[ti:Hold Your Horses] [ar:Anna Matteo] [al:Words and Their Stories] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]Now, the VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories. [00:10.59]Whoa, whoa boy! Whoa! [00:14.04]Today, we tell all about horse expressions! [00:18.50]In the past, many people depended on horses for transportation, [00:25.18]farming and other kinds of work. [00:28.20]A lot of people still like to ride horses for sport. [00:32.76]Horse racing and betting on horse racing are also popular. [00:37.99]So, it is not surprising [00:41.36]that Americans use a lot of expressions about horses. [00:46.19]Long ago, people who were rich [00:49.40]or important rode horses that were very tall. [00:53.41]Today, if someone acts better than everyone else, [00:57.95]you might tell him to "get off your high horse." [01:01.78]And if someone is pushing you to do something, [01:05.84]you can say, "Hold your horses!" [01:08.76]This is a very informal way to tell someone to calm down and wait. [01:14.55]You would not use it with your boss [01:18.03]but you could use it with children. [01:20.92]Something else you could say to children [01:24.22]if they are playing too rough [01:26.39]or hitting each other is to stop horsing around! [01:30.59]When kids horse around, they could get hurt. [01:34.38]However, kids who live in a one-horse town [01:38.26]might have nothing to do but horse around. [01:41.57]A one-horse town is a small town with not too much going on. [01:46.69]So, if you live in a one-horse town, [01:50.40]you might like to watch a lot of television. [01:53.64]Imagine that you are watching your favorite show when your phone rings. [01:59.39]You do not answer it. Wild horses could not drag you away from the television. [02:06.17]Nothing could stop you from doing what you want to do. [02:10.57]In fact, that's what the Rolling Stones are singing about [02:14.90]in their song, "Wild Horses." [02:17.09]"Wild horses couldn't drag me away ..." [02:27.27]If you love someone, [02:28.68]even strong wild horses could not drag you away from that person. [02:33.87]When you get news directly from the best source, [02:38.33]you get it straight from the horse's mouth. [02:41.36]If your teacher, for example, [02:43.68]tells you there is going to be a test tomorrow, [02:46.50]you got that information straight from the horse's mouth. [02:50.38]Don't worry. This is not the same as saying your teacher has a "horse face." [02:56.36]Sometimes a person keeps arguing a question that has already been settled. [03:02.39]They are beating a dead horse. [03:05.02]A dead horse is quite different from a dark horse. [03:09.03]A dark horse is a person who surprises others by doing better than unexpected. [03:15.51]In politics, a dark-horse candidate is someone [03:19.71]who is not likely to win ... but then does. [03:22.80]A horse of a different color is a different matter entirely. [03:27.83]For example, you and your friend might be talking about how to make more money. [03:33.84]Your friend suggests investing in the stock market. [03:38.10]You mention betting at the race track. [03:41.85]"Gambling!" your friend says, [03:43.78]"That's a horse of a different color." [03:46.50]In other words, it's a different way of thinking about the same topic. [03:51.94]Your friend might use another horse expression to give you some advice. [03:57.02]If she tells you do not put the cart before the horse [04:01.45]she is telling you to do things in the proper order. [04:05.25]Here's another piece of advice: do not change horses in midstream. [04:11.10]You would not want to make major changes to something you've already started. [04:17.23]In the past, this expression was used as an argument to re-elect a president, [04:22.85]especially during a time when the country was at war. [04:26.81]And one more piece of advice from the world of horses is [04:31.35]if you fall off the horse, get right back on again. [04:35.84]When you fail or suffer a setback it is important to try again. [04:41.82]People doing something after a long period of not doing it [04:47.43]are getting back in the saddle again. [04:50.05]The saddle is the leather seat you put on a horse in order to ride it. [04:55.68]And this is Gene Autry, [04:58.51]the singing cowboy, singing "Back in the Saddle Again." [05:02.71]"I'm back in the saddle again ..." [05:06.08]But people often ignore even good advice. [05:11.42]After all, you can lead a horse to water, [05:14.66]but you cannot make it drink. [05:16.54]This means you can give someone advice but you cannot force them to use it. [05:21.77]We end this Words and Their Stories with a riddle. [05:26.23]There was a race horse who won great fame. [05:31.23]What do you think what's the horse's name. [05:34.80]Take a guess and write it in the comment section. [05:38.67]We will tell you the answer next week on Words and Their Stories. [05:43.24]I'm Anna Matteo. [05:44.55]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com