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  • Dog meat banned in new South Korean law.

  • This is News Review from BBC Learning English, where we help you understand news headlines in English. I'm Neil.

  • And I'm Georgie.

  • Make sure you watch to the end to learn the vocabulary you need to talk about this story.

  • Don't forget to subscribe to our channel so you can learn more English from news headlines.

  • Now, the story.

  • South Korea has passed a law banning the killing and sale of dogs for their meat.

  • Dog meat isn't as popular as it used to be in the country.

  • Research shows that only one in five people are in favor of eating it.

  • The new law comes into effect in 2027 which gives farmers and restaurant owners three years to adjust to the change.

  • You've been looking at the headlines, Georgie, what's the vocabulary people need to understand this story.

  • We have 'history in the making,' 'off the menu,' and 'overjoyed.'

  • This is News Review from BBC Learning English.

  • Let's have a look at our first headline.

  • This one's from LBC. 'It's history in the making': outh Korea passes law banning centuries-old dog meat industry.

  • So this headline is about a new law in South Korea which bans an industry which has been around for centuries.

  • But we are looking at the expression history in the making.

  • Georgie, it contains the word history, makes me think of things that happened a long time ago in the past.

  • But this story is about now. So what's happening?

  • Yes. So we use history in the making to describe big important events that are likely to become history or something significant that we're all going to remember in the future.

  • So here, because the dog meat industry has been around for so long for centuries, this new law is a big moment for the history books.

  • It's history in the making.

  • Are there any other ways we can describe this kind of big important event, Neil?

  • Yes. So in news headlines, we often see words like 'historic' or 'history making.'

  • How do we use them?

  • Yes. Well, those words are both adjectives which have very similar meanings.

  • So you can say the new law is 'history in the making' or the 'history making law,' or even 'it's a historic law.'

  • Ok. Let's look at that again.

  • Let's have our next headline.

  • This one's from Al -Jazeera. South Korea takes dog meat off the menu.

  • In this headline, we are looking at the expression 'off the menu,' and in this case, it's literal, this new law has come in.

  • And it means that restaurants will have to take dog meat off their menu to remove it.

  • Otherwise they'll get in trouble with the law, could even go to jail.

  • But I think probably, Georgie, there's another meaning as well.

  • Yes, you're right.

  • Here, it's used literally, dog meat won't be on the menu in restaurants.

  • But we can also use 'off the menu' in a metaphorical way to say that something is not an option.

  • So, Neil, this year, my New Year's resolution is to save money.

  • So, buying a sports car is off the menu for me this year.

  • Ah, yes.

  • Uh, unless you win the lottery, then buying a sports car will be on the menu again.

  • Let's have some more examples.

  • What are you doing this weekend?

  • Well, I wanted to go for a hike but I can see that it's going to rain this weekend.

  • So that's off the menu and there aren't really any good films out at the moment, so that's off the menu as well.

  • Maybe I'll meet up with a friend.

  • Ah, yes. Meeting a friend should always be on the menu.

  • Let's look at that again.

  • Let's have a look at our next headline.

  • This one's from the Investors Observer: South Korea bans the dog meat industry with historic vote at National Assembly as animal campaigners 'overjoyed.'

  • This headline talks about the reactions of animal rights campaigners who have described the dog meat industry as cruel.

  • The word we're looking at is 'overjoyed.'

  • Now, Georgie, if we look inside this word, we can find two parts that help us under understand the sense.

  • Yes, we have over and joyed.

  • The first part 'over' can mean more than and 'joy' is another word for happiness.

  • So overjoyed means more than happy or very or extremely happy.

  • The animal campaigners in this story are very happy about the new law.

  • Yeah. And we have lots of examples in English of words that start with over like overjoyed.

  • Can you give us some more examples?

  • Yes, you've got 'overconfident,' which means very confident, almost too confident.

  • This one sounds a bit negative.

  • We've also got 'overpriced,' which means that something is more expensive than it should be.

  • Going back to overjoyed. Neil, are there any other words that mean very happy?

  • Yes, we have 'thrilled.'

  • We also have 'ecstatic,' and there's a really nice expression, 'to be on cloud nine.'

  • Let's look at that again.

  • We've had 'history in the making' - an event that will be remembered as really significant.

  • 'Off the menu' - not an option.

  • And 'overjoyed' - very happy.

  • Now, if you're interested in learning more English from the news headlines, click here.

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  • Thank you for joining us and goodbye.

  • Bye.

Dog meat banned in new South Korean law.

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