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The English we speak.

From BBC Learning English. Hello and

B. B. C. Learning English. I'm Neil and with me today is

Helen.

Helen, what are you doing?

Uh, I'm just stamping on this clock.

Yeah, I can see you're really destroying that clock.

My question is, why?

Well, don't you remember you told me that you were going to be a little late for the recording session?

Yes, I had to delay things by an hour and I asked you what I

should do while I was waiting. Yes that's right. And you told me that I should just kill time.

So that's what I'm doing.

Killing time!

Well, I did tell you to kill time, but I didn't mean destroy a clock in English when you say you're

killing time it means you're doing something that isn't really important just

to occupy yourself before the start of your next plan or arrangement.

Yeah, that's right.

Killing time has nothing to do with violence towards clocks.

It's an expression which means to do something which isn't really important just to keep you

occupied until the start of your next plan or arrangement.

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