Got Something to Hide? Try 'Sweeping It Under the Rug'
2022-07-10
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2On today's show, we go into the home! We talk about a common object that gives us some useful expressions.
3That object is a rug.
4 Rugs are floor coverings that serve many purposes in a home.
5They add color and style to a room.
6They protect the floor.
7Rugs can make a home more comfortable and quiet.
8They can also make a slippery floor safer to walk on.
9But since they are on the floor, rugs can trap a lot of dirt.
10When we clean the floor, it is a good idea to remove the rugs first.
11This way, you can sweep away all the stuff that gets trapped under it.
12But if you don't have time or are feeling a little lazy, you can always clean the floor quickly and just sweep around the rug.
13The dirt under the rug cannot be seen. It's like it's not there.
14And that brings us to our first expression:
15"to sweep something under the rug."
16When we "sweep something under the rug," we try to hide something.
17 What kinds of things do we try to hide?
18Things that are illegal, unethical, embarrassing, or just wrong.
19For example, the corrupt politician won re-election because he swept all his failures and dirty dealings under the rug.
20Here is another example:
21Before meeting her new boyfriend's family, my friend carefully and completely swept all her past mistakes under the rug.
22She wanted a fresh start.
23She decided to keep her complex past hidden.
24You might also hear someone say "brush something under the rug."
25The word "brush" in this case means to clean something off.
26Now, as we said earlier, one purpose of a rug it to make the floor safer.
27But there are also ways that a rug can be dangerous.
28If someone pulls a rug out from under your feet, you most likely would fall. And you could get hurt.
29So, when we "pull the rug from under someone's feet," we put that person in a difficult and unexpected situation.
30We suddenly take away support or help from them.
31For example, I felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under my feet when I found out my apartment building was being torn down.
32I had only one week to find a new place to live!
33You can also say, "to pull the rug out from under someone."
34It means the same thing.
35We finish today's program not with another expression but with a joke.
36As we discussed earlier, a rug covers and protects the floor.
37But the word "cover" has many meanings.
38"Cover" can also mean to give protection or to pay for something.
39So, let's say I go out to dinner with a friend and she forgets money. I can say, "I have money. I've got this covered."
40 That means I will pay.
41Here is another example:
42Some home insurance policies do not cover flood damage.
43The policies do not protect against high water damage.
44Knowing that definition of "cover" helps you understand this joke.
45Once there was an old floor in an old house.
46It learned that the owner of the house wanted to put in a new floor.
47The floor cried and cried about the bad news.
48Hearing the floor crying, the rug wanted to make the floor feel better.
49So, what did the rug say to the floor?
50"Don't worry. I've got you covered."
51That joke is a pun on the word "cover."
52And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2On today's show, we go into the home! We talk about a common object that gives us some useful expressions. 3That object is a rug. Rugs are floor coverings that serve many purposes in a home. They add color and style to a room. They protect the floor. Rugs can make a home more comfortable and quiet. They can also make a slippery floor safer to walk on. 4But since they are on the floor, rugs can trap a lot of dirt. When we clean the floor, it is a good idea to remove the rugs first. This way, you can sweep away all the stuff that gets trapped under it. 5But if you don't have time or are feeling a little lazy, you can always clean the floor quickly and just sweep around the rug. The dirt under the rug cannot be seen. It's like it's not there. 6And that brings us to our first expression: "to sweep something under the rug." 7When we "sweep something under the rug," we try to hide something. What kinds of things do we try to hide? Things that are illegal, unethical, embarrassing, or just wrong. 8For example, the corrupt politician won re-election because he swept all his failures and dirty dealings under the rug. 9Here is another example: 10Before meeting her new boyfriend's family, my friend carefully and completely swept all her past mistakes under the rug. She wanted a fresh start. She decided to keep her complex past hidden. 11You might also hear someone say "brush something under the rug." The word "brush" in this case means to clean something off. 12Now, as we said earlier, one purpose of a rug it to make the floor safer. But there are also ways that a rug can be dangerous. If someone pulls a rug out from under your feet, you most likely would fall. And you could get hurt. 13So, when we "pull the rug from under someone's feet," we put that person in a difficult and unexpected situation. We suddenly take away support or help from them. 14For example, I felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under my feet when I found out my apartment building was being torn down. I had only one week to find a new place to live! 15You can also say, "to pull the rug out from under someone." It means the same thing. 16We finish today's program not with another expression but with a joke. 17As we discussed earlier, a rug covers and protects the floor. But the word "cover" has many meanings. "Cover" can also mean to give protection or to pay for something. So, let's say I go out to dinner with a friend and she forgets money. I can say, "I have money. I've got this covered." That means I will pay. 18Here is another example: 19Some home insurance policies do not cover flood damage. The policies do not protect against high water damage. 20Knowing that definition of "cover" helps you understand this joke. 21Once there was an old floor in an old house. It learned that the owner of the house wanted to put in a new floor. The floor cried and cried about the bad news. Hearing the floor crying, the rug wanted to make the floor feel better. So, what did the rug say to the floor? 22"Don't worry. I've got you covered." 23That joke is a pun on the word "cover." 24And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 25Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 26___________________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28style - n. a method, manner, or quality that is felt to be very respectable, fashionable, or proper 29slippery - adj. causing or tending to cause something to slide or fall 30lazy - adj. not liking or willing to act or work 31unethical - adj. not conforming to a high moral standard : morally wrong 32embarrassing - adj. causing a feeling of self-conscious confusion and distress 33joke - n. something said or done to provoke laughter 34insurance - n. coverage by contract whereby for an agreed payment one party agrees to indemnify or guarantee another against loss by a specified contingency or peril 35pun- n. a form of joking in which a person uses a word in two senses 36___________________________________________________________________ 37What do you think of this story? Was it helpful in your understanding of the expression "sweep something under the rug"? 38We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: