Omicron: New strain, new restrictions: BBC News Review

It's called Omicron and it's a new variant of coronavirus.

It's come out of southern Africa

and there have been travel restrictions imposed as a result.

I'm Neil and this is BBC News Review from BBC Learning English.

Joining me is Roy. Hi Roy.

Hello Neil and hello everybody.

If you would like to test yourself on vocabulary around this programme,

all you need to do is head to our website

bbclearningenglish.com to take a quiz.

But now, let's hear more about this story from this BBC News report:

OK. So, several countries have moved to restrict travel with southern Africa

and this is after a new variant of Covid-19 was discovered.

That variant has been called Omicron

and the World Health Organization has said

that it is a variant of concern,

due to the high chances of reinfection.

You've been looking at this story, Roy,

in the various headlines on the internet

and you picked out three really useful words

and expressions that you can use in your everyday English.

What have you got?

We have: 'clamp down', 'double down' and 'blessing in disguise'.

'Clamp down', 'double down' and 'blessing in disguise'.

OK. Let's hear your first headline please, Roy.

OK. So, our first headline comes from Al Jazeera and it reads:

'Clamp down' – act officially to prevent something from happening.

Yes. So, this is a phrasal verb.

The first part of the phrasal verb is spelt: C-L-A-M-P.

Second word: 'down' – D-O-W-N.

And it means to act officially or take official actions

to prevent something from happening.

OK. Well, we'll break this word up here, Roy,

and we see in the first part we have 'clamp'.

Now, I know what a 'clamp' is:

it's a device which prevents something from moving.

So, for example, have you ever parked your car in an illegal space?

I... I haven't. I always try to park in the...

in the same places, but once my friend parked illegally

and his car was 'clamped' and he was furious,

but to be fair it was his fault.

He parked in the wrong place.

Yeah. OK. So, you used the word there 'clamped' – the car was 'clamped'.

That means a device called 'a clamp' was put on the wheel

to prevent the driver from moving until they paid a fine.

So, there's that sense there of preventing something from happening.

Absolutely. And if we carry that over

into the meaning that's used in the headline –

'clamp down' on something – if we think about that restriction,

that strong force to stop something,

we 'clamp down' on something:

it's basically when we take an official action

to prevent something from happening.

Commonly, we use it to talk about the government.

The government is 'clamping down' on something,

or a business is 'clamping down' on malpractice in the workplace.

Yeah. Now, that word 'down' – the second part

of the word 'clamp down' – is important here, isn't it?

And we've seen it in, for example, 'lockdown' as well.

And we've... it's going to be featured later in this programme as well.

It gives a sense of there being an extra effort, doesn't it?

Absolutely.

An extra effort or pressure put on something.

In this headline, 'clamp down' as two words is a verb.

It also exists as one word: as a noun, a 'clampdown'.

Absolutely. So, the government can 'clamp down' on something

or there can be a 'clampdown' on something.

OK. Let's get a summary:

If you'd like to hear another expression with the word 'down',

we have the perfect video for you, don't we, Roy?

Yes, we do. This one contains...

this is an episode of News Review

and all you need to do is click the link in the description.

OK. Let's have a look at your next headline.

So, our next headline comes from CNBC and it reads:

'Double down' – do something in a stronger way than before.

Yes. So, this is another phrasal verb.

First word: 'double' – D-O-U-B-L-E.

Second word: 'down' – D-O-W-N.

And it is... commonly followed by the preposition 'on':

'double down on' something

and it means to take a stronger approach or stance

on something than before.

Yeah, OK. So, let's break it up here.

We've got the first word 'double'.

Now, 'double' means do something twice – twice as much.

Yeah, two times – to 'double' something.

Now, interestingly this expression...

and 'down' obviously, as we talked about before, is that idea of effort.

So, it's like 'doubling' your effort.

Now, commonly we hear this expression 'double down'

related to a card game called Blackjack

and it basically means where somebody 'doubles' their bet.

Now, I'm not a big gambler but that is the...

most people assume is the origin of this phrase,

but in normal life we talk about increasing one's efforts

or taking a stronger stance on something.

So, somebody may 'double down' on their opinion, or some...

a government may 'double down' on their stance.

Yeah, OK. Interestingly, this is a verb here, 'double down'.

We had 'clamp down', which could exist as a noun: a 'clampdown'.

That's not the case here; we don't have 'a double-down', do we?

No. And also we need to say it's not literal:

it's not about twice the amount of effort.

We just mean increasing your effort, like 'doubling down' on something.

Yeah, OK. Let's 'double down' on our effort to teach people English, Roy,

and give a summary:

We have, of course, talked about travel restrictions

before during this pandemic.

If you want some more language connected to it,

you can watch a video. Where is it, Roy?

All you need to do is click the link in the description.

OK. Let's have a look at your next headline.

OK. So, our next headline comes from City A.M. and it reads:

'Blessing in disguise' – something which at first looks bad,

but in the end is good.

Yes. So, this is a multi-word expression

and the first word is 'blessing' – B-L-E-S-S-I-N-G.

Second word: 'in' – I-N.

Third word: 'disguise' – D-I-S-G-U-I-S-E.

Now, listen to the pronunciation of that word, 'disguise'.

It looks like 'dis-quizzy-ay', doesn't it?

But it's 'disguise'.

Yes, 'disguise' – not 'dis-quizzy-ay', yes.

And what this expression means, basically, is that something that

at first looks negative actually turns out to be good.

OK. Right. Well, let's break it up then: a 'blessing' –

this is something I've heard in a, sort of, religious context, Roy.

Yeah. It's the idea that something amazing –

that we should be thankful for...

but we use it outside of the connections of religion as well.

So, for example, you could say that somebody's intelligence is a 'blessing':

it's something very positive that they should be thankful for.

Yeah. And we also say that they are 'blessed' with intelligence.

Yes, we do.

Now, moving on to that second word, 'disguise'.

Now, what this basically relates to is being hidden.

So, for example, if I go to a party or an event

and I don't want somebody to recognise me, I could wear a 'disguise' –

maybe some glasses, a fake beard, not that I need one,

a scarf... I'm not sure – so that people don't recognise me.

Exactly, yes. I mean in... we...

we hear this word when incredibly famous people like, you know,

Paul McCartney or Rob have to go out

and they don't want people to recognise them.

Absolutely. Rob... Rob has to completely hide himself,

so that no – he can't even leave his house without the...

the paparazzi in front taking photos, can he?

So, he has to wear all these 'disguises'.

Yeah. And talking about a 'blessing in disguise',

you've got a great example, with Rob.

Oh, I do. Oh, Rob. Rob is... he's...

he's always eating all of the biscuits.

Like the other... the other week, I took him some biscuits.

I took in a plate of biscuits for everybody to eat and he ate them all.

He just... he consumed all of them.

Now, at first I was a little bit upset because it was quite a negative thing:

I had these biscuits and then I realised he'd just eaten them all.

But then I started to think: 'Well, I'm on a diet,

so actually maybe it's quite a good thing.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise for my diet.'

Absolutely. And although it sounds like we're being silly,

this can be used for both trivial things,

like the example we've just given, and also serious ones.

Absolutely.

OK. Let's get a summary:

Time now, Roy, for a recap of the vocabulary please.

Yes, we had 'clamp down' – act officially to prevent something from happening.

We had 'double down' – do something in a stronger way than before.

And we had 'blessing in disguise' – something which at first looks bad,

but in the end is good.

Do not forget to test yourself on this vocabulary.

There's a quiz on our website bbclearningenglish.com

and we are also all over social media.

Thanks for joining us. Take care. See you again. Goodbye.

Bye!