Footloose and Fancy-free
2023-02-05
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2English has many idioms to express close connections.
3If two people are extremely close and do everything together, we say they are joined at the hip.
4If two people are very similar to each other, we say they are two peas in a pod.
5And when two people marry, we say they tied the knot.
6If you are tied down, that means there are important things you must do, and those things prevent you from doing something else.
7For example, you can be tied down by your employment or some other tasks.
8You can be tied down for an afternoon, a week, a month, or for years, depending on the situation.
9For example, you might say, "I'm going to be tied down here for the next few hours."
10But you might also say, "He didn't get married because he didn't want to get tied down."
11In this second example, tied down refers to a long period of time.
12But what about those people who haven't tied the knot and are not tied down?
13What expression can we use to describe them?
14The following exchange gives the answer:
15A: I think Michael would be a great match for Ellen.
16B: I think he would too, but I don't think he's ready.
17Maybe in a few years.
18A: You think he's too young?
19B: Not really, it's just that he doesn't want to be tied down.
20He wants to travel and be, you know, footloose and fancy-free.
21A: Sounds kind of nice, actually!
22Footloose and fancy-free means that you do not have serious commitments.
23It expresses freedom and being without serious worries.
24Some people may connect the expression with young people who do not yet have serious responsibilities in their lives.
25American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster says the first known use of fancy-free dates to 1590 and first meant being free from romantic attachment.
26The first known use of footloose came in 1650.
27In the 1800s, footloose and fancy-free were combined into one expression in American English.
28Footloose and fancy-free is the title of numerous songs, and Footloose was a popular American musical film released in 1984.
29The movie is about a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing is not permitted.
30But the teenager wants to dance and set his feet free.
31Whether you're feeling tied down or footloose and fancy-free, that's it for this week's Words and Their Stories.
32I'm Andrew Smith.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2English has many idioms to express close connections. If two people are extremely close and do everything together, we say they are joined at the hip. If two people are very similar to each other, we say they are two peas in a pod. And when two people marry, we say they tied the knot. 3If you are tied down, that means there are important things you must do, and those things prevent you from doing something else. For example, you can be tied down by your employment or some other tasks. You can be tied down for an afternoon, a week, a month, or for years, depending on the situation. 4For example, you might say, "I'm going to be tied down here for the next few hours." But you might also say, "He didn't get married because he didn't want to get tied down." In this second example, tied down refers to a long period of time. 5But what about those people who haven't tied the knot and are not tied down? What expression can we use to describe them? 6The following exchange gives the answer: 7A: I think Michael would be a great match for Ellen. 8B: I think he would too, but I don't think he's ready. Maybe in a few years. 9A: You think he's too young? 10B: Not really, it's just that he doesn't want to be tied down. He wants to travel and be, you know, footloose and fancy-free. 11A: Sounds kind of nice, actually! 12Footloose and fancy-free means that you do not have serious commitments. It expresses freedom and being without serious worries. Some people may connect the expression with young people who do not yet have serious responsibilities in their lives. 13American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster says the first known use of fancy-free dates to 1590 and first meant being free from romantic attachment. The first known use of footloose came in 1650. In the 1800s, footloose and fancy-free were combined into one expression in American English. 14Footloose and fancy-free is the title of numerous songs, and Footloose was a popular American musical film released in 1984. The movie is about a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing is not permitted. But the teenager wants to dance and set his feet free. 15Whether you're feeling tied down or footloose and fancy-free, that's it for this week's Words and Their Stories. 16I'm Andrew Smith. 17Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 18________________________________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20idiom -n. an expression that has a meaning that is different than the individual words might suggest 21hip -n. the sides of the body between the legs and the waist or the bone that is in that place 22pea -n. a round, green seed that is a common food 23pod -n. a part of a plant that contains seeds, especially peas 24task -n. a job that is given to someone and that needs to be done 25commitment -n. something that a person has a responsibility to do 26________________________________________________________________ 27We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? In the Comments section, you can also practice using any of the expressions from the story. 28We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each 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.