Subtitles section Play video
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Feifei: Hello and welcome to
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The English We Speak. I'm Feifei...
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Rob: ...and I'm Rob. Hello!
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In this programme, as you know,
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we like to add a little humour
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while teaching our phrases.
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Feifei: Yes, usually it involves
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a misunderstanding. For example,
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we often pretend that one of the
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presenters doesn't understand
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the phrase.
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Rob: Yes, they take it too literally:
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they only understand its
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word-for-word meaning.
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Feifei: But with this phrase,
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that would just be too horrible.
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Rob: And disgusting.
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Feifei: And not to mention -
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physically impossible.
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Rob: So let's not go there.
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Today's phrase is: eat your heart out.
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Feifei: Scary, huh? Thankfully,
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it has nothing to do with eating
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an important part of your body.
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Rob: It's an unusual expression.
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When people say it, they often
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follow it with the name
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of a famous or successful person
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that they want to be compared to.
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Feifei: But why? It's easiest to explain
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with an example. Imagine you are
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painting a picture.
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When you finish, you say:
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Feifei: Eat your heart out, Picasso!
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Rob: And what you are saying is that
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your painting is better than Picasso's.
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Feifei: But, because Picasso was
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a true master and your own work
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is probably not at the same level, most
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likely you would be saying this as a joke!
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Rob: And that's how people often use it:
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as a joke. After doing
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something impressive, they say
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'eat your heart out' followed
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by someone who is famous
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for doing that thing.
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Feifei: For example, after cooking
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a fantastic meal, they might say
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'eat your heart out', and the name of
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a celebrity chef. Even if they don't think
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their cooking is better than the chef's.
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Rob: It's almost like a fun way
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of expressing pride in your work,
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without sounding too arrogant.
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I think it's best if we hear
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a few more examples.
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A: What a goal! How did you score that?!
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B: Not bad huh?
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Eat your heart out, Ronaldo!
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I've been practising all month
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and think I'm getting pretty good.
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Want to hear me sing?
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OK, here goes...
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Eat your heart out, Beyonce!
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A: Would you mind helping me lift this table?
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B: No problem, I'll do it.
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Eat your heart out, Hulk!
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A: Hey, it's just a table,
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you're not an Avenger!
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Rob: This is The English We Speak
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from BBC Learning English.
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So there we are - humorously
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comparing someone's football skills
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to Ronaldo's, their singing ability
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to Beyonce's and their
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strength to Hulk from the movies.
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And we've resisted all temptation to
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create a situation where we ask
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Feifei to actually eat a heart.
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Feifei: Thank goodness.
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I really don't feel hungry in any case.
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Rob: Neither do I. Bye!