Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English

262 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★ - 24 ratings

Words and Their Stories programs explain idioms and expressions that many learners of American English find difficult to understand.

Language Learning Education
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Episodes

What It Means to Be a ‘Stick in the Mud’ - April 28, 2021

April 28, 2021 21:10 - 5 minutes - 1.25 MB

Be Brave: 'Go Out on a Limb'! - April 21, 2021

April 21, 2021 19:27 - 4 minutes - 1.13 MB

Time to 'Get Your Hands Dirty' - April 14, 2021

April 14, 2021 20:34 - 4 minutes - 1.13 MB

'Climbing the Ladder' to Success - April 07, 2021

April 07, 2021 19:57 - 4 minutes - 1.11 MB

Making Things 'From Scratch' - April 01, 2021

April 01, 2021 21:32 - 5 minutes - 1.31 MB

What Is NIMBY? - March 25, 2021

March 25, 2021 16:03 - 5 minutes - 1.33 MB

'Green-Eyed Monsters' and Other Uses of 'Green' - March 18, 2021

March 18, 2021 18:07 - 6 minutes - 1.57 MB

Is There a 'Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow'? - March 11, 2021

March 11, 2021 21:17 - 4 minutes - 1.13 MB

When You 'Raise the Bar,' Things Get Hard - March 03, 2021

March 03, 2021 00:12 - 4 minutes - 1.11 MB

'One-Trick Pony' Has Limits - February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021 18:51 - 4 minutes - 1.14 MB

Freeze! - February 18, 2021

February 18, 2021 01:33 - 6 minutes - 1.51 MB

'Carrying a Torch for Someone' Can Hurt A Lot - February 10, 2021

February 10, 2021 23:05 - 6 minutes - 1.44 MB

Very Busy People 'Burn the Candle at Both Ends' - February 04, 2021

February 04, 2021 15:59 - 4 minutes - 1.03 MB

Get What You Want ... With Honey! - January 28, 2021

January 28, 2021 23:36 - 4 minutes - 1.04 MB

Be Careful When You 'Pin Your Hopes on Something'! - January 20, 2021

January 20, 2021 19:22 - 4 minutes - 1010 KB

Short-lived Success is a 'Flash in the Pan' - January 14, 2021

January 14, 2021 01:36 - 4 minutes - 1.11 MB

Some Say 'There's No Smoke Without Fire' - January 07, 2021

January 07, 2021 20:18 - 3 minutes - 904 KB

Let's 'End on a High Note' - December 30, 2020

December 30, 2020 20:50 - 5 minutes - 1.2 MB

Shenandoah and Its Native American Roots - December 23, 2020

December 23, 2020 17:50 - 5 minutes - 1.2 MB

2020 Is Definitely 'One for the History Books' - December 17, 2020

December 17, 2020 17:43 - 5 minutes - 1.34 MB

Fauci, Kamala Among Famous Names on Mispronounced Words List - December 10, 2020

December 10, 2020 20:21 - 4 minutes - 964 KB

Idioms About Sports - December 07, 2020

December 07, 2020 17:52 - 5 minutes - 1.3 MB

Does the 'Carrot-and-Stick' Approach Come From Donkeys? - December 04, 2020

December 04, 2020 15:44 - 4 minutes - 1.08 MB

Dictionaries Choose ‘Pandemic’ as 2020 Word of the Year - November 30, 2020

November 30, 2020 19:26 - 6 minutes - 1.43 MB

Three Words to Describe COVID-19 - November 27, 2020

November 27, 2020 17:24 - 4 minutes - 1.15 MB

Three Words to Describe COVID-19 - November 24, 2020

November 24, 2020 20:54 - 4 minutes - 1.16 MB

'Let's Eat!' Thanksgiving Dinner Idioms - November 19, 2020

November 19, 2020 20:05 - 7 minutes - 1.69 MB

'No Smoke Without Fire' - November 12, 2020

November 12, 2020 23:21 - 3 minutes - 936 KB

Want to Know a Secret? Maybe You'll 'Get Wind of It' - November 05, 2020

November 05, 2020 23:40 - 5 minutes - 1.21 MB

'Once in a Blue Moon' - October 28, 2020

October 28, 2020 17:19 - 4 minutes - 1.03 MB

Jack-o'-Lantern: Why Is It Named 'Jack'? - October 21, 2020

October 21, 2020 16:02 - 5 minutes - 1.34 MB

Hard Nuts to Crack - October 15, 2020

October 15, 2020 22:47 - 5 minutes - 1.21 MB

Sometimes 'It Takes Two to Tango' - October 09, 2020

October 09, 2020 14:45 - 4 minutes - 1.09 MB

It's Not the End of the World - October 01, 2020

October 01, 2020 20:13 - 3 minutes - 928 KB

Do You Have a Sprinter or Marathon Mentality? - September 25, 2020

September 25, 2020 14:03 - 5 minutes - 1.19 MB

Why Do We 'Pay Through the Nose' for Costly Things? - September 18, 2020

September 18, 2020 01:11 - 5 minutes - 1.19 MB

Like a 'Deer Caught in Headlights' - September 10, 2020

September 10, 2020 22:51 - 4 minutes - 1.09 MB

Go Ahead: 'Steal My Thunder' - September 03, 2020

September 03, 2020 15:52 - 5 minutes - 1.25 MB

Test Your World With Two Science Terms - August 27, 2020

August 27, 2020 21:20 - 6 minutes - 1.51 MB

Use Your Time Wisely: 'Make Hay While the Sun Shines' - August 20, 2020

August 20, 2020 20:36 - 4 minutes - 1.14 MB

Keep on the 'Sunny Side' - August 13, 2020

August 13, 2020 19:16 - 5 minutes - 1.21 MB

Ways We All Can 'Go Off the Deep End' - August 06, 2020

August 06, 2020 21:38 - 4 minutes - 1.06 MB

It Really Is a 'Small World' - July 30, 2020

July 30, 2020 17:22 - 5 minutes - 1.21 MB

The World Needs More Tree Huggers - July 27, 2020

July 27, 2020 14:18 - 4 minutes - 1.07 MB

The World Needs More Tree Huggers - July 22, 2020

July 22, 2020 20:53 - 4 minutes - 1.07 MB

Two Flowers to Describe Quiet, Shy People - July 16, 2020

July 16, 2020 18:14 - 5 minutes - 1.22 MB

'Lightning Never Strikes the Same Place Twice' ... Or Does It? - July 08, 2020

July 08, 2020 21:35 - 4 minutes - 1.16 MB

'Rolling Stones Gather No Moss' - June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020 22:25 - 4 minutes - 1.08 MB

Don't 'Bite the Hand That Feeds You' - June 24, 2020

June 24, 2020 21:33 - 5 minutes - 1.32 MB

Father's Day Expressions - June 18, 2020

June 18, 2020 23:33 - 6 minutes - 1.41 MB