Learn When to Wear 'Kid Gloves'
2023-08-13
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On this program, we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3We give definitions, notes on usage, and use them in conversations.
4Today we talk about a piece of clothing - gloves.
5We wear gloves to protect our hands.
6When the weather is cold, we wear gloves to keep our hands warm.
7When we do difficult outdoor work, we might wear work gloves.
8And when we clean indoors, we might wear rubber gloves to protect our hands from chemicals.
9But when do we wear "kid gloves"?
10Kid gloves are made from the skin of a young goat, also called a kid.
11Kid leather is very soft.
12So, kid gloves are perfect for holding objects such as silverware and art without leaving fingerprints.
13Years ago, many servants would wear kid gloves.
14But today, we use the expression kid gloves to describe a way of dealing with certain people or situations.
15People who are sensitive require kid gloves.
16And situations that are complex and delicate often need the kid-glove treatment.
17However, when we use kid gloves to talk about people, it is a little different than when we talk about situations.
18To treat something with kid gloves is to handle a situation carefully and with tact.
19When we do something tactfully, we do it in a thoughtful way.
20Tactful people deal with people and situations very well. They are diplomatic.
21Handling a situation with kid gloves is the opposite of being a bull in a china shop.
22If you are a bull in a china shop, you handle a situation very carelessly.
23(We talked about this idiom on another Words and Their Stories.)
24Kid-glove treatment shows special skill and sensitivity.
25People who need kid-glove treatment might be very sensitive, meaning their feelings are easily hurt.
26Or they might be fussy and demanding.
27For example, really famous actors or pop stars might need the kid-glove treatment.
28Now, let's hear the idiom used in a conversation between two friends.
29A: What are you doing this weekend?
30B: An old friend is visiting me.
31We were best friends all through middle school and high school.
32A: That sounds fun!
33B: Well, I hope it will be.
34A: Why do say 'hope'?
35B: Well, she just went through a very nasty divorce from her high school sweetheart.
36She's still very sensitive about it.
37So I have to handle her with kid gloves and not talk about our high school days.
38A: Sounds like a little kid-glove treatment is just what she needs.
39And you can talk about the future instead.
40And 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 words and expressions in the English language. We give definitions, notes on usage, and use them in conversations. 3Today we talk about a piece of clothing - gloves. 4We wear gloves to protect our hands. When the weather is cold, we wear gloves to keep our hands warm. When we do difficult outdoor work, we might wear work gloves. And when we clean indoors, we might wear rubber gloves to protect our hands from chemicals. 5But when do we wear "kid gloves"? 6Kid gloves are made from the skin of a young goat, also called a kid. Kid leather is very soft. So, kid gloves are perfect for holding objects such as silverware and art without leaving fingerprints. Years ago, many servants would wear kid gloves. 7But today, we use the expression kid gloves to describe a way of dealing with certain people or situations. People who are sensitive require kid gloves. And situations that are complex and delicate often need the kid-glove treatment. 8However, when we use kid gloves to talk about people, it is a little different than when we talk about situations. 9To treat something with kid gloves is to handle a situation carefully and with tact. When we do something tactfully, we do it in a thoughtful way. Tactful people deal with people and situations very well. They are diplomatic. 10Handling a situation with kid gloves is the opposite of being a bull in a china shop. If you are a bull in a china shop, you handle a situation very carelessly. (We talked about this idiom on another Words and Their Stories.) 11Kid-glove treatment shows special skill and sensitivity. People who need kid-glove treatment might be very sensitive, meaning their feelings are easily hurt. Or they might be fussy and demanding. For example, really famous actors or pop stars might need the kid-glove treatment. 12Now, let's hear the idiom used in a conversation between two friends. 13A: What are you doing this weekend? 14B: An old friend is visiting me. We were best friends all through middle school and high school. 15A: That sounds fun! 16B: Well, I hope it will be. 17A: Why do say 'hope'? 18B: Well, she just went through a very nasty divorce from her high school sweetheart. She's still very sensitive about it. So I have to handle her with kid gloves and not talk about our high school days. 19A: Sounds like a little kid-glove treatment is just what she needs. And you can talk about the future instead. 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 21Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 22_________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24rubber -n. n elastic substance obtained from the milky juice of various tropical plants 25sensitive -adj. easily hurt or damaged especially : easily hurt emotionally 26delicate -adj. easily unsettled or upset : resulting from or requiring skill or careful treatment 27tact -n. the ability to deal with others without upsetting them : tactfully -adv. 28fussy -adj. easily upset : hard to please 29nasty -adj. morally disgusting or degrading 30________________________________________________ 31We want to hear from you. Do you have a similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 32We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 33Each 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.