[ti:Learn 'Rub Elbows,' Other 'Rub' Expressions]
[al:Words and Their Stories]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2020-11-24]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:08.14]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
[00:18.38]Today we are talking about the term "rub."
[00:23.48]While this three-letter word is small, it should not be seen as unimportant. 
[00:30.56]In fact, "rub" carries a lot of meaning and can be used in many different situations.
[00:39.09]For starters, "rub" is a noun.
[00:44.00]One way it is used this way is in cooking. 
[00:49.57]A rub is a collection of dry seasonings that can be added to meat, tofu or vegetables before cooking.
[01:00.32]"Rub" can also mean something problematic.
[01:05.23]If I ask, "What's the rub?" I am asking "What's the problem?" (This expression is very informal.)
[01:17.38]"Rub" is also a verb.
[01:20.24]For example, I might rub my head if I have a headache. 
[01:26.40]Or I may rub my shoulder if it hurts.
[01:29.54]And if something really hurts, I might rub in some medicine to help reduce the pain.
[01:39.35]But to rub something in also has another meaning - an idiomatic one. 
[01:47.66]If you rub something in, you keep reminding someone of something unpleasant. 
[01:55.44]This is a very common expression. So, let's hear it used in a conversation.
[02:02.24]A: Hey, I had fun playing basketball yesterday. 
[02:05.91]Your team almost won. Almost.
[02:09.60]B: It was fun. I got a great workout.
[02:12.60]A: What was the score again?
[02:15.21]B: Okay, okay. Stop rubbing it in! Your team beat mine by ... a lot!
[02:22.98]Rubbing something in is similar to rubbing someone's nose in something.
[02:31.30]In the example we just heard, one man rubs his friend's nose in a loss at a basketball game.
[02:39.87]When we rub someone's nose in something, we remind them that they have failed or got something wrong.
[02:50.12]As a verb, "rub" is used in many other expressions.
[02:55.59]If you rub someone the wrong way, you cause that person to be angry or annoyed.
[03:04.12]It means you have irritated them, usually for something in your personality or behavior. 
[03:13.49]You do not have to do anything specific to rub someone the wrong way.
[03:19.95]For example, the president of the company rubbed some of his employees the wrong way with his direct way of speaking.
[03:31.50]Another expression is to rub elbows with someone. 
[03:37.20]We use this expression to describe being at the same event as someone or simply being around them.
[03:46.41]But we don't generally use it for interactions with our close friends.
[03:53.71]Often, the people we rub elbows with are famous, important, or influential. 
[04:01.61]For example, I rubbed elbows with some famous people at the mayor's birthday celebration.
[04:10.75]Another way to use the verb "rub" is in the expression to rub salt in the wound. 
[04:19.52]This means you make a bad situation worse for someone else. 
[04:26.43]Let's say you know someone who loses their job.
[04:30.34]When they tell you that news, you remind them that they still owe you money. 
[04:37.08]You have just rubbed salt in the wound. Ouch! This is similar to kicking someone when they are down.
[04:47.60]Another use of the word "rub" is in the phrasal verb rub together. 
[04:54.14]We use this with other words to say that we lack something.
[05:00.14]For example, if I don't have two brain cells to rub together, I can't think straight. 
[05:08.05]I'm confused. 
[05:10.30]Or, if you don't have two dimes to rub together, you have no money. 
[05:16.11]You are broke! (You could also say pennies or quarters -- as long as they are coins.)
[05:24.90]Our last expression is to rub something out. 
[05:29.85]That means you get rid of it.
[05:32.57]And sometimes we use it in a rather violent situation.
[05:38.24]If a bad person rubs someone out, they do away with them. 
[05:44.26]In other words, they actually kill them!
[05:48.41]And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!
[05:52.84]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.