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Learning English Conversations

Steal someone's thunder

Learning English Conversations

BBC

Language Learning, Education

4.61.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2023

⏱️ 2 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

If you get more attention than someone else, what are you doing? Here's a useful phrase!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is a download from BBC Learning English. To find out more, visit our website.

0:05.6

This is the English we speak with me Faye Fay and me Rob.

0:10.6

Rob I've got some very exciting news to share with you and our listeners.

0:15.8

Well, can I just tell everyone my news first?

0:19.2

Go on then.

0:20.2

Yeah, well, I passed my grade one guitar exam.

0:23.2

Oh, well done, Rob.

0:25.2

But you've stolen my thunder now.

0:28.2

I'm not a thief, Faye Faye Faye, I was just telling everyone my good news.

0:31.7

I'm not calling you a thief, although you are

0:34.8

stealing my attention. If you steal someone's thunder, you take the attention

0:40.0

away from the other person, usually to your own advantage. It also means you get the praise

0:45.3

for something someone else has done. So, Rob, well done. Enjoy the attention.

0:51.8

Thanks.

0:53.0

Now, will these examples steal your thunder as well?

0:58.0

Joe stole my thunder by announcing his promotion

1:01.0

before I got to tell everyone about mine.

1:05.6

She's always stealing my thunder by telling people our news before I do.

1:11.3

I was telling a joke and he just interrupted me to tell a different one. He always

1:16.0

steals my thunder.

1:17.0

This is the English we speak from BBC Learning English and we're learning about the phrase

1:25.9

to steal someone's thunder which means to do something that takes the attention

...

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