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

'Waste Not, Want Not' Is Good Advice - June 10, 2020

June 10, 2020 18:41 - 5 minutes - 1.17 MB

Danger! 'Snake in the Grass'! - June 04, 2020

June 04, 2020 18:13 - 4 minutes - 1.15 MB

Quarantini? Moronavirus? COVID-10? Wordplay Brings Humor to These Times - May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020 18:41 - 6 minutes - 1.42 MB

Feeling 'Under the Weather'? - May 27, 2020

May 27, 2020 23:12 - 6 minutes - 1.53 MB

Take Time to 'Stop and Smell the Roses' - May 21, 2020

May 21, 2020 18:27 - 5 minutes - 1.23 MB

Spring Up Like Mushrooms! - May 07, 2020

May 07, 2020 19:46 - 5 minutes - 1.39 MB

Don't Waste Time 'Barking up the Wrong Tree' - April 29, 2020

April 29, 2020 23:16 - 6 minutes - 1.45 MB

How Fast Is ‘Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail’? - April 24, 2020

April 24, 2020 14:15 - 4 minutes - 1000 KB

Cutest Unit of Time Ever: ‘Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail’ - April 22, 2020

April 22, 2020 20:09 - 5 minutes - 1.28 MB

Learn the Cause of 'Cabin Fever' - April 20, 2020

April 20, 2020 13:30 - 5 minutes - 1.39 MB

Learn the Cause of 'Cabin Fever' - April 15, 2020

April 15, 2020 18:26 - 5 minutes - 1.39 MB

'Breathing Room' Reduces Stress - April 10, 2020

April 10, 2020 16:05 - 5 minutes - 1.24 MB

Where 'Quarantine' Comes From - April 02, 2020

April 02, 2020 17:41 - 5 minutes - 1.34 MB

We Can Thank Cows for ‘Vaccine’ - March 27, 2020

March 27, 2020 14:05 - 4 minutes - 1.09 MB

'When the Cat's Away, the Mice Will Play!' - March 19, 2020

March 19, 2020 23:16 - 3 minutes - 940 KB

'An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure' - March 12, 2020

March 12, 2020 20:51 - 6 minutes - 1.47 MB

'Beware the Ides of March' - March 04, 2020

March 04, 2020 19:38 - 5 minutes - 1.17 MB

If You Are Feeling Blue, Are You Calm, Strong, or Sad? - February 27, 2020

February 27, 2020 18:00 - 6 minutes - 1.42 MB

Why Is 2020 Called a Leap Year? - February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020 21:00 - 3 minutes - 956 KB

Wearing Clothes Made From Goat Hair, and Other Ways to Show You Are Sorry - February 11, 2020

February 11, 2020 18:14 - 5 minutes - 1.22 MB

Single on Valentine's Day? Lucky. - February 05, 2020

February 05, 2020 22:00 - 5 minutes - 1.17 MB

'Stir-Crazy' Is Not a Way of Cooking - January 30, 2020

January 30, 2020 22:26 - 4 minutes - 1.01 MB

Quit or Join the 'Rat Race' ? - January 23, 2020

January 23, 2020 18:38 - 5 minutes - 1.25 MB

What Is Pettifogging? - January 22, 2020

January 22, 2020 22:12 - 3 minutes - 912 KB

Do You Know an 'Eager Beaver' - January 16, 2020

January 16, 2020 18:18 - 5 minutes - 1.29 MB

The Tortoise and The Hare - January 09, 2020

January 09, 2020 22:25 - 7 minutes - 1.75 MB

What Do You Bring to a ‘BYOB’ Party? - December 31, 2019

December 31, 2019 21:24 - 3 minutes - 928 KB

What Does 'Auld Lang Syne' Mean? - December 27, 2019

December 27, 2019 15:24 - 2 minutes - 620 KB

Don't 'Bite Off More Than You Can Chew' - December 19, 2019

December 19, 2019 18:49 - 7 minutes - 1.66 MB

You Look Like the 'Cat That Ate the Canary' - December 12, 2019

December 12, 2019 20:32 - 5 minutes - 1.18 MB

‘It Will Not Wash’ Has Nothing to Do With Cleaning - December 05, 2019

December 05, 2019 17:38 - 5 minutes - 1.17 MB

A Dime a Dozen - November 27, 2019

November 27, 2019 20:28 - 5 minutes - 1.29 MB

Take a Moment to 'Count Your Blessings' - November 21, 2019

November 21, 2019 15:41 - 6 minutes - 1.54 MB

'Spoon-feeding' Not Just for Babies - November 14, 2019

November 14, 2019 20:59 - 5 minutes - 1.25 MB

'Same Old Song and Dance' Is Nothing Fun - November 07, 2019

November 07, 2019 22:05 - 6 minutes - 1.64 MB

Read Someone Like a Book or Write a Book on Something - October 30, 2019

October 30, 2019 19:57 - 4 minutes - 1.05 MB

I Have a 'Bone to Pick With You' - October 24, 2019

October 24, 2019 21:40 - 5 minutes - 1.19 MB

Autumn Years and Other Phases of Life - October 17, 2019

October 17, 2019 19:29 - 6 minutes - 1.57 MB

Don't Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch - October 10, 2019

October 10, 2019 19:46 - 6 minutes - 1.44 MB

Loose Lips Sink Ships - October 03, 2019

October 03, 2019 22:17 - 5 minutes - 1.3 MB

'Explosive' People Are Dangerous - September 27, 2019

September 27, 2019 18:03 - 5 minutes - 1.31 MB

Do You Believe in 'Clairvoyance'? - September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019 14:12 - 6 minutes - 1.53 MB

'Rocking the Boat' Upsets Everything - September 12, 2019

September 12, 2019 22:31 - 5 minutes - 1.39 MB

'Apple-Polishers' Often Become 'Teacher's Pet' - September 05, 2019

September 05, 2019 21:42 - 6 minutes - 1.49 MB

Don't Find Yourself 'In Hot Water' - August 22, 2019

August 22, 2019 21:06 - 6 minutes - 1.43 MB

Get Ready for 'A Slap in the Face' - August 16, 2019

August 16, 2019 01:14 - 6 minutes - 1.43 MB

Don't Get 'Caught With Your Hand in the Cookie Jar' - August 08, 2019

August 08, 2019 18:19 - 6 minutes - 1.42 MB

Life Lessons from a Duck - August 02, 2019

August 02, 2019 17:50 - 5 minutes - 1.39 MB

'A Fly on the Wall' Hears Everything - July 25, 2019

July 25, 2019 18:19 - 6 minutes - 1.45 MB

What Happens with 'Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen'? - July 18, 2019

July 18, 2019 18:40 - 6 minutes - 1.63 MB