Are You the Windshield or the Bug?
2024-04-21
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Life has its ups and downs.
3We all have good days and bad days.
4Sometimes life seems easy, sometimes difficult.
5We can't always feel on top of the world every day.
6Today, we explore some idioms and expressions that describe this common condition of life.
7A windshield is the transparent screen, usually of glass, on a vehicle.
8It protects the people inside.
9But to many insects a windshield can also be a screen of death.
10Take a drive in America in the warm months, especially on higher speed roads, and watch as bugs meet their end on the windshield glass.
11And that is where we get our first expression:
12Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug.
13On our good days, we reach our goals.
14We get things done.
15On those kinds of days, we are taking care of business.
16We are killing it! On those days we are the windshield.
17But then our luck changes.
18Things don't go our way.
19We may be down in the dumps or just down on our luck.
20For whatever reason, we are not at the top of our game.
21On these days, we are the bugs.
22This expression is very informal.
23So, it is not very serious.
24Similar expressions include "peaks and valleys."
25Peaks are high while the valleys are low. You can also say "you win some, you lose some."
26And sometimes we refer to life as a "rollercoaster ride."
27Rollercoasters are famous for their high climbs and sharp drops.
28Now let's hear two people use some of these expressions in a short conversation.
29A: Hey, what's wrong? You look a little down.
30B: I just got some bad news from project I'm working on. And things were going so well.
31A: Well, you know what my Grandma Gardenia used to say, "Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug."
32B: Today I'm definitely the bug.
33A: I'm sure things will look better tomorrow. Granny Gardenia also used to say, "you win some, you lose some."
34B: You know ... you're right. We all go through tough times.
35A: That's the spirit! (sighs) Every time I hit a rough patch, Granny Gardenia would say, "Don't let a little setback get you down. Tomorrow is a new day!"
36B: Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it.
37A: Don't thank me. Thank my grandma. It's impossible to be down in the dumps around Granny Gardenia.
38The British band Dire Straits has a song about the subject of life's good times and bad.
39It's called The Bug.
40The song reminds us that we should enjoy the good times because they are temporary.
41As the song goes: sometimes you're the windshield/sometimes you're the bug.
42Do you have a similar expression in your language?
43Let us know in the comments section or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com.
44And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Life has its ups and downs. We all have good days and bad days. Sometimes life seems easy, sometimes difficult. We can't always feel on top of the world every day. 3Today, we explore some idioms and expressions that describe this common condition of life. 4A windshield is the transparent screen, usually of glass, on a vehicle. It protects the people inside. But to many insects a windshield can also be a screen of death. 5Take a drive in America in the warm months, especially on higher speed roads, and watch as bugs meet their end on the windshield glass. 6And that is where we get our first expression: Some days you're the windshield, and some days you're the bug. 7On our good days, we reach our goals. We get things done. On those kinds of days, we are taking care of business. We are killing it! On those days we are the windshield. 8But then our luck changes. Things don't go our way. We may be down in the dumps or just down on our luck. For whatever reason, we are not at the top of our game. On these days, we are the bugs. 9This expression is very informal. So, it is not very serious. Similar expressions include "peaks and valleys." Peaks are high while the valleys are low. You can also say "you win some, you lose some." And sometimes we refer to life as a "rollercoaster ride." Rollercoasters are famous for their high climbs and sharp drops. 10Now let's hear two people use some of these expressions in a short conversation. 11A: Hey, what's wrong? You look a little down. 12B: I just got some bad news from project I'm working on. And things were going so well. 13A: Well, you know what my Grandma Gardenia used to say, "Some days you're the windshield and some days you're the bug." 14B: Today I'm definitely the bug. 15A: I'm sure things will look better tomorrow. Granny Gardenia also used to say, "you win some, you lose some." 16B: You know ... you're right. We all go through tough times. 17A: That's the spirit! (sighs) Every time I hit a rough patch, Granny Gardenia would say, "Don't let a little setback get you down. Tomorrow is a new day!" 18B: Thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it. 19A: Don't thank me. Thank my grandma. It's impossible to be down in the dumps around Granny Gardenia. 20The British band Dire Straits has a song about the subject of life's good times and bad. It's called The Bug. The song reminds us that we should enjoy the good times because they are temporary. As the song goes: sometimes you're the windshield/sometimes you're the bug. 21Do you have a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the comments section or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com. 22And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 23Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 24____________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26transparent - adj. transmitting light so that objects lying beyond are entirely visible 27dump - n. a disorderly or undesirable place 28conversation - n. talking or a talk between two or more people 29rough patch - n. a period of problems in your life 30We want to hear from you. Do you have similar expressions in your language? Our comment policy is here.