthday, it's a joke.'
Sorry Rob, it is a joke -
but it did stop you from being bone idle!
Right, that's it. I'm not going to do
any more work for the rest of the day.
No change there.
Rob, I've got a new name for you.
Oh yes, what's that?
Lazy bones.
You're cruel.
Bye.
Bye bye.
Hello, this The English We Speak. I’m Feifei.
And hello, I’m Rob.
You’re looking a bit angry, Rob.
Yes, I am. I’m really angry. I’ve just
heard some bad news.
Oh no. What’s happened?
It’s the cafe I go to. They’ve decided
to become a vegan cafe – no more meat.
Where am I going to buy my bacon
sandwich from now on?!
There could be worse things
to get angry about.
Really? I don’t think so. I’m going to
fight tooth and nail to get them to change
their mind.
Ooh, that sounds painful –
protesting with your teeth and nails.
Of course not, Feifei. When you fight
tooth and nail for something, you use a lot
of effort and determination to get
something you want.
You can also do it to stop something
happening too.
But it’s an odd phrase, Rob!
Yes, it’s a very old English phrase,
and basically means 'to use everything
you have available to get the outcome you want'.
Even your teeth and nails?! Well,
let’s hear some examples of people
fighting tooth and nail.
We’re going to fight tooth and nail to stop
them building a new motorway
going right past our house.
After fighting tooth and nail, I finally
managed to get the pay rise I felt I deserved.
My football team needs to fight tooth and
nail to stay in the top division.
They have to win today’s match!
You’re listening to The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English, and we’re
talking about the phrase ‘to fight tooth
and nail’, which means to use all your
efforts and determination to get something
you want or to stop something from
happening. And Rob, that’s what you’re
going to do to stop your favourite cafe
from serving vegan food.
Not exactly – they can sell vegan
food, but I want them to carry on selling
bacon sandwiches – I love them.
That's what I’m fighting tooth and nail for.
Yes I know. Well it can’t be a vegan cafe
if it sells bacon.
Right, well I’m going to organise a
petition to get bacon back.
Do you want to sign it?
No I don’t – but Rob, have you seen
this leaflet I was given? It says ‘50 percent
off all vegan food this week’.
And guess what? It’s at your favourite cafe.
50 percent discount you say –
hmmm, maybe I should try some vegan food.
Yes, try a beetroot hummus sandwich.
Far healthier and less fattening, Rob.
Thanks! I will. Bye.
Goodbye.
Hello. I'm Feifei and this is
The English We Speak.
And I'm Neil.
Oh, Neil, are you in pain?
Yeah. I cut my hand yesterday.
Blood everywhere. Look at this cut!
Yuk! That's horrible. So tell me
how it happened.
Well, my shower has been leaking for ages.
I'm not good at fixing things so I got
this plumber in to fix it. I found his details
on the internet - Dodgy Plumbers -
"Got a leak? We'll make you pay for it."
Hmm. That doesn't sound like a
very reputable plumber.
Well, he wasn't. He bled me dry!
What? You mean he attacked you
and that's how you cut your hand.
Oh Neil, you need to tell the police.
Don't panic, Feifei. He didn't touch me,
but what he did do was a very bad job.
He made lots of mess and then charged
me lots of money for doing it!
He basically charged me a whole month's
salary - that's what I mean by
'bleeding me dry'.
So you gave him the money.
He didn't steal it?
Yeah - not exactly, but somehow he
managed to extract all my money from me.
Let's hear some examples, shall we?
My old car keeps breaking down.
It's bleeding me dry!
John is taking legal action against the
company. He wants to bleed them dry
for all the pain he has suffered.
This divorce has bled me dry - I can't even
afford to go on holiday now.
This is The English We Speak from
the BBC and we're finding out about the
phrase 'to bleed someone dry', meaning
'to extract or drain all of someone's
money'. But Neil, why did you pay the
plumber if he did such a bad job?
Well, he was a big guy and, well,
I don't like to complain or make a fuss.
Oh, how very English! But how did
you cut your hand?
After he left, I tried to use the shower
but I slipped over because of all the water.
Oh, poor you. Shall we go for lunch
and take your mind off things?
Sorry, Feifei. I can't afford it - the
plumber bled me dry, remember!
My treat!
Oh, come on. Let's go. See ya.
Bye.