The President in My Hometown: A Double-Edged Sword
| This is an entry about a common English idiom. I hope to make more of these entries.
This entry is available as a Adobe Acrobat file for printing or use in a class. This entry includes a listening exercises. You can dowload the MP3 or play it using the button below. (MP3) |
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When you live in Germany—in a middle-sized city in Germany—you don’t expect the President of the United States to visit. But, he’s coming to my adopted ‘hometown,’ and it’s a big news story here. But, as much as people here are honored, there are a lot of problems associated with his visit, and that makes his visit a good chance to learn an English Idiom. Today we’re going to talk about the idiom A Double-Edged Sword.
Now, listen to the recording.
After You Listen To The Recording
Another English saying says “Be careful what you wish for: you may get it.” The idea is that many things we hope and wish for will have an unexpected negative side. Or, in other words, that many things we wish for could really be double-edged swords.
How would you use this idiom? Are there things in your life that count as ‘double-edged swords?’
