Time to 'Get Your Hands Dirty'
2021-04-18
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1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore words and expressions in American English.
3Today, you might want to roll up your sleeves.
4We are going to get our hands dirty!
5Figuratively, that is.
6Playing in mud is a popular activity for many children all around the world.
7What child doesn't love mixing just the right amount of water and dirt to get the perfect mud?
8If you want to go farther, you can make mud pies!
9Shape the mud into circles and then decorate them with little sticks and stones, flowers, and leaves - basically any small item you find on the ground.
10Or perhaps making mud pies is not your thing.
11Maybe just digging in the mud is more your speed, or to your liking.
12The feel of mud in your hands can be good for adults too.
13In fact, many people pay a lot of money for face and body mud treatments.
14Maybe that is one reason people like to garden or make things from clay.
15You must get your hands dirty.
16And that is our expression for today.
17"Getting your hands dirty" is a useful expression. And it has two very different uses.
18The first one is for honest, hardworking people.
19If I am willing to get my hands dirty, it means I am willing to do the hard work of a project myself.
20I do not give the dirty work to others.
21Now, that "hard work" could deal with actual dirt or it could just mean the hard parts of a project.
22It just means that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do whatever hard work is needed to finish a job.
23For example, let's say my good friend is running for mayor.
24There is a lot of hard work needed to win an election.
25So, I help gather signatures to get her on the election ballot.
26I walk around neighborhoods and pass out information to hundreds of voters.
27She does too.
28She is not afraid to get her hands dirty and neither is her team of volunteers.
29When she wins, she thanks us all for our hard work.
30Okay, now it is four years later.
31My friend has been in office and has become very powerful.
32In fact, you could say that power has gone to her head.
33She is not thinking clearly ... or legally when she asks me to do her a favor.
34That brings us to the other way we use the expression "get your hands dirty."
35This way is for dishonest people.
36Let's imagine that my friend, the Mayor, calls me into her office and asks me to do something for her - something illegal.
37She wants me to ask a building developer for money for her re-election campaign.
38In return she will give him some city business.
39She promises me that nothing will happen.
40But she simply can't risk getting her hands dirty.
41I tell her that I really can't risk going to jail.
42I also tell her that we are no longer friends.
43And that is the end of this Words and Their Stories!
44Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore words and expressions in American English. Today, you might want to roll up your sleeves. We are going to get our hands dirty! 3Figuratively, that is. 4Playing in mud is a popular activity for many children all around the world. What child doesn't love mixing just the right amount of water and dirt to get the perfect mud? 5If you want to go farther, you can make mud pies! Shape the mud into circles and then decorate them with little sticks and stones, flowers, and leaves - basically any small item you find on the ground. 6Or perhaps making mud pies is not your thing. Maybe just digging in the mud is more your speed, or to your liking. 7The feel of mud in your hands can be good for adults too. In fact, many people pay a lot of money for face and body mud treatments. 8Maybe that is one reason people like to garden or make things from clay. You must get your hands dirty. 9And that is our expression for today. 10"Getting your hands dirty" is a useful expression. And it has two very different uses. 11The first one is for honest, hardworking people. If I am willing to get my hands dirty, it means I am willing to do the hard work of a project myself. I do not give the dirty work to others. 12Now, that "hard work" could deal with actual dirt or it could just mean the hard parts of a project. It just means that you are willing to roll up your sleeves and do whatever hard work is needed to finish a job. 13For example, let's say my good friend is running for mayor. There is a lot of hard work needed to win an election. So, I help gather signatures to get her on the election ballot. I walk around neighborhoods and pass out information to hundreds of voters. She does too. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty and neither is her team of volunteers. When she wins, she thanks us all for our hard work. 14Okay, now it is four years later. My friend has been in office and has become very powerful. In fact, you could say that power has gone to her head. She is not thinking clearly ... or legally when she asks me to do her a favor. 15That brings us to the other way we use the expression "get your hands dirty." This way is for dishonest people. 16Let's imagine that my friend, the Mayor, calls me into her office and asks me to do something for her - something illegal. She wants me to ask a building developer for money for her re-election campaign. In return she will give him some city business. 17She promises me that nothing will happen. But she simply can't risk getting her hands dirty. I tell her that I really can't risk going to jail. I also tell her that we are no longer friends. 18And that is the end of this Words and Their Stories! 19Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 20Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 21_________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23figuratively - adv. used with a meaning that is different from the basic or literal meaning and that expresses an idea by using language that usually describes something else 24decorate - v. to make (something) more attractive usually by putting something on it 25thing - n. something (such as an activity) that makes a strong appeal to the individual 26speed - n. someone or something that appeals to one's taste 27clay - n. an earthy material that is sticky and easily molded when wet and hard when baked 28roll up your sleeves - idiomatic expression 29signature - n. the name of a person written by that person 30ballot - n. a ticket or piece of paper used to vote in an election 31favor - n. a kind or helpful act that you do for someone