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Como falo em inglês: Ela faz isso com o pé nas costas
By Ana | Podcast Inglês Online
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Hey, everybody.
Hoje eu falo sobre dois idioms super comuns com a palavra fish… Incluindo como dizer a frase do título deste pod. Enjoy!
Hey, everybody. You’re listening to the new episode of the Inglês Online podcast. Thank you for telling everyone you know about this podcast and, enjoy!
So imagine that it’s a stressful day at the office. A stressful Friday, to be specific. You’ve got a million things to do and your phone seems to be ringing off the hook. You’re getting ready to enter an important meeting when your work colleague approaches you and says “Hey buddy, have you heard about the new curtains in the meeting room? They’re thinking about a purple pattern for the curtains but I’d really rather have a floral design. Can you swing by later today and take a look at the catalogue, see which ones you like? I think you’ll agree with me – floral is the way to go.”
So you look at your colleague and say “Sounds important. However I do have four different meetings to attend this afternoon before 5pm, so I think you’ll understand when I tell you that, as much as I would like to help you choose the best colour for the new curtains, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.”
That’s right. You have bigger fish to fry today. That’s a different way of saying… I’ve got more important things to do than the one you’re asking me to do. I can’t take time to do this thing you’ve just spoken about – I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Four meetings before 5 PM.
Then you pick up the phone in your office and it’s your admin. She says “Tony from the warehouse is calling about your visit next week.” You know who Tony is and, in a different situation, you’d take the call. Not today, though. You’ve got bigger fish to fry and that’s what you tell your admin: “Listen, I’ve got other fish to fry now. Please take a message and tell Tony I’ll speak to him soon.” Sometimes you need to make a choice, right? When you don’t have time or resources to do everything that comes your way, you’ve got to prioritise. Sometimes you just have to say “I have bigger fish to fry” and move along with something that is more important to you.
OK – on to our second idiom of today. Imagine something that is ridiculously easy to accomplish. Maybe you’re very skilled at cooking wonderful food. You’ve been doing it for years, to the point.. your friends ask you to cook for them when they have a special occasion. You’re a wonderful cook. Some would say you’re a proper chef. So when someone asks you if you’re capable of making a nice lasagna, your friend Larry says “Lasagna? That’s like shooting fish in a barrel for him (or her)”.
That’s like shooting fish in a barrel. Obviously if you have fish trapped in a barrel… it would be easier to shoot them than if they were swimming freely in the sea or in a river. So, that’s basically it. For you, making a great lasagna is like shooting fish in a barrel. So easy.
Let’s say you arrive in São Paulo and it’s your first time in the city. Ever. You have to visit several different offices in different parts of the city. It’s a bit daunting. You know São Paulo is a huge city and it’s easy to get lost. However your friend Maria comes to the rescue and you immediately feel better. Maria has lived in São Paulo for decades and knows her way around the city like the back of her hand. She’s volunteered to drive you wherever you need to go. She’s even better at this than a cab driver. For Maria, getting to any address in São Paulo is like shooting fish in a barrel. She’s basically a human GPS.
So tell me – where could you apply that expression in your life? Let me know in the comments, and talk to you next time.
Key expressions
Vocabulary
ringing off the hook = (telefone) tocando sem parar
admin = administrative assistant
daunting = assustador (no sentido de intimidating)
like the back of her hand = como a palma da mão (veja que não é uma tradução exata)
