'Fresh As a Daisy,' Other Daisy Expressions
2022-04-03
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1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language.
3The natural world gives us many of our expressions -- from weather to animals to plant life.
4Today we talk about a kind of flower.
5Daisies are big, bright, happy-looking flowers.
6They stand upright on strong stems.
7So, if we describe someone as being "fresh as a daisy" we mean they seem well-rested and full of energy.
8We often say we are fresh as a daisy after resting or getting cleaned up.
9Here is an example.
10After an all-day hike, I was very tired.
11But after a shower and short rest, I felt fresh as a daisy and ready for the next activity.
12Looking fresh as a daisy can also describe a place or room that is clean and orderly.
13For example, after the man cleaned and painted his kitchen, it looked fresh as a daisy.
14When a child is learning to walk, they often fall.
15To encourage them to stand up and try again, we might say "upsy-daisy!"
16We also might say "upsy-daisy" when we lift a child up.
17It just sounds cute! Upsy-daisy!
18Speaking of children, a popular activity with some is to connect flowers together, like a chain, and wear them.
19Because of their strong stems, daisies are commonly used to make "daisy chains."
20A daisy chain can mean any connected events, experiences, happenings, or things.
21A daisy chain is also used to describe electrical signals that are connected in a system.
22Sometimes, this can be used as a verb.
23When the Internet went down, I had to daisy-chain my phone to a friend's computer to share some videos.
24There is also a strange way we use the flower "daisy."
25If someone is "pushing up daisies," they are, unfortunately, dead and buried.
26This comes from the fact that wildflowers often grow on top of graves.
27We may use daisies for this expression because they grow easily and wildly in nature.
28It is important to know that we only use this expression informally.
29Sometimes we use it as a joke.
30For example, I'll be pushing up daisies before a time travel machine is invented.
31And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
32Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2On this program we explore words and expressions in the English language. 3The natural world gives us many of our expressions -- from weather to animals to plant life. Today we talk about a kind of flower. 4Fresh as a daisy 5Daisies are big, bright, happy-looking flowers. They stand upright on strong stems. So, if we describe someone as being "fresh as a daisy" we mean they seem well-rested and full of energy. 6We often say we are fresh as a daisy after resting or getting cleaned up. Here is an example. After an all-day hike, I was very tired. But after a shower and short rest, I felt fresh as a daisy and ready for the next activity. 7Looking fresh as a daisy can also describe a place or room that is clean and orderly. For example, after the man cleaned and painted his kitchen, it looked fresh as a daisy. 8Upsy-daisy 9When a child is learning to walk, they often fall. To encourage them to stand up and try again, we might say "upsy-daisy!" We also might say "upsy-daisy" when we lift a child up. It just sounds cute! Upsy-daisy! 10Daisy chain 11Speaking of children, a popular activity with some is to connect flowers together, like a chain, and wear them. Because of their strong stems, daisies are commonly used to make "daisy chains." 12A daisy chain can mean any connected events, experiences, happenings, or things. A daisy chain is also used to describe electrical signals that are connected in a system. 13Sometimes, this can be used as a verb. When the Internet went down, I had to daisy-chain my phone to a friend's computer to share some videos. 14Pushing up daisies 15There is also a strange way we use the flower "daisy." If someone is "pushing up daisies," they are, unfortunately, dead and buried. This comes from the fact that wildflowers often grow on top of graves. We may use daisies for this expression because they grow easily and wildly in nature. 16It is important to know that we only use this expression informally. Sometimes we use it as a joke. For example, I'll be pushing up daisies before a time travel machine is invented. 17And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 18Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 19_______________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21stem -n. a plant part (such as a branch, petiole, or stipe) that supports another (such as a leaf or fruit) 22fresh -adj. newly made or received 23hike -n. a long walk especially for pleasure or exercise 24chain -n. a series of connected links or rings usually of metal: a series of things joined together as if by link