'To Have a Monkey on Your Back' Is No Laughing Matter

2022-11-13

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
  • 2
  • Today we talk about an expression, or idiom, involving an animal - a monkey to be exact.
  • 3
  • Monkeys are intelligent animals, and they often do funny things.
  • 4
  • So, the English language has some monkey expressions that describe a fun situation.
  • 5
  • For example, to monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious.
  • 6
  • And if something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun!
  • 7
  • But what if you had to carry a monkey around with you every minute of every day ... on your back? That may not be so fun.
  • 8
  • And that brings us to today's expression - to have a monkey on your back.
  • 9
  • If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem that cannot be easily solved.
  • 10
  • And you possibly have had that problem for a long time.
  • 11
  • To have a monkey on your back can also mean to carry a great emotional weight.
  • 12
  • This weight comes from a bad decision or perhaps a feeling that you have done something wrong.
  • 13
  • But the expression is used in more situations than that.
  • 14
  • It is often used to describe a serious problem, worry, or concern that makes life difficult or unpleasant.
  • 15
  • Sometimes we use this idiom to describe a situation that is not our fault.
  • 16
  • It could be a hardship or condition from which we suffer.
  • 17
  • Here are some examples.
  • 18
  • A man grew up in extreme poverty.
  • 19
  • For a time, it was a monkey on his back.
  • 20
  • But getting a good education was the first step to getting the monkey off his back.
  • 21
  • If a woman has a gambling, alcohol, or drug addiction, we could say she has a monkey on her back.
  • 22
  • It could last for many years or even a lifetime.
  • 23
  • However, if she could solve or end the problem, we could say she finally got the monkey off her back!
  • 24
  • There is another expression that also means having a monkey on your back.
  • 25
  • That expression is a millstone around someone's neck.
  • 26
  • A millstone is a very large, heavy stone used for grinding things such as grain or corn.
  • 27
  • It crushes things easily.
  • 28
  • So, we also use the word millstone to describe a serious responsibility, problem, or concern.
  • 29
  • For example, student debt is a millstone for many young people.
  • 30
  • We could also say the debt is a millstone around their necks or a monkey on their backs.
  • 31
  • And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!
  • 32
  • Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
  • 1
  • And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
  • 2
  • Today we talk about an expression, or idiom, involving an animal - a monkey to be exact.
  • 3
  • Monkeys are intelligent animals, and they often do funny things. So, the English language has some monkey expressions that describe a fun situation.
  • 4
  • For example, to monkey around means to do things that are not useful or serious. And if something is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, it is very fun!
  • 5
  • But what if you had to carry a monkey around with you every minute of every day ... on your back? That may not be so fun.
  • 6
  • And that brings us to today's expression - to have a monkey on your back.
  • 7
  • If you have a monkey on your back, you have a problem that cannot be easily solved. And you possibly have had that problem for a long time.
  • 8
  • To have a monkey on your back can also mean to carry a great emotional weight. This weight comes from a bad decision or perhaps a feeling that you have done something wrong.
  • 9
  • But the expression is used in more situations than that.
  • 10
  • It is often used to describe a serious problem, worry, or concern that makes life difficult or unpleasant. Sometimes we use this idiom to describe a situation that is not our fault. It could be a hardship or condition from which we suffer.
  • 11
  • Here are some examples.
  • 12
  • A man grew up in extreme poverty. For a time, it was a monkey on his back. But getting a good education was the first step to getting the monkey off his back.
  • 13
  • If a woman has a gambling, alcohol, or drug addiction, we could say she has a monkey on her back. It could last for many years or even a lifetime. However, if she could solve or end the problem, we could say she finally got the monkey off her back!
  • 14
  • There is another expression that also means having a monkey on your back.
  • 15
  • That expression is a millstone around someone's neck.
  • 16
  • A millstone is a very large, heavy stone used for grinding things such as grain or corn. It crushes things easily. So, we also use the word millstone to describe a serious responsibility, problem, or concern.
  • 17
  • For example, student debt is a millstone for many young people. We could also say the debt is a millstone around their necks or a monkey on their backs.
  • 18
  • And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!
  • 19
  • Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
  • 20
  • Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.
  • 21
  • __________________________________________________________________
  • 22
  • Words in This Story
  • 23
  • barrel -n. a round bulging container that is longer than it is wide and has flat ends
  • 24
  • fault -n. a wrongful act
  • 25
  • addiction -n. a strong inclination to do, use, or indulge in something repeatedly