VOA词汇掌故2023--'Run Something Up the Flagpole' to Test an Idea

'Run Something Up the Flagpole' to Test an Idea

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

Great ideas can be the lifeblood of any project. That means they can bring a project to life or even back from the dead. From redesigning a home to creating an educational product, bold, creative ideas are valuable.

But often even a great idea needs a little work. It may need tweaking, meaning you need to make small changes. So, before sharing an idea with a large group, we may want to share it with a smaller group. We can test it out first, before putting the idea into action.

But first, let's talk about getting that big idea.

You may have heard of brainstorming². This is an idea-creating activity. When we brainstorm¹, we say ideas as quickly as we think of them.

In informal situations, we can call this throwing spaghetti at the wall. Why, you may ask? Well, cooked spaghetti is sticky. If spaghetti is cooked enough, it will stick when you throw it against the wall. If it is not cooked enough, it might not stick.

Good ideas stick too. In brainstorming, we often say we throw ideas around. And the good ones stay or stick. But as we said earlier, even if an idea sticks, we may want to test it out before sharing it with a large group of people.

That is when we can run it up the flagpole. Running an idea, plan, or proposal up the flagpole is a way to test interest or get feedback. The full phrase is "run it up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes⁴." Military members salute³ when our flag is present and when they hear the first note of the national anthem⁵.

Let's listen to an example: If you are the leader of a project, you could say to your team, "I like that plan. But it is risky⁶. Let's run it up the flagpole before pitching it to the boss." In other words, you want to get more opinions before making the plan official.

Here is another example: When writing these stories, I often run my ideas up a flagpole. I respect the opinions of my co-workers and often take their suggestions on board – meaning I take them into consideration. So, I like bouncing ideas off them.

And that is a more common way to express this idea. Bouncing something off someone is a way to know their thoughts. You are asking their opinion and are looking to see their reaction. Bouncing ideas around is a good way to gauge⁷ interest – to find out what people think.

So, the next time you have an idea, and you are unsure about it, run it up the flagpole! Bounce it off some friends! With the right people, you will soon know if it is good, bad, or needs work.

And that is all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time...

Words in This Story

lifeblood –n. the most important part of something

bold –adj. strong, clear and without fear

tweak –v. to change something a little to improve it

feedback –n. advice or criticism given to a person or group providing a product or service

salute –v. to honor (a person, a nation, an event, etc.) by a conventional military or naval⁸ ceremony

pitch in –v. to contribute to a common task

gauge –v. to judge the qualities of someone or something

1 brainstorm   

vi.动脑筋，出主意，想办法，献计，献策

参考例句：

• The women meet twice a month to brainstorm and set business goals for each other.她们每个月聚会两次，在一起出谋献策，为各自制定生意目标。
• We can brainstorm a list of the most influential individuals in the company.我们可以集体讨论，列出该公司中最有影响的人员的名单。

2 brainstorming   

献计献策,合力攻关

参考例句：

• With Brainstorming, treat the view on how to solve the problem rightly. 利用脑激励法(Brainstorming)，正确对待学生实验中的问题解决观。
• We are going to do some brainstorming soon. 我们很快就要做些脑力激荡。

3 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

4 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

5 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。