From Monkeys to Potatoes

 

Welcome to Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

On today’s program we will talk about several very common expressions. Even though these expressions use simple language, English learners may find them difficult to understand. In fact, native English speaking children often have trouble, too.

Speaking of children -- what child doesn’t like to jump around and act silly sometimes? Monkeys are also known for acting¹ silly. So, when kids act up, parents or teachers may tell them to stop monkeying around.

To monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious, or to simply waste time.

Now, in the United States, children do not usually have monkeys as pets, but they do often have dogs. And dogs make most children feel happy. But for some reason – a reason that word experts do not know – we use “dog” in a phrase that means to feel unwell. If you are as sick as a dog you are really, really sick and will most likely stay home from work or school.

Besides, dogs, cats are also a favorite pet here in the States. This next phrase combines cats and secrets to make a very common expression.

Let’s say you know a secret, a big secret. And let’s say you tell it to people. You have just let the cat out of the bag! This idiom means to reveal a secret or tell facts that were previously² unknown.

If you let the cat out of the bag, you spoil a surprise. So, if your friend is planning a big surprise birthday for another friend, don’t let the cat out of the bag by accidentally saying it in front of the birthday girl.

Even though this is a very common idiom, the origin of “to let the cat out of the bag” is also unknown. However, the origin of our next expression is not hard to guess.

If you are doing an outdoor activity -- such as hiking in the woods, or having a picnic in a park -- what are some things that may disturb your good time? Bad weather could. And so could bugs⁴! Crawling pests like ants, and flying ones like mosquitoes, could make your experience uncomfortable or annoying.

So, when we bug³ people we bother them so much that we affect their good time. This common expression is often said as a command: “Stop bugging⁵ me!”

Now, let’s move on to clothing.

Of course, you know what a hat it. But did you know that you can many at the same time?

If you wear many hats you do many different things, even if you only have one job. For example, if you work at a small company, the owners may expect you to answer the phones, manage some paperwork, speak to clients, and design the web site.

In today’s economy, some people say it is good to wear many hats when you are first starting your career.

While wearing my researching hat here at Learning English, I have learned that many languages use food in their idioms and expressions. English is no exception.

Some food expressions have good meanings, while others don’t. For example, being a couch⁶ potato is not a good thing. This means you sit on the couch all day and do nothing but watch television or play video games.

People who are couch potatoes are thought to be lazy and boring. Life does not excite them. They would rather watch others live on a screen.

Now, let’s say a friend of yours is a couch potato. You may wonder how he got to be that way. One day you visit this friend’s home and meet his mother and father. While you are there, you see the parents are also couch potatoes. You could say, well, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

This expression simply means that a child acts or looks a lot like the parents. Usually we use this expression when talking about bad things. But we can also use it to describe good traits⁸ that are passed down from a parent to a child.

We use the next two expressions when we have problems. One deals with your heart, and the other with your bank account.

Sometimes in life, we run into serious issues. They might require a conversation with someone about an uncomfortable or unpleasant topic. We call this kind of conversation a heart-to-heart. We use this expression as a noun or as an adjective, such as “heart-to-heart talk.”

But perhaps having a heart-to-heart doesn’t help to solve a problem. Let’s say you are having trouble paying your rent; having a heart-to-heart with your landlord may gain you a couple of weeks, but soon you will have to pay your rent. The only thing to really help this problem is money.

However, money can’t – and shouldn’t – help all problems. Also, it’s not a good idea to try to solve big problems with just money.

But sometimes, people do just throw money at a problem and hope that it goes away. For example, people having trouble learning English may try to throw money at the problem. They may buy classes, time with teachers and the latest language software. But these things will get them only so far. To really get better, they must simply study and practice.

And that’s all for this Words and Their Stories.

If you liked any of these idioms, practice using it. You can do that in the Comments Section!

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

silly – adj. not serious, meaningful, or important

act up – v. to act in an unruly, abnormal⁹, or annoying way

reveal – v. to make (something) known

previously – adv. existing or happening before the present time

lazy – adj. not liking¹⁰ to work hard or to be active

boring – adj. dull and uninteresting

spoil – v. to have a bad effect on (something) : to damage or ruin (something)

trait⁷ – n. a quality that makes one person or thing different from another

landlord – n. a person who owns a house, apartment, etc., and rents it to other people

1 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

2 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

4 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 bugging   

[法] 窃听

参考例句：

• Okay, then let's get the show on the road and I'll stop bugging you. 好，那么让我们开始动起来，我将不再惹你生气。 来自辞典例句
• Go fly a kite and stop bugging me. 走开，别烦我。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语

6 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

7 trait   

n.显著特点，特性

参考例句：

• Creativity is a human trait.创造力是人类的一种特性。
• Repose of manner is an estimable trait in a horse.神情镇定是一匹马可贵的特质。

8 traits   

n.人的个性，显著的特点，特征( trait的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We do not know which behavioural traits are inherited and which acquired. 我们不知道哪些行为特征是遗传的，哪些是后天养成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His generosity is one of his good traits. 慷慨大方是他的好品质之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 abnormal   

adj.反常的，不正常的，不规则的

参考例句：

• This warm weather is abnormal for February.二月里这种温暖的天气不太正常。
• That is simply abnormal.那简直是反常的。

10 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。