[00:00.00]51VOA.COM
[00:10.72]Now,the VOA Special English program,
[00:14.78]Words and Their Stories.
[00:17.42]Every people has its own way of saying things,
[00:22.59]its own special expressions.
[00:25.47]Some of these expressions are easy to understand.
[00:30.20]The words create a picture in your mind.
[00:33.94]"As easy as falling off a log" 
[00:37.92]is one such expression.
[00:40.12]It describes a job 
[00:42.52]that does not take much effort.
[00:45.03]If you ever tried to walk on a fallen tree log,
[00:50.03]you understand what the expression means.
[00:53.68]It is easier to fall off the log 
[00:57.41]than to stay on it.
[00:59.60]The expression is often used today.
[01:03.38]For example,
[01:05.05]you might hear a student say to her friend 
[01:08.88]that her spelling test 
[01:10.89]was "as easy as falling off a log." 
[01:15.16]There are several other expressions 
[01:18.84]that mean the same thing.
[01:21.09]And their meaning is as easy to understand 
[01:25.91]as "falling off a log."
[01:28.45]One is,"easy as pie".
[01:32.60]Nothing is easier than eating 
[01:35.83]a piece of sweet,juicy pie.
[01:39.21]Unless it is a "piece of cake." 
[01:43.46]"Piece of cake" is another expression 
[01:47.89]that means something is extremely easy to do.
[01:52.56]A friend might tell you that his new job 
[01:56.77]was a "piece of cake." 
[01:59.45]Another expression is 
[02:02.96]"as easy as shooting fish in a barrel." 
[02:06.94]It is hard to imagine 
[02:09.90]why anyone would want to shoot fish in a barrel.
[02:14.59]But,clearly,fish in a barrel 
[02:18.05]would be much easier 
[02:19.81]to shoot than fish in a stream.
[02:22.82]In fact,it would be 
[02:25.45]as easy as "falling off a log".
[02:29.49]Sometimes,things that come to us easily,
[02:34.54]also leave us just as easily.
[02:37.88]In fact,there is an expression 
[02:41.06]"easy come,easy go" that recognizes this.
[02:47.12]You may win a lot of money in a lottery,
[02:51.00]then spend it all in a few days.
[02:54.69]Easy come,easy go.
[02:58.00]When life itself is easy,
[03:01.02]when you have no cares or problems,
[03:04.45]you are on "Easy Street." 
[03:07.59]Everyone wants to live on 
[03:10.48]that imaginary street.
[03:12.77]Another "easy" expression is 
[03:16.61]to "go easy on a person".
[03:19.60]It means to treat a person kindly or gently,
[03:24.96]especially in a situation 
[03:27.68]where you might be expected 
[03:29.70]to be angry with him.
[03:31.80]A wife might urge her husband 
[03:35.21]to "go easy on" their son,
[03:38.17]because the boy did not mean 
[03:40.85]to wreck the car.
[03:42.72]If it is necessary to borrow some money 
[03:47.07]to fix the car,
[03:48.92]you should look for a friend
[03:51.48]who is an "easy touch".
[03:54.09]An "easy touch" or a "soft touch" 
[03:59.08]is someone who is kind and helpful.
[04:02.55]He would easily agree to lend you the money.
[04:06.96]And one last expression,
[04:10.47]one that means do not worry or work too hard.
[04:15.46]Try to keep away from difficult situations.
[04:20.26]"Take it easy" until we meet again.
[04:24.80](MUSIC) 
[04:36.73]You have been listening 
[04:37.98]to the VOA Special English program 
[04:41.84]Words and Their Stories.
[04:44.21]I'm Bob Doughty.
[04:45.99]51VOA.COM