Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.
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Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English
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We Speak. I'm Feifei...
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Rob: ...and hello, I'm Rob. Erm, Feifei, why
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were you in the cafe with the boss earlier?
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Feifei: Was I?
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Rob: Come on. I saw you having lunch
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with the boss. Nobody ever
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has lunch with him.
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Feifei: OK, I admit it. I was having lunch
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with the boss. What's wrong with that?
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Rob: Well, we all know there is
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a promotion in the department on offer -
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and you are obviously trying
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to curry favour with the boss so that
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you get the job. Honestly!
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Feifei: Hold on. I can assure you I was
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NOT having curry with the boss -
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it was just a sandwich.
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Rob: Feifei, if you 'curry favour with
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someone' you are not eating curry.
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It means you are 'trying to get someone -
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the boss - to like you or even give you
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something'. Something
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like a promotion.
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Feifei: I was not! But I like the expression.
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01:01
Rob: OK. Well, let's hear some examples
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of people currying favour with someone else...
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I know what you're up to! You're trying to
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curry favour with the manager by telling
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her what a great job she's doing!
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The company tried to curry favour with its
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employees by giving them all a pay rise.
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He's trying to get free tickets to the gig
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by currying favour with the tour manager -
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it won't work!
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Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
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BBC Learning English and we're talking
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about the phrase 'to curry favour (with
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someone)' which means to try and get
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someone to like
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you or give you something.
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Rob: Another way of saying it is you are
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'trying to keep in with' someone.
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Feifei: It's all a bit false, Rob, trying
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to make someone like you - which is why I
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was NOT trying to curry favour
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with the boss.
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Rob: You won't get the promotion anyway.
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Feifei: We were actually talking about you!
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Rob: Oh yes?
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Feifei: He wanted my advice on whether
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he should give the promotion to you.
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Rob: To me! Well, come on then,
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what did he say?
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Feifei: You'll need to curry favour with me,
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if you want to know that!
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Rob: How about dinner? I know a nice
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little curry house just round the corner.
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02:18
Feifei: Bye.
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Rob: Bye bye.
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