Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English
VOA Learning English
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Words and Their Stories programs explain idioms and expressions that many learners of American English find difficult to understand.
Available episodes
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4 days ago
When You 'Raise the Bar,' Things Get Hard - March 03, 2021
Feb 25, 2021
'One-Trick Pony' Has Limits - February 25, 2021
Feb 17, 2021
Freeze! - February 18, 2021
Feb 10, 2021
'Carrying a Torch for Someone' Can Hurt A Lot - February 10, 2021
Feb 4, 2021
Very Busy People 'Burn the Candle at Both Ends' - February 04, 2021
Jan 28, 2021
Get What You Want ... With Honey! - January 28, 2021
Jan 20, 2021
Be Careful When You 'Pin Your Hopes on Something'! - January 20, 2021
Jan 13, 2021
Short-lived Success is a 'Flash in the Pan' - January 14, 2021
Jan 7, 2021
Some Say 'There's No Smoke Without Fire' - January 07, 2021
Dec 30, 2020
Let's 'End on a High Note' - December 30, 2020
Dec 23, 2020
Shenandoah and Its Native American Roots - December 23, 2020
Dec 17, 2020
2020 Is Definitely 'One for the History Books' - December 17, 2020
Dec 10, 2020
Fauci, Kamala Among Famous Names on Mispronounced Words List - December 10, 2020
Dec 7, 2020
Idioms About Sports - December 07, 2020
Dec 4, 2020
Does the 'Carrot-and-Stick' Approach Come From Donkeys? - December 04, 2020
Nov 30, 2020
Dictionaries Choose ‘Pandemic’ as 2020 Word of the Year - November 30, 2020
Nov 27, 2020
Three Words to Describe COVID-19 - November 27, 2020
Nov 19, 2020
'Let's Eat!' Thanksgiving Dinner Idioms - November 19, 2020
Nov 12, 2020
'No Smoke Without Fire' - November 12, 2020
Nov 5, 2020
Want to Know a Secret? Maybe You'll 'Get Wind of It' - November 05, 2020
Oct 28, 2020
'Once in a Blue Moon' - October 28, 2020
Oct 21, 2020
Jack-o'-Lantern: Why Is It Named 'Jack'? - October 21, 2020
Oct 15, 2020
Hard Nuts to Crack - October 15, 2020
Oct 9, 2020
Sometimes 'It Takes Two to Tango' - October 09, 2020
Oct 1, 2020
It's Not the End of the World - October 01, 2020
Sep 25, 2020
Do You Have a Sprinter or Marathon Mentality? - September 25, 2020
Sep 17, 2020
Why Do We 'Pay Through the Nose' for Costly Things? - September 18, 2020
Sep 10, 2020
Like a 'Deer Caught in Headlights' - September 10, 2020
Sep 3, 2020
Go Ahead: 'Steal My Thunder' - September 03, 2020
Aug 27, 2020
Test Your World With Two Science Terms - August 27, 2020
Aug 20, 2020
Use Your Time Wisely: 'Make Hay While the Sun Shines' - August 20, 2020
Aug 13, 2020
Keep on the 'Sunny Side' - August 13, 2020
Aug 6, 2020
Ways We All Can 'Go Off the Deep End' - August 06, 2020
Jul 30, 2020
It Really Is a 'Small World' - July 30, 2020
Jul 27, 2020
The World Needs More Tree Huggers - July 27, 2020
Jul 16, 2020
Two Flowers to Describe Quiet, Shy People - July 16, 2020
Jul 8, 2020
'Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice' ... Or Does It? - July 08, 2020
Jun 30, 2020
'Rolling Stones Gather No Moss' - June 30, 2020
Jun 24, 2020
Don't 'Bite the Hand That Feeds You' - June 24, 2020
Jun 18, 2020
Father's Day Expressions - June 18, 2020
Jun 10, 2020
'Waste Not, Want Not' Is Good Advice - June 10, 2020
Jun 4, 2020
Danger! 'Snake in the Grass'! - June 04, 2020
May 29, 2020
Quarantini? Moronavirus? COVID-10? Wordplay Brings Humor to These Times - May 29, 2020
May 27, 2020
Feeling 'Under the Weather'? - May 27, 2020
May 21, 2020
Take Time to 'Stop and Smell the Roses' - May 21, 2020
May 7, 2020
Spring Up Like Mushrooms! - May 07, 2020
Apr 29, 2020
Don't Waste Time 'Barking up the Wrong Tree' - April 29, 2020
Apr 24, 2020
How Fast Is ‘Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail’? - April 24, 2020
Apr 20, 2020
Learn the Cause of 'Cabin Fever' - April 20, 2020
Apr 10, 2020
'Breathing Room' Reduces Stress - April 10, 2020