Off the back of a lorry

Li: Hi Finn. I'm so happy. I'm going to buy a brand new computer this afternoon and it's very, very cheap.

Finn: What a bargain, Li! Where are you going to buy it? Can I go with you?

Li: I'm going to meet a friend of my neighbour's cousin. He's selling it.

Finn: Do you know this man, Li?

Li: No, but he sounded very nice on the phone. He's nice but a bit clumsy.

Finn: Alright. Why?

Li: He told me the computer fell off the back of his lorry but it works perfectly.

Finn: It fell off the back of a lorry?!

Li: Yes. But it came in a very strong box and he said it was in perfect condition.

Finn: Li, the computer didn't actually fall off anywhere. It was taken.

Li: What do you mean?!

Finn: In English, when you say something 'fell off the back of a lorry', or if you say something is 'off the back of a lorry', what you mean is that it was received in suspicious circumstances情況. It was probably stolen.

Li: Stolen?!

Finn: Yes. In the US and Australia they say 'fell off the back of a truck', but it means the same thing. It's a humorous way of describing stolen property.

Li: Oh. It's a crime! There's nothing humorous about that.

Finn: 'Off the back of a lorry' is today's expression in The English We Speak. Let's hear some examples of how it's used.

• The police have been looking for a local man who doesn’t mind selling mobile phones that fell off the back of a lorry.
• The black market was thriving when the war ended. It wasn't difficult to find all sorts of things off the back of a lorry.

Li: Thank you, Finn, for the warning. I'm not going to buy that cheap computer now.

Finn: Well. I'm sorry to have disappointed you. Li, but it's always good to know these unusual expressions in English!

Li: Well, there goes my bargain討價還價. Back to saving money to buy a computer in a real shop.

Finn: Good idea. What is cheap might end up costing much more than you expect.

Li: Indeed. I won't buy stuff off the back of a lorry. Better safe than sorry. Bye.

Finn: Bye.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2014/04/140429_tews_173_back_of_lorry.shtml

Titanic letter sells for £119,000

Esther Hart sat down with her seven-year-old daughter Eva to write the letter just eight hours or so左右 before the Titanic hit the iceberg. It was for her mother in London. And in it Mrs Hart wrote that they were enjoying what she called "the wonderful journey". 

She said they were likely to arrive in New York early because of the speed at which the ship was travelling. 

The letter ended up in the coat pocket of her husband Benjamin and only survived because he gave her the coat to keep warm. He died along with more than 1,500 others. 

Titanic memorabilia continues to be big business. A menu on the day of the disaster was recently sold for £76,000 whilst a violin小提琴, played as the ship sank, went for £900,000.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/04/140428_witn_titanic_letter.shtml

Wrong 'un

(Sounds of tapping on a laptop)

Finn: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Finn.

Li: And I'm Li. Oh, he looks nice.

Finn: Yes. We're on Li's computer, on an online dating site. She's looking for a date - a hot guy.

Li: Shhh... don't tell everyone. Well, actually, I don't really just want a date - I'm hoping to meet Mr Right.

Finn: Ooh, Mr Right - the person who is perfect for you - the one you want to spend the rest of your life with!

Li: Yes... ooh. Finn, he looks lovely. He's got two MAs, a PhD, an enormous salary, a huge house in the country and, and... cute hair!

Finn: Li, actually, sorry to say this, but I think he looks like a wrong 'un!

Li: A what?

Finn: A wrong 'un. That means a bad person, someone you can't trust. It's a slang way of saying 'a wrong one'. We use it with 'a' - a wrong 'un. Like that. A wrong 'un.

Li: Ahh, I thought he could be Mr Right, and you think he's a wrong 'un?

Finn: Yes, someone you can't trust. Sorry, I just think he sounds too good to be true - I think he's making it up. Maybe he's lying. He's a wrong 'un. Listen to these examples.

• He's a real wrong 'un. He always gets into fights.

• You know, although she says nice things, that Sue's a wrong 'un. She owes so many people money!

Li: You know what, Finn? I've had enough of looking online for a man.

Finn: Yes, well, I know, OK. But I'm sure you'll find someone special.

Li: How about you, Finn? Have you found Miss Right?

Finn: Oh, well Li, you know, that's kind of personal. No need to talk about that in the programme.

Li: Oh Finn, that's not fair!

Finn: No, no, not just now.

Li: Come on just, oh please!

Finn: No, no. That's the end of the programme. Please visit bbclearningenglish.com for more. Bye!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2014/04/140422_tews_172_wrong_un.shtml

UN: World must end 'dirty' fuel use

The authors acknowledge that a transition from fossil fuels石化燃料 to renewable energy is easier to recommend than to achieve. Many countries are locked into鎖定 using fuels like coal煤. 

Here in Germany coal provides提供 nearly half the electricity. But because greenhouse gases溫室氣體 are building up in the atmosphere so rapidly迅速, the conclusion結論 is that it's better to make the change sooner rather than later. Professor Jim Skea at Imperial College is a leading figure on the panel.

"The message is that we need to start from 2020 onwards起. If you wait as long as 2030 to put in place measures, it is going to start to get difficult. Emissions排放量 have risen more quickly in the last ten years than they have at any point in the past, and if we carry on in進行中 that kind of way till 2030, then you will be faced with these difficult choices. We need to move much more quickly than that."

One surprise is a low estimate for the cost of phasing out淘汰 fossil fuels and boosting促進 wind and solar power. The panel says that less than one tenth of 1% will be shaved off annual global growth. However, this figure rests on a host of一系列 assumptions假設, and for the moment, renewable energy still needs subsidies補貼, which raises questions about public acceptance. 

The panel does believe its options are feasible and it hopes they'll be implemented in the coming years.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/04/140414_witn_climate_change.shtml

On the tip of my tongue

Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Helen and with me is Rob. Hi Rob

Rob: Hi Helen. How was your weekend?

Helen: Good thanks, I didn't do much, just relaxed. How was yours?

Rob: Interesting. I bumped into Bob…

Helen: Bob? Oh the guy we used to work with.

Rob: Yes, that's him. Well, I had a good chat with him. You know all he talked about was computers and how he could never get a girlfriend… well guess what?

Helen: He's now head of IT?

Rob: No!

Helen: He's won the lottery and is a millionaire?

Rob: No Helen. He's getting married!

Helen: Oh that's good news. Is he marrying anyone we know?

Rob: Yes. That's the thing – it's someone we know really well.

Helen: Who's that?

Rob: Hmm… erm… I can't remember her name… it's on the tip of my tongue.

Helen: The tip of your tongue? That's a strange place – well ok, stick your tongue out.

Rob: (with his tongue out) Why do I need to do this Helen?

Helen: You said it was 'on the tip of your tongue'.

Rob: No Helen. I mean I know her name but I can't quite remember it right now.

Helen: Why didn't you say! But Rob, will you remember the information soon?

Rob: Yes I will. It really is just on the tip of my tongue. Let's hear some examples and her name might come back to me.

• We nearly won the quiz; John had the answer to the last question on the tip of his tongue - but the other team said it first.

• The name will come to me soon, it's on the tip of my tongue… ah yes, his name is Paul.

Helen: So if something is on 'the tip of your tongue', it means there is some information you can't quite remember, but hopefully will soon. So Rob, is the name of the woman that Bob is marrying, still on the tip of your tongue?

Rob: No. I remember it now – her name is Alison.

Helen: Alison – from accounts? That's great news.

Rob: It is and Bob says we're invited to the wedding.

Helen: Brilliant. I love a good wedding – when is it?

Rob: Oh, erm… errr…

Helen: Don't tell me. It's on the tip of your tongue.

Rob: It is… sorry. I'll remember soon.

Helen: I hope you do.

Both: Bye.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2014/04/140408_tews_170_on_the_tip_of_my_tongue.shtml

Pie in the sky

Li: I'm so happy you invited me to come to the woods to do some bird-watching with you, Finn.

Finn: I'm glad you came along, Li. It's a very British hobby. We love nature and the different species of birds. That one, for example, is a swallow.

Li: Oh. Pass me the binoculars雙眼望遠鏡 please.

Finn: Can you see how beautiful it is?

Li: Oh, I can see it clearly. It's tiny. It must be a young one. It's good that the mayor has promised to preserve these woods, Finn.

Finn: I wish they would stop building shopping centres everywhere. But preserving all these areas is pie in the sky, Li.

Li: Pie in the sky? Where? These binoculars are good but I can't see any pie!

Finn: No, there is no actual pie up there, Li. In English, we use the expression 'pie in the sky' to talk about something good that we would like to happen but which is unlikely to.

Li: So you think the idea of preserving these woods is good but they might end up building a shopping centre here.

Finn: Exactly. Unfortunately, I think these businesses are too powerful.

Li: Let's not lose hope, Finn.

Finn: Well, 'pie in the sky' is the expression in this edition of The English We Speak. Now let's hear some examples of how it is used.

• When my bank manager says the stock market is sure to recover by the end of the year, that's clearly pie in the sky.
  

• Mary's plans to live a life of luxury are just pie in the sky. She doesn't have much money.

Li: Well, I must admit that the idea of pie has made me hungry.

Finn: Yeah, I'm hungry too. Let's go back to town and find a place where they serve tasty pies.

Li: Yes! I love cherry pie! Bye bye little birdies!

Finn: Yum yum. Bye.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/theenglishwespeak/2014/04/140415_tews_171_pie_in_the_sky.shtml