It's Nothing but Trouble to 'Let The Genie out of the Bottle'
2021-10-24
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2The words we say are weightless sounds in the air.
3But they are powerful.
4What we say can greatly affect people, situations -- just about everything.
5That is why, sometimes, it is a good idea to walk away from a heated argument.
6If we feel angry, we might say something we regret.
7Perhaps anger is not the problem.
8Maybe your thoughts on a situation or issue are not fully formed. But you speak anyway.
9Or maybe you simply have a secret -- one that you are dying to share!
10Whatever the reason, sometimes we speak when maybe we shouldn't.
11And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back.
12The damage is done.
13Or, we could say: the genie is out of the bottle.
14Let's take apart this saying.
15A genie is a trouble-causing spirit with magical powers from Middle Eastern folktales.
16Some experts say this expression may be connected to the centuries-old stories of Aladdin.
17He is a young man who releases a genie trapped in a small container.
18That's the bottle. Once out, the genie is powerful and tricky. The result? A lot of trouble.
19So, if you "let the genie out of the bottle," undesirable results, or consequences, will follow.
20"To let the cat out of the bag" has a similar meaning.
21The cat is in the bag for a reason. When you let it out, there will be consequences.
22And both the genie and the cat, as well as the words we say, cannot be recaptured.
23But how do we use these expressions?
24Here is one example:
25The politician says she misspoke about her plans to run for president.
26But the press had already reported on it.
27The genie was out of the bottle and could not be put back in.
28Here is another example.
29Two co-workers use both expressions.
30A: Tony really let the cat out of the bag at work today. He told everyone that Mary found another job and was leaving the company next month.
31B: What?? But she hasn't told management yet!
32A: I know. So, they fired her.
33B: That's awful. That means she'll lose a whole month's pay.
34A: He apologized but there is no putting THAT genie back in the bottle.
35B: I bet Mary would like to put Tony in a bottle.
36A: Ha!
37A genie is far more dangerous than a cat and harder to catch. So, the two sayings are not always interchangeable.
38Here is an example:
39Some experts say social media is damaging users, especially children.
40But the technology and its appeal is here to stay. No one can put that genie back in the bottle.
41In that example, you would not use "let the cat out of the bag."
42Instead, use it when someone has said something that was supposed to remain a secret.
43You can't take words back and you can't re-hide a secret. Something has been done and can't be undone.
44And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
45Thanks for listening!
46Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2The words we say are weightless sounds in the air. But they are powerful. What we say can greatly affect people, situations -- just about everything. 3That is why, sometimes, it is a good idea to walk away from a heated argument. If we feel angry, we might say something we regret. 4Perhaps anger is not the problem. Maybe your thoughts on a situation or issue are not fully formed. But you speak anyway. 5Or maybe you simply have a secret -- one that you are dying to share! 6Whatever the reason, sometimes we speak when maybe we shouldn't. And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back. The damage is done. 7Or, we could say: the genie is out of the bottle. 8Let's take apart this saying. 9A genie is a trouble-causing spirit with magical powers from Middle Eastern folktales. Some experts say this expression may be connected to the centuries-old stories of Aladdin. He is a young man who releases a genie trapped in a small container. That's the bottle. Once out, the genie is powerful and tricky. The result? A lot of trouble. 10So, if you "let the genie out of the bottle," undesirable results, or consequences, will follow. 11"To let the cat out of the bag" has a similar meaning. The cat is in the bag for a reason. When you let it out, there will be consequences. And both the genie and the cat, as well as the words we say, cannot be recaptured. 12But how do we use these expressions? Here is one example: 13The politician says she misspoke about her plans to run for president. But the press had already reported on it. The genie was out of the bottle and could not be put back in. 14Here is another example. Two co-workers use both expressions. 15A: Tony really let the cat out of the bag at work today. He told everyone that Mary found another job and was leaving the company next month. 16B: What?? But she hasn't told management yet! 17A: I know. So, they fired her. 18B: That's awful. That means she'll lose a whole month's pay. 19A: He apologized but there is no putting THAT genie back in the bottle. 20B: I bet Mary would like to put Tony in a bottle. 21A: Ha! 22A genie is far more dangerous than a cat and harder to catch. So, the two sayings are not always interchangeable. 23Here is an example: 24Some experts say social media is damaging users, especially children. But the technology and its appeal is here to stay. No one can put that genie back in the bottle. 25In that example, you would not use "let the cat out of the bag." Instead, use it when someone has said something that was supposed to remain a secret. You can't take words back and you can't re-hide a secret. Something has been done and can't be undone. 26And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Thanks for listening! 27Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 28____________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30century - n. a period of 100 years 31consequence - n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions