سلام با سی و یکمین قسمت از مجموعه “Words and Their Stories” (کلمات و داستان آن ها) از سری پادکست‌های VOA در خدمت شما هستیم. این مجموعه پادکست به توضیح اصطلاحات رایج زبان انگلیسی، داستان ایجاد شدنشون و نحوه استفاده از آن ها در مکالمه می پردازه. در این قسمت از پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – سوپ خوردن با چنگال! قراره درمورد کاربرد، معنی و کاربرد اصطلاح “like eating soup with a fork” (مثل خوردن سوپ با چنگال!) آشنا بشی. در کنارش چندین کلمه ی جالب و کاربردی دیگه هم یاد میگیری که لیست این کلمه ها به همراه معنی اون ها در پایان مطلب قرار گرفته.

اصطلاح “like eating soup with a fork” (مثل خوردن سوپ با چنگال!) برای مواقعی به کار میره که برای انجام کاری داری از ابزار اشتباه استفاده میکنی برای همین هم به نتیجه نمی رسی. عبارت “spoon-feed” (با قاشق غذا دادن) یعنی یه مسئله پیچیده رو کم کم توضیح دادن یا کسی رو لوس کردن.

VOA – Words and Their Stories40: Spoon-feeling Not just for Babies

پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی - لقمه حاضر و آماده
Babies are spoon-fed. But they are not the only ones! Find out who else can be spoon-fed.

متن پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – سوپ خوردن با چنگال! :

Now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.

Today, we talk about eating and comfort food – those delicious favorites that make you feel good inside. Comfort foods provide a sense of well-being and are usually the foods that you enjoyed as a child.

Most cultures have one type of comfort food — soup! Whether hot or cold, meat or vegetable, thick or thin, homemade soup is one of those dishes that can make you feel comforted and happy.

Pho Bo, Beef Noodle Soup is seen in this Sunday, May 18, 2008 photo. Packed with noodles, beef and vegetables this Pho Bo, Beef Noodle Soup, is thought to have it's origins in northern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)
Pho Bo, Beef Noodle Soup is seen in this Sunday, May 18, 2008 photo. Packed with noodles, beef and vegetables this Pho Bo, Beef Noodle Soup, is thought to have it’s origins in northern Vietnam. (AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

In most cases, you need a spoon to eat soup. Eating it with a knife and fork would not work as well. In fact, when a way of doing something does not work, we can say it is like eating soup with a fork. In other words, it is the wrong tool for the job.

Spoons are the best tool for eating soups and other treats, like ice cream. That is, unless you are very young. Babies cannot hold a spoon by themselves. They are spoon-fed by parents or care-givers.

When we spoon-feed babies, we give them food. But, we do not just push the food into their mouths and down their throats. Babies should be fed slowly and carefully. We don’t want them to choke or hurt themselves from eating too quickly. You may also have to spoon-feed others who cannot feed themselves.

However, food is not the only thing we spoon-feed. We can also spoon-feed information. Usually that information is very detailed or hard to understand. So, we must explain it carefully. When explaining something complex or detailed to others, you may have to spoon-feed the information.

But never tell them that! Nobody wants to be spoon-fed.

This term is a little insulting. It means that they are unable to understand the information by themselves. It must be given to them in small amounts like a baby eating food.

There is another way to use this expression. When you spoon-feed someone you can also give them so many ideas or opinions that they do not need to think for themselves. So, it’s not that the person does not understand. It is that you are spoon-feeding them the information you want them to have.

There is yet another meaning of the word “spoon-feed.” It can also mean to “baby” or “spoil” someone by doing too much for them. If someone is always spoon-fed, they will not learn how to take care of themselves.

Now, let’s hear how to use the expression “spoon-fed.”

The two people in this short conversation are city planners. They have designed a new library. But before they build, they must get the approval from the local government, the city council. And that is where they run into a problem.

Students Sean Aitchison, left, and Alex Aguilar study in a library at Cal State Northridge campus in Los Angeles, 2016.
Students Sean Aitchison, left, and Alex Aguilar study in a library at Cal State Northridge campus in Los Angeles, 2016.

Hey, I’m back from the meeting.

So, how did it go? Did the city council approve our plans for the new library?

I don’t know.

What do you mean? You went to the meeting, right?

Yes.

And you explained our plans?

Well, yes. But they didn’t seem to understand … any of it. So, they postponedtheir vote.

Postponed? We don’t have time for another postponement. Did you go through all the details of the plan?

Yes.

Did you show them our budget? Our numbers show that it will be cheaper to fix up the old, historic building rather than building a new one. Did you explain how our library will better serve the community?

Stop already! I spoon-fed every detail of our plan to them. But they still decided to postpone their decision.

I will set up private meetings with each council member and personally spoon-feed each detail to them… again. Maybe then they will understand.

Um, I doubt it.

لیست واژگان این پادکست

delicious (خوشمزه – لذیذ) – adj. very pleasant to taste

dish (ظرف) – n. food that is prepared in a particular way

conversation (گفتگو) – n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way

library (کتابخانه) – n. a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow

امیدوارم از پادکست VOA: اصطلاحات انگلیسی – سوپ خوردن با چنگال! لذت برده باشید. برای دسترسی به قسمت های دیگر این پادکست می توانید از صفحه ی پادکست VOA – اصطلاحات انگلیسی آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk دیدن کنید.

همچنین برای گوش دادن به پادکست های سطح بندی شده British Council می توانید به صفحه ی پادکست British Council آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk یا برای گوش دادن به پادکست های BBC به صفحه ی پادکست ۶ دقیقه انگلیسی (BBC) آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان ۲۴talk مراجعه کنید.

گوش دادن به پادکست روش خوبی برای تقویت مهارت شنیداری و هم چنین یادگرفتن کلمات در بستر یک موضوع خاصه که این به تقویت مهارت مکالمه انگلیسی نیز کمک زیادی می کنه.

اگه دنبال این هستی که مهارت های مکالمه زبان انگلیسیت رو بیشتر از این تقویت کنی بهت پیشنهاد میکنم در دوره‌ی مکالمه زبان انگلیسی آکادمی مجازی آموزش زبان انگلیسی ۲۴talk شرکت کنی که با یه برنامه منسجم و خلاقانه کمک میکنه در زمان کوتاه بتونی به راحتی و روانی انگلیسی صحبت کنی.