'Heyday' Is The Best of Times
2021-08-29
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore terms and expressions in the English language.
3And today we talk about a word that will help you talk about the best of times.
4That word is heyday.
5If you are in your heyday you are in your prime.
6You are at the peak of your abilities.
7You are having your best days ever!
8Some people had their heydays when they were young, maybe in college or high school.
9They consider themselves past their prime.
10They might talk about those past experiences only and not plan for new experiences in the future.
11These people might be stuck in their glory days.
12Other things besides people can have a heyday.
13If you are at the pinnacle of success, you could say your career is having a heyday.
14Also, a place, like a city, can have a heyday and so can an industry.
15For example, I grew up in the rust belt of West Virginia.
16In its heyday, my hometown was known for its steel industry.
17In fact, every man in my family worked in the steel mills.
18But when the industry shrank, the steel factory jobs disappeared.
19The city fell on hard times and today is still trying to recover.
20However, many other parts of West Virginia are having a tourism heyday because of the beautiful natural environment.
21So, where does the word heyday come from?
22Some word experts say that it first appeared in English in the 16th century as an interjection.
23An interjection is a word or cry (such as "ouch") that expresses a sudden or strong feeling.
24So, "heyday" was used to express extreme happiness or wonder.
25Around the same time, "heyday" was also used as a noun meaning "high spirits."
26Meriam-Webster online dictionary says it was not until the 18th century that the word was used to mean "the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith."
27Usually, we use heyday in the singular form.
28Saying the plural is a little less common.
29And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore terms and expressions in the English language. And today we talk about a word that will help you talk about the best of times. That word is heyday. 3If you are in your heyday you are in your prime. You are at the peak of your abilities. You are having your best days ever! 4Some people had their heydays when they were young, maybe in college or high school. They consider themselves past their prime. They might talk about those past experiences only and not plan for new experiences in the future. These people might be stuck in their glory days. 5Other things besides people can have a heyday. If you are at the pinnacle of success, you could say your career is having a heyday. 6Also, a place, like a city, can have a heyday and so can an industry. 7For example, I grew up in the rust belt of West Virginia. In its heyday, my hometown was known for its steel industry. In fact, every man in my family worked in the steel mills. But when the industry shrank, the steel factory jobs disappeared. The city fell on hard times and today is still trying to recover. However, many other parts of West Virginia are having a tourism heyday because of the beautiful natural environment. 8So, where does the word heyday come from? 9Some word experts say that it first appeared in English in the 16th century as an interjection. An interjection is a word or cry (such as "ouch") that expresses a sudden or strong feeling. So, "heyday" was used to express extreme happiness or wonder. 10Around the same time, "heyday" was also used as a noun meaning "high spirits." 11Meriam-Webster online dictionary says it was not until the 18th century that the word was used to mean "the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith." 12Usually, we use heyday in the singular form. Saying the plural is a little less common. 13And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 14Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 15_________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17heyday - n. the time of greatest strength, popularity, or success 18prime - n. the period in life when a person is best in health, strength, etc. : the most active or successful time of a person's life 19peak - n. at the highest point or level 20pinnacle - n. the best or most important part of something : the point of greatest success or achievement 21glory days - n. a time in the past that is remembered for great success or happiness 22spirit - n. a lively or brisk quality 23zenith - n. the strongest or most successful period of time