'Watch My Dust!'
2023-05-28
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Dust is very small pieces of earth or other matter.
3It is so fine it floats in the air. And it gets everywhere.
4Inside, it covers our floors, our belongings, and other surfaces.
5Outside, it covers things as well. And a small wind can blow dust into our eyes and mouth.
6When we drive a car on dry ground, it can create a dust cloud.
7And when we run in a foot race, we can kick up a lot of dust, too.
8That is why we have the expression eat my dust. It means you are ahead of someone.
9They are behind you and must deal with the dust you have made.
10Sometimes, we also say watch my dust.
11This means you are so sure of winning that you are telling others they will lose.
12We often use these expressions to talk about a race or a competition.
13Using the same reasoning, if you leave someone in the dust, you have left them far behind.
14Again, you have won some kind of competition and you have won big!
15However, if something bites the dust, it has failed.
16To bite the dust can mean suffering defeat.
17 It can also mean something comes to an early end or is no longer useful.
18For example, if my old car dies on a long road trip, I can say my car bit the dust.
19In the past ten years, many technologies have bitten the dust.
20Sometimes, this expression means death in battle.
21But used this way, bite the dust is very informal and not respectful.
22Our last "dust" expression is when the dust settles.
23In a dust storm, it is very difficult to see.
24When the dust settles, you can finally see clearly.
25So, we use this expression to talk about the calm and clarity that comes after a big change or time of confusion.
26We often use it as advice or a warning.
27It is often a good idea to wait for a situation to calm down before making a big decision.
28For example, let's say you are moving to a new city and changing jobs.
29 You will be very busy.
30So, you can tell your friends that you will contact them when the dust settles.
31In other words, you will contact them when things calm down.
32And that's Words and Their Stories. Have fun using these "dust" expressions! Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Dust is very small pieces of earth or other matter. It is so fine it floats in the air. And it gets everywhere. 3Inside, it covers our floors, our belongings, and other surfaces. Outside, it covers things as well. And a small wind can blow dust into our eyes and mouth. 4When we drive a car on dry ground, it can create a dust cloud. And when we run in a foot race, we can kick up a lot of dust, too. 5That is why we have the expression eat my dust. It means you are ahead of someone. They are behind you and must deal with the dust you have made. 6Sometimes, we also say watch my dust. This means you are so sure of winning that you are telling others they will lose. 7We often use these expressions to talk about a race or a competition. 8Using the same reasoning, if you leave someone in the dust, you have left them far behind. Again, you have won some kind of competition and you have won big! 9However, if something bites the dust, it has failed. 10To bite the dust can mean suffering defeat. It can also mean something comes to an early end or is no longer useful. For example, if my old car dies on a long road trip, I can say my car bit the dust. In the past ten years, many technologies have bitten the dust. 11Sometimes, this expression means death in battle. But used this way, bite the dust is very informal and not respectful. 12Our last "dust" expression is when the dust settles. In a dust storm, it is very difficult to see. When the dust settles, you can finally see clearly. 13So, we use this expression to talk about the calm and clarity that comes after a big change or time of confusion. We often use it as advice or a warning. It is often a good idea to wait for a situation to calm down before making a big decision. 14For example, let's say you are moving to a new city and changing jobs. You will be very busy. So, you can tell your friends that you will contact them when the dust settles. In other words, you will contact them when things calm down. 15And that's Words and Their Stories. Have fun using these "dust" expressions! Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 16Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 17___________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19informal - adj. suited for use between friends and family but not perhaps professional relationships 20clarity - n. the quality of being easily seen or heard 21___________________________________________________________________ 22We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expression in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 23We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 24Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.