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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 243. The idiom today is to scratch ones back.

  • Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. If someone scratches someone else's

  • back, he or she will do a favor for someone, usually in expectation for a

  • favor in return. So you do something for me, I do something for you. When it is

  • used in this sense, we often hear people say if you scratch my back I'll

  • scratch yours. Okay, good. now of course, scratch one's back could

  • also have the literal meaning. Like you could ask someone to scratch your back

  • like if there was an area and your back that you couldn't reach, you could

  • literally ask someone to scratch your back. But that does not mean that you

  • have a ... you need a favor to be returned for that. But in this one it does. So

  • let's continue. The origin of the phrase goes back to the 1600s when crew members

  • were given lashes as a punishment. Yeah. This is probably on a ship or a boat. If

  • you ever seen any of those old movies, where the captain wants one of

  • the crew members punished. You know give him ten lashes. So, so it goes back to

  • this, this time. Some crew members made deals with others to only give light

  • lashes. So not too harsh. Not a real strong whip. But maybe I don't know maybe

  • they just pretended and gave a much lighter lash. Which in effect was more

  • like scratching. So that's where it supposedly had come from. Then of course the

  • favor would be returned if the other person was doing the whipping and the

  • situation was reversed. So if you're lucky enough or if you make deals with

  • enough of the crew members, maybe if that one is chosen to whip you, you whip them.

  • You both agreed to give you two the light lashes. So the punishment is not as

  • harsh. Okay. Good and we have a one example here for this type. That company

  • offered large political campaign donations to that politician.

  • However, they expected him to vote in the company's favor in case legislation came

  • up that would affect them. That would affect their company. Maybe they knew

  • something was coming up. So they were giving this purposely to try to you know,

  • get this guy's vote and indirect bribe really. This is a case of if you scratch

  • my back, I'll scratch yours. Okay. Good. Anyway, I hope it's clear. I hope you

  • got it. Thank you for your time. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Idioms 243. The idiom today is to scratch ones back.

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