Two Gold Expressions
2022-03-06
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1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2On this show we talk about words and expressions in the English language. Today, we talk about gold.
3Gold is a highly-valued metal. We also use the word "gold" to describe a person or thing of extreme quality or value.
4For example, if a friend stood by you in very difficult times, you can say that your friendship is gold to you.
5Here is another example.
6If you want to convince someone that they can trust you, you can tell them that your word is gold.
7That means your word has value.
8You are honest, and they can trust what you say.
9In English, the word "gold" appears in many expressions.
10Today we talk about two. One is a compliment, something nice to say about someone or something.
11The other is an insult, something bad to say about someone or something.
12Let's start with the insult.
13That expression is: "All that glitters is not gold."
14All that glitters is not gold.
15First, what does it mean to glitter?
16To glitter means to shine brightly.
17Imagine an object that shines by reflecting small flashes of bright light.
18It is glittering.
19For example, the diamond glittered in the sunlight.
20Glitter can also mean to shine with strong emotion.
21For example, if someone looks very angry, you can say that their eyes glittered in anger.
22But in today's expression we are talking about something that looks beautiful because it is so bright and shiny.
23"All that glitters is not gold" means something seems wonderful and beautiful,
24but in fact is not. You can also move the word "not" and say it this way: "Not all that glitters is gold."
25When we say "not all that glitters is gold" we mean that just because something looks attractive does not mean it is valuable.
26The attractive appearance of something is not a clear sign of its true nature.
27Another way to say this is "appearances can be deceiving."
28Now, let's hear it used in two examples.
29A: I thought that my new computer would be great.
30B: And ... it's not?
31A: No. It just cost a lot of money and looks nice.
32B: You know what they say, "All that glitters is not gold."
33A: Hey, how is the new job going?
34B: Well ... it's okay.
35A: Just okay? Last month you told me it was much better than your current job -- more money, better office, and the chance to meet famous people.
36B: Well, let's just say not all that glitters is gold.
37The job may pay well, but my co-workers are just awful. I'm really unhappy.
38Now for the compliment - the nice thing to say about someone.
39That expression is: "Worth your weight in gold."
40Imagine if someone made a sculpture of you out of gold.
41It would weigh a lot, and it would be worth a lot of money.
42And to us, our listeners are worth their weight in gold!
43And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
44Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2On this show we talk about words and expressions in the English language. Today, we talk about gold. 3Gold is a highly-valued metal. We also use the word "gold" to describe a person or thing of extreme quality or value. 4For example, if a friend stood by you in very difficult times, you can say that your friendship is gold to you. 5Here is another example. If you want to convince someone that they can trust you, you can tell them that your word is gold. That means your word has value. You are honest, and they can trust what you say. 6In English, the word "gold" appears in many expressions. Today we talk about two. One is a compliment, something nice to say about someone or something. The other is an insult, something bad to say about someone or something. 7Let's start with the insult. That expression is: "All that glitters is not gold." 8All that glitters is not gold. 9First, what does it mean to glitter? To glitter means to shine brightly. Imagine an object that shines by reflecting small flashes of bright light. It is glittering. For example, the diamond glittered in the sunlight. 10Glitter can also mean to shine with strong emotion. For example, if someone looks very angry, you can say that their eyes glittered in anger. But in today's expression we are talking about something that looks beautiful because it is so bright and shiny. 11"All that glitters is not gold" means something seems wonderful and beautiful, but in fact is not. You can also move the word "not" and say it this way: "Not all that glitters is gold." 12When we say "not all that glitters is gold" we mean that just because something looks attractive does not mean it is valuable. The attractive appearance of something is not a clear sign of its true nature. 13Another way to say this is "appearances can be deceiving." 14Now, let's hear it used in two examples. 15Example 1 16A: I thought that my new computer would be great. 17B: And ... it's not? 18A: No. It just cost a lot of money and looks nice. 19B: You know what they say, "All that glitters is not gold." 20Example 2 21A: Hey, how is the new job going? 22B: Well ... it's okay. 23A: Just okay? Last month you told me it was much better than your current job -- more money, better office, and the chance to meet famous people. 24B: Well, let's just say not all that glitters is gold. The job may pay well, but my co-workers are just awful. I'm really unhappy. 25Worth your weight in gold 26Now for the compliment - the nice thing to say about someone. 27That expression is: "Worth your weight in gold." 28Imagine if someone made a sculpture of you out of gold. It would weigh a lot, and it would be worth a lot of money. And to us, our listeners are worth their weight in gold! 29And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 30Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 31Anna Matteo wrote this for VOA Learning English. 32____________________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34reflect - v. to throw back light or sound 35bright - adj. giving off or filled with much light 36deceive - v. to cause to believe what is not true 37sculpture - n. a three-dimensional work of art (such as a statue)