Expressions Using Our Head and Shoulders
2024-10-20
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1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Many English expressions and idioms use parts of the body to describe things unrelated to the body.
3For example, a green thumb means to be good at growing vegetables, flowers and other plants.
4And if something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.
5Well, today, we talk about your shoulder.
6This part connects your arm to your body.
7And the shoulder finds its way into many expressions.
8For starters, let's talk about "shoulder" as a verb.
9If you shoulder something, you accept it as your responsibility; you give support, or you take the blame.
10Here is an example:
11Since he was the leader of the project, he shouldered the blame for its failure.
12And this is a great place to start.
13This idea of taking responsibility and giving support leads us to some other "shoulder" expressions.
14For example, during difficult times in our lives, it is often necessary to have a shoulder to lean on or a shoulder to cry on.
15When we lean on someone's shoulder, we ask for their help.
16When we cry on someone's shoulder, they are there for support.
17It is important to have at least one friend who has a good shoulder to cry on.
18These friends are great because they don't ask questions.
19They just listen and let us cry.
20You can also put your head on someone's shoulder.
21This means you are getting comfort and support from that person.
22We call people who give us a shoulder to lean on or cry on our "support system."
23There is another way our shoulders give us support.
24If you are successful in your career but others have come before you, you can say you are standing on the shoulders of giants.
25This means you have not succeeded on your own.
26You have learned from others in the same field who had earlier successes.
27This expression is often used in science.
28This is an area where discoveries are often built upon the works of others.
29Because this expression uses the word "giant," we often use it when talking about very well-known people.
30For example, in the world of science, the giants may include Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein.
31Now, from our shoulders, let's move up to our heads. Our heads are centered between our shoulders.
32So, it should not be surprising that we have a couple of expressions that use both.
33If you have a good head on your shoulders, you are thoughtful and smart.
34You do the right thing, and people can count on you.
35When you have a good head on your shoulders, you often achieve success in life.
36This quality, people say, often puts you head and shoulders above the rest.
37This means you are much better than those in a similar field or competition.
38Let's here it used in an example:
39You have applied for a job.
40You have more education and much more experience than the job requires.
41You also have special skills that make you even more desirable.
42You feel these factors put you head and shoulders above the other candidates.
43Here's another example:
44You are preparing to run in a race.
45You have clocked the fastest time, and you have trained more than all the other runners.
46That certainly makes you head and shoulders above the rest.
47And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
48Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Many English expressions and idioms use parts of the body to describe things unrelated to the body. For example, a green thumb means to be good at growing vegetables, flowers and other plants. And if something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. 3Well, today, we talk about your shoulder. This part connects your arm to your body. And the shoulder finds its way into many expressions. 4For starters, let's talk about "shoulder" as a verb. If you shoulder something, you accept it as your responsibility; you give support, or you take the blame. 5Here is an example: 6Since he was the leader of the project, he shouldered the blame for its failure. 7And this is a great place to start. This idea of taking responsibility and giving support leads us to some other "shoulder" expressions. 8For example, during difficult times in our lives, it is often necessary to have a shoulder to lean on or a shoulder to cry on. 9When we lean on someone's shoulder, we ask for their help. When we cry on someone's shoulder, they are there for support. 10It is important to have at least one friend who has a good shoulder to cry on. These friends are great because they don't ask questions. They just listen and let us cry. You can also put your head on someone's shoulder. This means you are getting comfort and support from that person. 11We call people who give us a shoulder to lean on or cry on our "support system." 12There is another way our shoulders give us support. If you are successful in your career but others have come before you, you can say you are standing on the shoulders of giants. This means you have not succeeded on your own. You have learned from others in the same field who had earlier successes. 13This expression is often used in science. This is an area where discoveries are often built upon the works of others. Because this expression uses the word "giant," we often use it when talking about very well-known people. For example, in the world of science, the giants may include Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein. 14Now, from our shoulders, let's move up to our heads. Our heads are centered between our shoulders. So, it should not be surprising that we have a couple of expressions that use both. 15If you have a good head on your shoulders, you are thoughtful and smart. You do the right thing, and people can count on you. When you have a good head on your shoulders, you often achieve success in life. 16This quality, people say, often puts you head and shoulders above the rest. This means you are much better than those in a similar field or competition. 17Let's here it used in an example: 18You have applied for a job. You have more education and much more experience than the job requires. You also have special skills that make you even more desirable. You feel these factors put you head and shoulders above the other candidates. 19Here's another example: 20You are preparing to run in a race. You have clocked the fastest time, and you have trained more than all the other runners. That certainly makes you head and shoulders above the rest. 21And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 22Until next time, I'm Anna Matteo. 23Anna Matteo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 24_______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26idiom -n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but must be learned as a whole 27expensive -adj. costly : having a high price 28lean on -v. to depend on someone for support and encouragement 29giant -adj. having extremely large size, proportion, or power 30apply -v. to make an application : apply for a job 31factor -n. something that contributes to the production of a result 32Do you have a similar expression in your language? Let us know in the comments. Our comment policy is here. Or send us an email at LearningEnglish@voanews.com.