Be Brave: 'Go Out on a Limb'!
2021-04-25
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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.
3For half the planet, it is springtime.
4That means warmer temperatures and new growth on plants and trees.
5Trees are amazing and do so much for our environment.
6The basic parts of a tree are the trunk, the roots, branches, and limbs.
7Today we are going to talk about limbs.
8If you like watching squirrels play in trees as much as I do, you may have noticed something.
9They jump from one limb to another.
10They are fearless even as they walk out on the weakest-looking limb.
11They are simply not afraid.
12And that is our expression for today -- "to go out on a limb."
13When you "go out on a limb" you take a risk.
14You take a chance.
15You are brave by doing something that could hurt you.
16You know, when you climb out onto a tree limb you could fall and get hurt.
17But here's the thing with this expression.
18More often than not the risk is an emotional, social, or political one.
19It is usually not a physical risk - like the ones our squirrel friends take.
20It means you put yourself out there and open yourself up to criticism or judgement.
21Here's an example.
22Let's say I have a friend, Jake. Well, Jake just lost his job, and he is really upset about it.
23However, he has a plan.
24He plans to go to his ex-boss's office unannounced and explain all the reasons why she should give him another chance.
25I think ... no, I know this is terrible idea. But Jake does not want my suggestions.
26In fact, he gets very upset when I warn him.
27So, I say to Jake, "Look, this might upset you, but I'm going to go out on a limb.
28 I think it's a really bad idea to visit your ex-boss at her office. Really bad.
29Why don't you just call instead?
30A call is better. And a call won't get you arrested for trespassing."
31Here is another way to use it.
32Let's say I put in a good word for Jake with my boss.
33This means I speak highly of him.
34As a result, he ends up getting a job interview.
35I really went out on a limb for Jake.
36I know he's not that great of a worker.
37But he promised to do better.
38Still, my relationship with my boss is on the line.
39This means it is at risk of being damaged.
40I went out on a limb for Jake.
41I really hope I don't regret it.
42And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!
43I going to go out on a limb myself and say that VOA Learning English is THE best place for you to reach your English-learning goals.
44This is a risky thing to say. One. I don't know your English-learning goals. And two.
45There are a lot of other English-teaching shows out there.
46But I really wanted to finish the show with another example for you.
47Until 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. 3For half the planet, it is springtime. That means warmer temperatures and new growth on plants and trees. 4Trees are amazing and do so much for our environment. The basic parts of a tree are the trunk, the roots, branches, and limbs. 5Today we are going to talk about limbs. 6If you like watching squirrels play in trees as much as I do, you may have noticed something. They jump from one limb to another. They are fearless even as they walk out on the weakest-looking limb. They are simply not afraid. 7And that is our expression for today -- "to go out on a limb." 8When you "go out on a limb" you take a risk. You take a chance. You are brave by doing something that could hurt you. You know, when you climb out onto a tree limb you could fall and get hurt. 9But here's the thing with this expression. More often than not the risk is an emotional, social, or political one. It is usually not a physical risk - like the ones our squirrel friends take. 10It means you put yourself out there and open yourself up to criticism or judgement. 11Here's an example. 12Let's say I have a friend, Jake. Well, Jake just lost his job, and he is really upset about it. However, he has a plan. He plans to go to his ex-boss's office unannounced and explain all the reasons why she should give him another chance. 13I think ... no, I know this is terrible idea. But Jake does not want my suggestions. In fact, he gets very upset when I warn him. 14So, I say to Jake, "Look, this might upset you, but I'm going to go out on a limb. I think it's a really bad idea to visit your ex-boss at her office. Really bad. Why don't you just call instead? A call is better. And a call won't get you arrested for trespassing." 15Here is another way to use it. 16Let's say I put in a good word for Jake with my boss. This means I speak highly of him. As a result, he ends up getting a job interview. I really went out on a limb for Jake. I know he's not that great of a worker. But he promised to do better. Still, my relationship with my boss is on the line. This means it is at risk of being damaged. I went out on a limb for Jake. I really hope I don't regret it. 17And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories! 18I going to go out on a limb myself and say that VOA Learning English is THE best place for you to reach your English-learning goals. This is a risky thing to say. One. I don't know your English-learning goals. And two. There are a lot of other English-teaching shows out there. But I really wanted to finish the show with another example for you. 19Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo! 20Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor. 21_________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23trunk - n. the thick main stem of a tree 24limb - n. a large branch of a tree 25branch - n. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk 26chance - n. an opportunity to do something : an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done 27brave - adj. feeling or showing no fear : not afraid 28trespass - v. to go on someone's land without permission 29put in a good word - phrase : to say something good about someone 30interview - n. a formal meeting with someone who is being considered for a job or other position 31regret - n. a feeling of sadness or disappointment about something that you did or did not do