When Is Something 'Ancient History'?
2024-03-24
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Do you like to learn about ancient history?
3If you do, you could call yourself a history buff.
4If you are a "buff," you have a strong interest in a subject and want to learn all about it.
5History buffs can have a special interest in a particular historical period in the past.
6For example, they might read a lot about ancient Greek or Roman history.
7History buffs might be interested in ancient Mesopotamia or Carthage.
8Or perhaps the ancient Mayans or Incas would be up their alley.
9If something is up your alley, it goes along with your interests.
10It is something you want to know more about.
11However, English speakers use the expression ancient history in other ways.
12And many have nothing to do with exploring cultures from long ago.
13For example, if something is ancient history, it is no longer meaningful or relevant.
14It is outdated or totally forgotten.
15Something that is ancient history is old news.
16Let's say a business owner wants to modernize and update her workspace.
17She says she wants to get a new fax machine.
18But then, her young son tells her fax machines are ancient history.
19Ancient history can describe events in a person's past.
20Let's say a co-worker always talks about his time in high school.
21When he asks about yours, you might say that your high school days are ancient history.
22You barely remember them.
23Sometimes we use ancient history to mean something has been completely forgotten - even if it is a fairly recent event.
24It just feels like it happened a long time ago.
25For example, two friends of yours want to start a business together.
26Last month, it was a café.
27Now, their latest idea is offering storage units for rent.
28When you ask about the café idea, they might say, "Oh, that idea is ancient history. We've moved on from that."
29We also use ancient history in another way.
30Sometimes ancient history means an issue has been resolved and is no longer a problem.
31It is water under the bridge.
32Water under the bridge is another idiom that means a problem no longer exists.
33For example, let's say you had an unpleasant experience with a good friend, but it happened years ago.
34You both value your friendship and choose to forgive and forget.
35The problem is no longer an issue between the two of you.
36It is ancient history.
37And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories.
38Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Do you like to learn about ancient history? If you do, you could call yourself a history buff. If you are a "buff," you have a strong interest in a subject and want to learn all about it. 3History buffs can have a special interest in a particular historical period in the past. For example, they might read a lot about ancient Greek or Roman history. History buffs might be interested in ancient Mesopotamia or Carthage. Or perhaps the ancient Mayans or Incas would be up their alley. If something is up your alley, it goes along with your interests. It is something you want to know more about. 4However, English speakers use the expression ancient history in other ways. And many have nothing to do with exploring cultures from long ago. 5For example, if something is ancient history, it is no longer meaningful or relevant. It is outdated or totally forgotten. Something that is ancient history is old news. 6Let's say a business owner wants to modernize and update her workspace. She says she wants to get a new fax machine. But then, her young son tells her fax machines are ancient history. 7Ancient history can describe events in a person's past. Let's say a co-worker always talks about his time in high school. When he asks about yours, you might say that your high school days are ancient history. You barely remember them. 8Sometimes we use ancient history to mean something has been completely forgotten - even if it is a fairly recent event. It just feels like it happened a long time ago. 9For example, two friends of yours want to start a business together. Last month, it was a café. Now, their latest idea is offering storage units for rent. When you ask about the café idea, they might say, "Oh, that idea is ancient history. We've moved on from that." 10We also use ancient history in another way. Sometimes ancient history means an issue has been resolved and is no longer a problem. It is water under the bridge. Water under the bridge is another idiom that means a problem no longer exists. 11For example, let's say you had an unpleasant experience with a good friend, but it happened years ago. You both value your friendship and choose to forgive and forget. The problem is no longer an issue between the two of you. It is ancient history. 12And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. 13Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 14Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 15________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17relevant -adj. something that is important to the current situation 18rent -n. paying the owner of property like a home, car or machine for its temporary use 19We 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. Our comment policy is here.