Archive for December, 2009
Heard It on the Grapevine: What? Who Told You That?
Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories. (MUSIC) Some of the most exciting information comes by way of the grapevine. That is so because reports received through the grapevine are supposed to be secret. The information is all hush hush. It is whispered into your ear with the understanding that you will [...]
Baloney: It’s Just Not True
Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories. (MUSIC) Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something – usually something someone says – that is false or wrong or foolish. Baloney sausage comes from the name [...]
Dutch: English Expressions Unrelated to Dutch People
[audio: Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories. Today, we tell about American expressions using the word “Dutch.” (MUSIC) Many of the Dutch expressions heard in American English were first used in England in the seventeenth century. That was a time of fierce naval competition between England and The Netherlands. At that [...]
