I’m Susan Clark with Words and Their Stories,
a program in Special English on
the Voice of America.
People often1 say that money talks. They mean2 that a person3 with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done4. But it is not easy to earn5 enough6 money to gain7 this kind of power8.
People often1 say that money talks. They mean2 that a person3 with a lot of money can say how he or she wants things done4. But it is not easy to earn5 enough6 money to gain7 this kind of power8.
Ask anyone9 in
a business. They will tell you that it is a jungle out there10.
The expression probably began because the jungle is filled with11 wild animals12 and
unknown dangers13 that threaten14 people. Sometimes15 people in business feel16 competing businesses are
as dangerous as18 wild animals.
And they feel that unknown
dangers in the business world threaten the survival19 of their business.
People in business have to be careful20 if they are
to survive the jungle out there. They must not21
be led into making bogus22 investments. Bogus means something
that is not real.
Nobody is sure23 how the word got started24. But it began to appear24 in American newspapers26 in the eighteen hundreds. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts said the word came from a criminal27 whose name28 was Borghese.
Nobody is sure23 how the word got started24. But it began to appear24 in American newspapers26 in the eighteen hundreds. A newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts said the word came from a criminal27 whose name28 was Borghese.
The newspaper said Borghese wrote29 checks to people although30 he did not have enough
money in the bank. After he wrote the checks,
he would flee from town31. So, people who were paid32 with his
checks received33 nothing34.
The newspaper said Americans shortened35 and changed36 the criminal's name Borghese,
to bogus.
People trying to earn money37 also must be aware of38 being ripped off39. A person who is ripped off has had something stolen40, or at least41 has been treated very unfairly42.
A writer43 for the magazine44 “American Speech45” said he first saw46 the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign47 that a student carried48 during49 a protest demonstration50 at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt51 ripped off, or cheated52.
Perhaps53 the best way to prevent getting ripped off54 in business is to not try to get rich quickly55. To be successful56, a person in business works hard and tries to “get down to brass tacks”57.
This expression means to get to the bottom58 or most important part of something. For example, a salesman59 may talk and talk about his product without saying the price60. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sounds good61, but how much does it cost?62”
Word expert63 Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships64.They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt65, they are down to the brass tacks, the copper66 pieces that hold the boat together67.
So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck68 will help, too.
This Words and Their Stories was written by69 Jeri Watson. I’m Susan Clark.
People trying to earn money37 also must be aware of38 being ripped off39. A person who is ripped off has had something stolen40, or at least41 has been treated very unfairly42.
A writer43 for the magazine44 “American Speech45” said he first saw46 the expression used in 1971. It was on a sign47 that a student carried48 during49 a protest demonstration50 at a university. The message on the sign was that the student felt51 ripped off, or cheated52.
Perhaps53 the best way to prevent getting ripped off54 in business is to not try to get rich quickly55. To be successful56, a person in business works hard and tries to “get down to brass tacks”57.
This expression means to get to the bottom58 or most important part of something. For example, a salesman59 may talk and talk about his product without saying the price60. You get down to brass tacks when you say, “it sounds good61, but how much does it cost?62”
Word expert63 Charles Funk thinks the expression comes from sailors on ships64.They clean the bottom of a boat. When they have removed all the dirt65, they are down to the brass tacks, the copper66 pieces that hold the boat together67.
So, if we get down to brass tacks, we can prevent rip offs and bogus ways of earning money in that jungle out there. And, some good luck68 will help, too.
This Words and Their Stories was written by69 Jeri Watson. I’m Susan Clark.
Vocabulary
1. often = frequentemente
2. mean = querer dizer
3. person = pessoa
4. wants things done = quer que as coisas sejam feitas
5. earn = ganhar
6. enough = o suficiente
7. gain = ganhar
8. kind of power = tipo de poder
9. Ask anyone = pergunte a qualquer um
10. is a jungle out there = é uma selva lá for a
11. filled with = cheio de
12. wild animals = animais selvagens
13. unknown dangers = perigos desconhecidos
14. threaten = ameaçam
15. Sometimes = às vezes
16. feel = sentir
17. competing business = negócios competitivos
18. as dangerous as = tão perigoso quanto
19. survival = sobrevivencia
20. have to be careful = tem que ser cuidadosos(as)
21. must not = não devem
22. bogus = falso, falsificado
23. Nobody is sure = Ninguem tem certeza
24. got started = começou
25. began to appear = começou a aparecer
26. newspapers = jornais
27. criminal = criminoso
28. whose name = cujo nome
29. wrote = escreveu
30. although = embora
31. flee from town = fugir da cidade
32. were paid = foram pagas
33. received = receberam
34. nothing = nada
35. shortened = abreviaram
36. changed = mudaram
37. trying to earn money = tentando ganhar dinheiro
38. must be aware of = devem estar cientes de
39. being ripped off = serem enganados
40. had something stolen = teve algo roubado
41. at least = pelo menos
42. has been treated very unfairly = tem sido tratados muito injustamente
43. writer = escritor
44. magazine = revista
45. Speech = discurso
46. saw = viu
47. sign = placa
48. carried = carregava
49. during = durante
50. demonstration = manifestação
51. felt = sentia-se
52. cheated = trapaceado, enganado
53. Perhaps = talvez
54. prevent getting ripped off = evitar ser enganado
55. not try to get rich quickly = não tentar ficar rico rapidamente
56. successful = bem sucedido
57. “get down to brass tacks” = “ir direto ao assunto” (descer às aderências do bronze)
58. to get to the bottom = ir até o fundo
59. salesman = vendedor
60. without saying the price = sem dizer o preço
61. it sounds good = parece legal
62. how much does it cost? = quanto custa?
63. Word expert = especialista em palavras
64. comes from sailors on ships = vem dos marinheiros nos navios
65. dirt = sujeira
66. copper = cobre
67. hold the boat together = mantém o barco unido (seguram o barco)
68. some good luck = um pouco de boa sorte
69. written by = escrito por
