[ti:Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:07.52]And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. [00:18.36]On this program, we explore idioms, or expressions, [00:22.32]in the English language. [00:24.36]We give examples and notes on usage. [00:28.16]And, sometimes we even use them in short stories. [00:33.80]Today we talk about bad situations. [00:38.16]Sometimes we think a situation is very bad. [00:42.20]We cannot imagine that it can get any worse. [00:46.32]But then it does. [00:50.12]We have an expression for just that situation – [00:53.68]out of the frying pan and into the fire. [00:59.24]Imagine we are camping. [01:01.40]The area is near a small river. [01:04.72]So, for dinner, we decide to go fishing. [01:09.00]Fish cooked over a campfire is a tasty meal indeed. [01:14.56]We start the fire. We add butter and onions to the frying pan. [01:20.80]When it heats up, we add the fish. [01:23.96]In the frying pan, the fish is in a very bad situation. [01:29.36]It flips violently back and forth. [01:33.80]It tries to get out of the hot frying pan. [01:37.44]Finally, the fish flips out of the frying pan but lands in the fire. [01:45.60]The idiom out of the frying pan and into the fire [01:49.64]means you leave a bad situation purposefully [01:54.08]only to find yourself in a much worse situation. [01:59.68]You thought you were improving it, [02:02.16]but the opposite happened. [02:05.56]Sometimes, this saying describes a choice [02:09.24]between two equally difficult options. [02:14.16]Here is another example. [02:16.76]Let's say your friend complains about his job all the time. [02:22.76]He says his commute to the office is too long and the pay is too low. [02:29.48]You remind him that he gets great benefits, [02:32.72]and he has the freedom to set his own hours. [02:37.20]You tell him that no job is perfect. [02:40.60]But he does not listen. [02:44.24]He leaves his job and starts another one. [02:48.24]When you talk to him a month later, [02:51.48]this is how the conversation might go. [02:55.40]A: Hey, how is the new job going? [02:58.16]B: To be honest ... not so good. [03:01.40]A: Oh no! What's wrong? [03:04.24]B: Well, I used to set my own hours. [03:07.24]My new job has a strict 9-to-5 policy. [03:11.92]A: Being about to set your own hours is a big plus. [03:16.28]B: And my take-home pay might be more. [03:20.00]But I have to pay so much more for health insurance. [03:24.00]And I have to pay for a parking space. [03:27.72]A: Sounds like you've jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. [03:32.44]B: Please don't remind me. [03:36.04]And here is a final note on usage. [03:39.64]If the friend in this conversation simply said, [03:43.36]"Sounds like you just jumped out of the frying pan," [03:47.20]we would know they mean this expression. [03:52.04]Some word experts say this phrase comes from very early Greek poetry. [03:58.24]Those early poets used the expression to describe the process [04:03.32]of trying to escape smoke [04:06.04]and getting burned by the flames instead. [04:11.04]And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. [04:15.20]Do you have a question about an idiom or expression? [04:19.16]Send us an email to voalearningenglish.com and let us know! [04:25.76]Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. [04:28.72]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM