[ti:Hold On] [ar:Rich Kleinfeldt] [al:WORDS AND THEIR STORIES] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Go to 51voa.com for more.. [00:09.98]Now, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, [00:14.52]a VOA Special English program [00:16.76]about American expressions. [00:19.21]I'm Rich Kleinfeldt [00:21.40]with expressions made [00:23.18]using the word hold. [00:24.77]"Can't hold a candle to" [00:28.21]is a popular expression. [00:30.44]It is from the time [00:32.58]before electricity, [00:34.11]when people used candles [00:36.63]for light. [00:38.20]Someone who lived [00:39.79]in a big house would have [00:42.13]a servant light his way [00:44.51]by holding a candle. [00:46.36]The expression meant [00:48.55]that the person [00:49.33]who cannot hold a candle [00:51.24]to you is not fit [00:53.02]even to be your servant. [00:55.42]Now, it means such a person [00:59.35]cannot compare or compete. [01:02.67]In the following song, [01:04.76]singer Dolly Parton tells [01:07.51]her new love [01:08.86]that her old flames, [01:10.31]her old lovers, [01:11.94]cannot compare with him. [01:14.64](MUSIC) [01:35.42]Another expression is [01:37.16]"hold your tongue." [01:39.11]It means to be still [01:41.40]and not talk. [01:43.95]"Hold your tongue" [01:45.39]is not something [01:46.63]you would tell a friend. [01:48.08]But a parent or teacher [01:50.91]might use the expression [01:52.85]to quiet a noisy child. [01:55.43]"Hold out" is an expression [01:58.79]one hears often [02:00.69]in sports reports and labor news. [02:03.98]It means to refuse [02:06.02]to play or work. [02:08.21]Professional football [02:10.57]and baseball players hold out [02:13.76]if their team refuses to pay them [02:16.49]what they think they are worth. [02:18.63]Members of labor unions hold out [02:22.91]and refuse to work until they [02:25.79]get the work agreement they want. [02:28.39]The expression "hold up" [02:32.43]has several different meanings. [02:34.72]One is a robbery. [02:37.74]A man with a gun may say, [02:41.11]"This is a hold up. [02:43.08]Give me your money." [02:44.89]Another meaning is to delay. [02:48.92]A driver late for work [02:51.51]may tell his boss, [02:53.30]"I was held up by heavy traffic." [02:57.03]Someone who was robbed [02:59.82]on the way to work might say, [03:02.80]"Sorry, boss, I was [03:05.69]held up by a hold up." [03:08.18]Still another meaning [03:10.51]of the expression [03:11.70]is for a story [03:13.60]to be considered true [03:14.80]after an investigation. [03:17.39]The same driver late [03:20.17]for work could say, [03:21.79]"My boss did not believe [03:24.97]a hold up held me up. [03:27.40]But the police confirmed [03:29.99]what I said so my story held up." [03:34.13]"Hold on" is another expression. [03:37.60]Often it means wait or stop. [03:41.88]As you leave for school, [03:44.32]your brother may say, [03:46.44]"Hold on, you forgot your book." [03:51.04]Our final expression [03:53.47]is "hold the line." [03:55.29]That means to keep a problem [03:58.32]or situation from getting worse, [04:01.01]to hold steady. [04:02.81]For example, [04:04.71]the president may say [04:06.60]he will hold the line on taxes. [04:09.88]He means there will be [04:12.47]no increase in taxes. [04:14.47]Now, I must hold the line [04:18.20]on this program. [04:19.56]I have no more time left today. [04:22.88](MUSIC) [04:33.80]This VOA Special English program, [04:36.63]WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, [04:38.62]was written by Frank Beardsley. [04:41.11]I'm Rich Kleinfeldt.