Be Careful When You 'Pin Your Hopes on Something!'
2021-01-24
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1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore everyday words and expressions.
3We give examples on how to use them.
4And sometimes we give you the origin - where the expression comes from.
5Today we are going to talk about a very small, sharp and useful object: a pin.
6We use pins when we sew clothes.
7We also use pins in some art projects.
8And we use pins to attach things to our clothing.
9The sharp point easily goes right through most kinds of cloth.
10And pin gives us our expression for today: To pin your hopes on something.
11If you pin your hopes on something, you hope very much that it will help you succeed.
12You attach your hopes to it.
13When we pin our hopes on something, we really want it to happen.
14It can also mean to have expectations connected to the success or performance of a person or thing.
15For example, a friend of mine really wanted to attend a well-known college.
16But the tuition cost a lot and she did not have much money.
17So, she pinned her hopes on winning a scholarship.
18When the scholarship fell through, she was pretty upset.
19On the same day, she got more bad news.
20A very old and very distant uncle had died.
21It was sad news, but there was a silver lining.
22You might ask, "What good could come from that?" Well, this uncle left her a lot of money.
23Some word experts say the expression dates from the 1500s.
24It may have come from soldiers pinning their leader's insignia on their sleeves.
25This showed where they belonged and who they supported.
26By the 1800s, however, it took on its current meaning.
27Here is example. Listen to these two friends talk about saving money for the future.
28So, how much money have you saved so far. You know, for your retirement?
29None. But I play the lottery every day!
30I don't think it's a good life plan to pin all your hopes on winning the lottery.
31You're right. I should have a Plan B. I know I will get on a game show and win a lot of money!
32I think you should talk to an expert.
33There are game show experts??
34No. I mean a financial planner.
35Oh. THAT kind of expert.
36Yeah, it is not a good idea to pin your financial hopes on a lottery.
37And in life it is probably not a good idea to pin all your hopes and dreams on other people.
38Instead, pin your hopes on you and what you can do to make things better.
39And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
40Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore everyday words and expressions. We give examples on how to use them. And sometimes we give you the origin - where the expression comes from. 3Today we are going to talk about a very small, sharp and useful object: a pin. We use pins when we sew clothes. We also use pins in some art projects. And we use pins to attach things to our clothing. The sharp point easily goes right through most kinds of cloth. 4And pin gives us our expression for today: To pin your hopes on something. 5If you pin your hopes on something, you hope very much that it will help you succeed. You attach your hopes to it. When we pin our hopes on something, we really want it to happen. 6It can also mean to have expectations connected to the success or performance of a person or thing. 7For example, a friend of mine really wanted to attend a well-known college. But the tuition cost a lot and she did not have much money. So, she pinned her hopes on winning a scholarship. 8When the scholarship fell through, she was pretty upset. On the same day, she got more bad news. A very old and very distant uncle had died. It was sad news, but there was a silver lining. You might ask, "What good could come from that?" Well, this uncle left her a lot of money. 9Some word experts say the expression dates from the 1500s. It may have come from soldiers pinning their leader's insignia on their sleeves. This showed where they belonged and who they supported. By the 1800s, however, it took on its current meaning. 10Here is example. Listen to these two friends talk about saving money for the future. 11So, how much money have you saved so far. You know, for your retirement? 12None. But I play the lottery every day! 13I don't think it's a good life plan to pin all your hopes on winning the lottery. 14You're right. I should have a Plan B. I know I will get on a game show and win a lot of money! 15I think you should talk to an expert. 16There are game show experts?? 17No. I mean a financial planner. 18Oh. THAT kind of expert. 19Yeah, it is not a good idea to pin your financial hopes on a lottery. And in life it is probably not a good idea to pin all your hopes and dreams on other people. Instead, pin your hopes on you and what you can do to make things better. 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 21Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 22Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 23_______________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25origin -n. the rise or beginning from a source 26sew -v. to use a needle and thread to make or repair clothes or cloth objects 27tuition -n. money paid to a school for the right to study there 28scholarship -n. money that is given by a school or group to help pay for a student's education 29fell through -v. (phrasal) to fail or stop in a sudden way 30distant -adj. not closely related 31silver lining -idiomatic expression something good that can be found in bad situations 32insignia -n. a sign that show a person is a member of a group (especially military) or of a certain rank