'Holding Down the Fort' Is a Big Job
2023-03-26
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2A fort is a place of protection.
3It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features.
4It is used as a defense.
5It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials.
6Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort.
7And that is where our expression comes in.
8If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away.
9In other words, you are in charge! You are the chief!
10For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party.
11But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride.
12So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother.
13Sometimes we just say hold the fort.
14This also means staying behind to take care of things.
15Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge.
16They are responsible for what happens.
17And they may be responsible for the safety of others.
18For example:
19Marion is the most responsible of the group.
20So we left her at the house to hold the fort.
21There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression.
22In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort - Fort Knox.
23Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States.
24Why is it protected? Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept.
25Needless to say, it is heavily guarded.
26So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox.
27A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded.
28We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox.
29Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends.
30A: Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place?
31B: Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home. So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out.
32A: Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood? I feel like I've been sitting all day.
33B: Sound good. Let's walk past that construction project down the street.
34A: They've been working on that house for months. I'm curious about the renovations.
35B: Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows.
36A: That's a really bad idea. The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras.
37If you sneak in ... you're on your own.
38And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ...
39I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2A fort is a place of protection. It is a fortified structure with strong walls and doors, complex locks, barriers, and other security features. It is used as a defense. It is a place often protected by soldiers and occupied by officials. Someone always is in charge or responsible for a fort. 3And that is where our expression comes in. 4If someone asked you to hold down the fort, you are responsible for a place while those who supervise it are away. In other words, you are in charge! You are the chief! 5For example, once a friend and I were at my house preparing for a party. But then I got an emergency call from my brother who needed a ride. So, my friend held down the fort at home and welcomed party guests while I helped my brother. 6Sometimes we just say hold the fort. This also means staying behind to take care of things. Again, whoever is holding the fort is in charge. They are responsible for what happens. And they may be responsible for the safety of others. 7For example: 8Marion is the most responsible of the group. So we left her at the house to hold the fort. 9There is another way we use the word "fort" in an expression. 10In the American state of Kentucky, there is a famous fort - Fort Knox. Fort Knox is a protected place in the United States. Why is it protected? Fort Knox is a place where lots of gold is kept. 11Needless to say, it is heavily guarded. So, when we want to describe a place that is hard to get into, we can compare it to Fort Knox. A place that is like Fort Knox is inaccessible usually because it is locked or heavily guarded. We can also say a place is as safe or as secure as Fort Knox. 12Now, let's hear these two expressions used by two friends. 13A: Hi, Sam! What brings you to my place? 14B: Well, Maxine is holding down the fort at home. So, I thought I'd stop by to see if you want to hang out. 15A: Sure! How about a walk around the neighborhood? I feel like I've been sitting all day. 16B: Sound good. Let's walk past that construction project down the street. 17A: They've been working on that house for months. I'm curious about the renovations. 18B: Maybe we can sneak into the place and look in the windows. 19A: That's a really bad idea. The property is locked up tighter than Fort Knox and probably has many security cameras. If you sneak in ... you're on your own. 20And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time ... 21I'm Anna Matteo. 22Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 23____________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25fortified - adj. made stronger or more secure 26barrier - n. something material that blocks or is intended to block passage 27inaccessible - adj. not accessible 28construction - n. something built or put together 29renovate - v. to make like new again : put in good condition: renovation - n. the act of making new again 30sneak - v. to go about in a sly or secret manner 31____________________________________________________________________ 32We 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 expressions from the story. 33We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 34Each 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.