Where Is the 'Wrong Side of the Tracks'?
2022-09-04
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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.
3We give examples and notes on usage.
4And sometimes we tell you how the expression came into use.
5Today we talk about train tracks.
6Imagine a town that has a railroad and train tracks running through it.
7Trains may be great to travel on, but crossing their tracks can be dangerous.
8Bright lights and warning signals at tracks can only do so much.
9Train tracks often will divide a town in two.
10One side is often more desirable than the other.
11The houses are usually bigger or newer.
12Public resources, like schools and parks, are more available or are better operated.
13There might be better stores, restaurants and fewer crimes reported on the desirable side of town.
14The other side of the tracks, and town, might be poorer.
15The houses are smaller or less modern.
16It also might be where factories, trash dumps, and other industrial sites are found.
17Community centers, playgrounds, and similar places may be few and far between.
18This means there aren't many of these facilities.
19That kind of town, separated by a "good" side and a "bad" side, is at the heart of the expression the "wrong side of the tracks."
20"Tracks" refers to the railroad tracks.
21These sometimes were thought of as splitting a town between the haves and have nots.
22If I am from the wrong side of the tracks, I am from the poor part of a town.
23However, you don't have to live in a town with railroad tracks to use this expression.
24And many towns with railroad tracks do not divide rich and poor people.
25If I grew up in an underdeveloped, poor and possibly dangerous environment without railroad tracks, I could still say I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks.
26We use this expression another way.
27Sometimes we don't even know where a person is from.
28But if they often cause or get into trouble, someone might say they are bad news and are from the wrong side of tracks.
29Now, crossing the tracks either for love or to create a richer life, is a popular idea in stories.
30Many popular movies are about star-crossed lovers who are from different sides of the tracks.
31Their different economic conditions and cultural backgrounds form a barrier.
32Their families and friends try to keep them apart.
33But in the end, they overcome these obstacles, fall in love, and live happily ever after.
34At least in the movies.
35Dirty Dancing is one of these popular movies.
36She is a upper-middle class girl.
37He is a working-class dance teacher.
38They meet at a summer camp and their shared joy of dance brings them together.
39The barriers break down.
40Lady And The Tramp, Pretty Woman, and Grease are other very popular movies centered on this idea.
41Now, sometimes the story concerns one character trying to move from the wrong side of the tracks to the right side.
42We can call this a rags-to-riches story. "Rags" here are old, poor clothing in disrepair.
43Annie is a rags-to-riches story.
44She is a poor and parentless girl who gets adopted by a rich man.
45Sometimes the story is about two groups of people from either side of the tracks who can't seem to get over their differences and get along.
46The film The Outsiders is a good example.
47The Greasers are from the wrong side of the tracks.
48The Socials are from the right side of the tracks.
49In the story, however, both sides get into trouble.
50The Socials, or Socs, just have more money and better cars.
51And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
52Don't forget to practice using the expression to be from the wrong or right side of the tracks.
53Until 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. We give examples and notes on usage. And sometimes we tell you how the expression came into use. 3Today we talk about train tracks. 4Imagine a town that has a railroad and train tracks running through it. Trains may be great to travel on, but crossing their tracks can be dangerous. Bright lights and warning signals at tracks can only do so much. Train tracks often will divide a town in two. 5One side is often more desirable than the other. The houses are usually bigger or newer. Public resources, like schools and parks, are more available or are better operated. There might be better stores, restaurants and fewer crimes reported on the desirable side of town. 6The other side of the tracks, and town, might be poorer. The houses are smaller or less modern. It also might be where factories, trash dumps, and other industrial sites are found. Community centers, playgrounds, and similar places may be few and far between. This means there aren't many of these facilities. 7That kind of town, separated by a "good" side and a "bad" side, is at the heart of the expression the "wrong side of the tracks." 8"Tracks" refers to the railroad tracks. These sometimes were thought of as splitting a town between the haves and have nots. If I am from the wrong side of the tracks, I am from the poor part of a town. 9However, you don't have to live in a town with railroad tracks to use this expression. And many towns with railroad tracks do not divide rich and poor people. If I grew up in an underdeveloped, poor and possibly dangerous environment without railroad tracks, I could still say I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. 10We use this expression another way. 11Sometimes we don't even know where a person is from. But if they often cause or get into trouble, someone might say they are bad news and are from the wrong side of tracks. 12Now, crossing the tracks either for love or to create a richer life, is a popular idea in stories. 13Many popular movies are about star-crossed lovers who are from different sides of the tracks. Their different economic conditions and cultural backgrounds form a barrier. Their families and friends try to keep them apart. But in the end, they overcome these obstacles, fall in love, and live happily ever after. At least in the movies. 14Dirty Dancing is one of these popular movies. She is a upper-middle class girl. He is a working-class dance teacher. They meet at a summer camp and their shared joy of dance brings them together. The barriers break down. 15Lady And The Tramp, Pretty Woman, and Grease are other very popular movies centered on this idea. 16Now, sometimes the story concerns one character trying to move from the wrong side of the tracks to the right side. We can call this a rags-to-riches story. "Rags" here are old, poor clothing in disrepair. Annie is a rags-to-riches story. She is a poor and parentless girl who gets adopted by a rich man. 17Sometimes the story is about two groups of people from either side of the tracks who can't seem to get over their differences and get along. 18The film The Outsiders is a good example. The Greasers are from the wrong side of the tracks. The Socials are from the right side of the tracks. In the story, however, both sides get into trouble. The Socials, or Socs, just have more money and better cars. 19And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Don't forget to practice using the expression to be from the wrong or right side of the tracks. 20Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo! 21Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 22____________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24obstacle - n. something that stands in the way or opposes 25class - n. a group sharing the same economic or social status 26adopt - v. to take by choice into a relationship especially : to take voluntarily (a child of other parents) as one's own child 27_____________________________________________________________________ 28We want to hear from you! Do you have a similar expression in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the language from the story. 29We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 30Write your comment in the box. 31Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 32Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 33Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.