BOX SET: English vocabulary mega-class! Learn 10 'human body' expressions in 25 minutes!

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.