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  • Feifei: Hello I'm Feifei and welcome to The English

  • We Speak - and joining me is Rob.

  • Rob: Hello everyone.

  • Feifei: So Rob, I hear you have a new a hobby?

  • Rob: Yes that's right - it's very exciting -

  • let me show you...

  • Feifei: Arghh! Bees! I don't like them - shut the door!

  • So you're new hobby is bee keeping?

  • Rob: Yes I'm a bee keeper - and I love it -

  • but there is a sting in the tail.

  • Feifei: Of course there's a sting in the tail -

  • bees sting - and it hurts, that's why I don't like bees.

  • Rob: They only sting when they're angry Feifei -

  • and anyway, when I said 'there's a sting in the tail'

  • I wasn't referring to the bees.

  • I meant something unpleasant

  • comes with something that is meant to be pleasurable.

  • Feifei: Yes, as I said - looking after bees means

  • you're likely to get stung.

  • Rob: That's true - but what I meant was bee keeping is

  • fun but I wasn't expecting it to cost so much money -

  • I had to buy all these hives

  • and these special protective clothes.

  • Feifei: Yes, you do look silly! So you're saying

  • bee keeping is fun but the unexpected

  • cost of it is the sting in the tail?

  • Rob: Exactly. Let's hear some examples

  • while I go and get some honey...

  • Examples: We had a great holiday

  • but it had a sting in the tail - when we got home

  • we discovered our house had been broken into.

  • I love her new book - the story is funny and romantic -

  • but there's a sting in the tail when someone dies.

  • Yeah, we all got a pay rise this month,

  • but there's a sting in the tail -

  • we're expected to work longer hours.

  • Feifei: So that's 'a sting in the tail' -

  • a phrase that means something unpleasant and

  • sometimes unexpected happens

  • when doing something good or fun.

  • Rob: OK Feifei, one of the good things about bee

  • keeping is you get this delicious honey

  • - and that's free - go on Feifei, try some.

  • Feifei: Hmmm honey, delicious!

  • Oh no, you've brought something else with you...

  • it's a bee!

  • Rob: Don't panic - I'll try to catch it... ouch! That hurt.

  • Feifei: Oh dear - it looks like bee keeping

  • has more than one sting in the tail!

  • Rob: Very funny!

  • Feifei: Bye!

Feifei: Hello I'm Feifei and welcome to The English

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