Learn English Vocabulary Daily #21.4 — British English Podcast

Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 21, Day 4 of Your English Five

a Day, the series that will increase your active vocabulary by focusing on

five pieces every single day of the working week from Monday to Friday.

Let's start today's list with an idiom to have a handle on something.

To have a handle on something.

Let's spell this.

We start with have.

H A V E.

A.

Handle.

H A N D L E.

Handle.

On.

O N.

Something.

S O M E T H I N G.

To have a handle on something, it means that you are able to deal with it.

You can manage it and you understand it.

I struggled in A-level maths because I didn't have a handle on

advanced algebra and I sometimes struggle with German grammar.

I just can't get a handle on German grammar.

It's really tricky.

And sometimes I can't get a handle on how the dishwasher works when I

have to, like, change the dishwasher salt and put in a new rinse agent.

I just can't get a handle on how it's supposed to work; which bit goes in

where and how I take things apart.

I just can't get a handle on it.

What can you or can't you get a handle on?

What do you struggle with?

Here's an example sentence,

"Make sure you have a handle on all the legal aspects of this appeal.

If we're going to win, we need a watertight case."

Now this brings me on to the next on the list, which is the adjective watertight.

Watertight.

We spell this W A T E R T I G H T.

Watertight, all one word, watertight.

If something is described as watertight, then it's usually a plan

or an agreement that has been very carefully thought about, and there

is no room for doubt or uncertainty.

So, you'd almost say, it covers every possible doubt, it's watertight.

Usually, this is used when someone's talking about

their story, in a legal case.

So, do they have a watertight story?

Is their alibi watertight?

Alibi is another word we're coming on to.

So, is it so perfect that there's no room for doubt or uncertainty?

Here's an example sentence,

"This agreement has to be watertight, the future of the

company is riding on this one deal.

If anything goes wrong, we're all out of a job."

So, let me come on to alibi now.

This is a noun alibi.

Alibi.

We spell this A L I B I.

Alibi.

Alibi is proof that you didn't do something that someone is saying you did.

So, if you are being investigated for a crime, something has happened,

maybe someone's house has been burgled and you are a suspect.

You might have proof that you were nowhere near the house

on the night of the burglary.

You might have been at work.

And everyone saw you there in the CCTV footage of you being at work.

So, you have an alibi, you have proof that you did not do it.

And your proof is watertight because there's CCTV footage and

several witnesses to back up your claim that you weren't there.

So, you have a watertight alibi.

Here's an example sentence,

"They can't arrest me for the damage to that shop window.

I have a watertight alibi."

OK, moving on to an adjective now, and it is keen.

Keen.

We spell this K E E N, keen.

If you are keen, then you're eager, or you're very interested in doing

something or in knowing about something.

You're keen.

You're keen to learn, or you're keen to play, or you're keen to travel.

What are you keen to do, or what do you have a keen interest in?

I have always had a keen interest in communication and storytelling.

I also have a keen interest in building a beautiful home for myself.

I've always had a keen interest in architecture and having a beautiful

environment in which to be in.

Here's another example,

"I have a keen interest in photography.

I hope to take it up professionally after I've completed my Master's

degree in Cinematography."

What do you have a keen interest in?

Let me know.

Next on the list is a phrasal verb and it is rush into.

To rush into something.

We spell this rush, R U S H.

Into.

I N T O.

Rush into.

If you rush into something, then you do it without thinking.

So, it's not just about speed.

It's about not giving something careful thought and consideration.

So, for example, if you are investing in stocks and shares, so, you're investing

your money into stocks of other companies and you just have a look at what stocks

are available, but you don't investigate or research the different companies

that you're buying the stocks of.

You just have a look and go,

"Uh, I'll just choose this one."

And you just give your money and buy the stocks, but you didn't

do any research whatsoever.

You don't know anything about the company or what's happening with them, whether

that stock is likely to go up or down.

You just buy the stock.

In that case, you've rushed into the purchase.

You haven't thought about it.

Now we've all at some point rushed into doing something.

I have been very impulsive in the past.

I have rushed into many things without thinking through properly.

I always have the idea that if I fail fast, I learn fast.

Just do it.

Just go for it.

Which I still stand by, but in some cases, it's better to do a bit of research and

to think about something before you go ahead and commit to it, especially if

it's involving spending a lot of money.

Here's an example sentence,

"We can't rush into making a decision on which house to buy, this is a massive

commitment, so we need to be 100% sure we're choosing the right 'forever home'."

Alright, that's our five.

So, let's recap.

We started with the idiom to have a handle on something.

If you have a handle on something, you're able to deal

with it and you understand it.

Then we had the adjective watertight.

If something is watertight, it's usually an agreement or a plan or a story.

It means there's no room for doubt or uncertainty.

Then we had the noun alibi, meaning proof that you didn't do something

that someone else is accusing you of.

We then had the adjective keen, keen meaning to be very eager

or very interested in something.

Then we had the phrasal verb rush into, which means to do something without

thinking carefully about it first.

Alright, let's now do this for pronunciation.

Please repeat after me.

Have a handle on something.

Have a handle on something.

Watertight.

Watertight.

Alibi.

Alibi.

Keen.

Keen.

Rush into.

Rush into.

Very good.

Okay, so, if I tell you I am selling my house and there is a lot of

paperwork to sign and go through and you tell me that you've got a lot of

experience with this type of thing.

You've moved house many times before and you offer to help go through

the paperwork with me to make sure that I know what's going on.

And I tell you,

"It's okay.

I can deal with it.

I understand everything.

Don't worry.

I can deal with it."

What idiom could I use in this situation?

I have a handle on it.

Absolutely.

Don't you worry!

I have a handle on it.

And then we move house.

But within the first week, our house is broken into and my prized

possession, my goldfish, is stolen.

And we accuse the man across the road of stealing my goldfish.

Now, when the police go to interview the man and question him about where he was

on the day of the, of the robbery, of the burglary, he tells them that actually

he was with his best friend next door.

So, this is proof that he didn't do it.

Even though I say he definitely did.

He has what?

What noun?

He has proof, but what would we use instead of proof?

He has an alibi.

He has an alibi.

The problem with his alibi is he says he was with the neighbour, but

when we spoke to the neighbour, the neighbour said that they were out

shopping at the time of the burglary.

So, his alibi leaves room for uncertainty and doubt it's not what?

What adjective could we use?

It's not...

watertight.

Hmm.

But he is very eager to change his story.

He thinks,

"Oh, I forgot the details of where I was."

And he's very, very eager to now change his story, which

suggests to me that he's guilty.

But what word can we use instead of eager?

Keen.

Yes.

He's very keen to change his story.

Suddenly remembering what he actually was doing.

In fact, it turns out that he wasn't the person who broke into

the house and stole my goldfish.

In fact, it turns out that it was my mother who came to view the house

and thought that the fish was getting too hot sitting in the sunny window.

So, she took it to her house.

I had accused the man across the road without thinking carefully about

it first, and now I've created this bad atmosphere because I accused

him without thinking about it.

What phrasal verb could you use to describe how I approached this?

I rushed into it, didn't I?

I rushed into accusing my neighbour of stealing my goldfish.

Even though he initially provided an alibi, which granted was not watertight,

and even though he was then keen to tell us that he'd remembered something

that he'd previously forgotten, I still rushed into accusing him.

I didn't think about it.

But now I have a handle on everything.

I can deal with it.

I understand it.

I know what's going on.

I'll have to make amends.

Oh, there's a bonus phrase.

I'll have to make amends.

I'll have to try and fix the situation and fix the relationship.

Alright, let's revisit them in today's monologue.

Jane is a legal secretary at a prestigious law firm in London.

She's been working on a high-profile drug trafficking case, and

her mind is constantly buzzing with thoughts and strategies.

Let's see what is going through Jane's mind.

"Okay, so what do I have so far?...

the accused is charged with drug trafficking, but he's denying all charges.

This is going to be a tough case.

I've been working on this for weeks now and I'm so pleased I have a handle on it,

especially as it's my first high-profile case and I'm doing it all on my own!

The evidence against the accused is strong, but I can't be complacent.

I have to make sure everything is watertight before we go to court.

We have to prove that the accused was involved in this drug trafficking ring,

but he's claiming he has an alibi.

I need to dig deeper, to find holes in his story and gather

enough evidence to counter it.

I have to be keen and meticulous.

Every detail matters in a case like this, and I can't afford to rush into

anything without proper preparation.

Luckily, I have some new evidence that could strengthen the case

and I think it's crucial for us to include it in our defence.

I won't rest until justice is served.

I believe in this and I'll do everything in my power to ensure that the accused

is held accountable for his actions.

Winning this case could really boost my career!"

And that brings us to the end of today's episode.

I do hope you found it useful.

And I'm keen to tickle your eardrums again tomorrow.

So, until then, take very good care, and goodbye.