Wearing Clothes Made From Goat Hair, and Other Ways to Show You Are Sorry
2020-02-16
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1Now it's time for Words and Their Stories -- our weekly program about common, everyday expressions in American English.
2During the next few weeks, many people in South America will celebrate Carnival.
3It is a time of music and dancing.
4The party ends before the Christian observance of Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 26.
5Ash Wednesday has a very different feeling than Carnival.
6It is meant to be a day of prayer, sorrow and asking for forgiveness.
7In American English, guilt or sadness is often expressed by the symbol of ashes - the gray matter left over from a fire.
8For example, if you are feeling really bad about something you did, you might say you are wearing sackcloth and ashes.
9The phrase is repeated in several places in the Bible, the Christian holy book.
10The word "sackcloth" refers to a kind of clothing that feels rough on the skin.
11It was sometimes made of goat hair.
12Wearing something made of sackcloth was a sign that a person was trying to punish himself.
13As for the ashes part, the willingness to be touched by dirty material showed that a person was humble and that he understood he would someday die.
14Yes, the image is pretty serious.
15You can use the expression in a somewhat serious way, too.
16Let's say you forgot that you invited your boyfriend or girlfriend to a special birthday date.
17Your beloved waited for you, for hours, crying, in the rain.
18Much later, you sit up in bed and remember your missed appointment.
19You immediately call your partner and say that you are so sorry.
20You promise to wear sackcloth and ashes for the rest of the month.
21Of course, you do not really have to put on a shirt made of animal hair.
22But you could show you are sorry in a different way.
23Maybe you cook your partner dinner every night for a week, or buy a meaningful gift.
24You can also use the phrase "sackcloth and ashes" in a sarcastic way.
25This means you say it, but do not really mean it.
26Let's say you have done some very small bad thing, like borrowed your co-worker's coffee cup without asking.
27And now, she won't let you forget it. Every time you walk by, she holds her cup close to her and gives you an angry look.
28She also tells all your other co-workers not to trust you with any of their supplies, such as pens or plastic spoons.
29At the next team meeting, she asks your boss for a lock so she can keep her cup safe from you.
30"Okay, okay!" you might say.
31"I'm sorry! Do I have to wear sackcloth and ashes?"
32Your angry co-worker just might say yes.
33She is clearly enjoying raking you over the ashes.
34In other words, she repeatedly brings up a past mistake.
35The phrase calls to mind a fire that has almost gone out, but that can be started again with a little effort.
36Of course, being sarcastic is not always a good idea.
37It rarely makes other people want to forgive you.
38You would probably be better off apologizing honestly to your co-worker.
39But saying something nice when you are angry can be difficult.
40The sweet words might turn to ashes in your mouth.
41In fact, as an expression, anything can turn to ashes.
42A hopeful feeling, a relationship - maybe even your job if your co-worker keeps complaining about you - all can dry up and disappear.
43Fortunately, most things can also rise from the ashes.
44In other words, what was thought to be dead or destroyed can return to life, often in a new and better way.
45That is a good image to remember during periods of difficulty or loss.
46Usually, the situation does not last.
47In time, things get better, and you might soon find yourself playing music and dancing again.
48And that's Words and Their Stories.
49I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1Now it's time for Words and Their Stories -- our weekly program about common, everyday expressions in American English. 2During the next few weeks, many people in South America will celebrate Carnival. It is a time of music and dancing. The party ends before the Christian observance of Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on February 26. 3Ash Wednesday has a very different feeling than Carnival. It is meant to be a day of prayer, sorrow and asking for forgiveness. 4In American English, guilt or sadness is often expressed by the symbol of ashes - the gray matter left over from a fire. For example, if you are feeling really bad about something you did, you might say you are wearing sackcloth and ashes. 5The phrase is repeated in several places in the Bible, the Christian holy book. The word "sackcloth" refers to a kind of clothing that feels rough on the skin. It was sometimes made of goat hair. Wearing something made of sackcloth was a sign that a person was trying to punish himself. 6As for the ashes part, the willingness to be touched by dirty material showed that a person was humble and that he understood he would someday die. 7Yes, the image is pretty serious. You can use the expression in a somewhat serious way, too. Let's say you forgot that you invited your boyfriend or girlfriend to a special birthday date. Your beloved waited for you, for hours, crying, in the rain. Much later, you sit up in bed and remember your missed appointment. 8You immediately call your partner and say that you are so sorry. You promise to wear sackcloth and ashes for the rest of the month. 9Of course, you do not really have to put on a shirt made of animal hair. But you could show you are sorry in a different way. Maybe you cook your partner dinner every night for a week, or buy a meaningful gift. 10You can also use the phrase "sackcloth and ashes" in a sarcastic way. This means you say it, but do not really mean it. Let's say you have done some very small bad thing, like borrowed your co-worker's coffee cup without asking. And now, she won't let you forget it. Every time you walk by, she holds her cup close to her and gives you an angry look. She also tells all your other co-workers not to trust you with any of their supplies, such as pens or plastic spoons. At the next team meeting, she asks your boss for a lock so she can keep her cup safe from you. "Okay, okay!" you might say. "I'm sorry! Do I have to wear sackcloth and ashes?" 11Your angry co-worker just might say yes. She is clearly enjoying raking you over the ashes. In other words, she repeatedly brings up a past mistake. The phrase calls to mind a fire that has almost gone out, but that can be started again with a little effort. 12Of course, being sarcastic is not always a good idea. It rarely makes other people want to forgive you. You would probably be better off apologizing honestly to your co-worker. But saying something nice when you are angry can be difficult. The sweet words might turn to ashes in your mouth. In fact, as an expression, anything can turn to ashes. A hopeful feeling, a relationship - maybe even your job if your co-worker keeps complaining about you - all can dry up and disappear. 13Fortunately, most things can also rise from the ashes. In other words, what was thought to be dead or destroyed can return to life, often in a new and better way. 14That is a good image to remember during periods of difficulty or loss. Usually, the situation does not last. In time, things get better, and you might soon find yourself playing music and dancing again. 15And that's Words and Their Stories. 16I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 17Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 18____________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20humble - adj. not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other people 21spoon - n. an eating or cooking tool that has a small shallow bowl attached to a handle