To keep the wolf from the door

Learning English Conversations

BBC

Education, Language Learning

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 August 2015

⏱️ 3 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Who's that knocking at the door? Someone's here to tell you you're in financial trouble

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is a download from BBC Learning English.
0:03.0	To find out more, visit our website.
0:06.0	The English We Speak
0:08.0	From BBC Learning English.
0:12.0	Hello and
0:13.4	Welcome to the English we speak with me Lee
0:16.3	I'm me Rob. I suppose we better explain an authentic English phrase then, Lee.
0:23.2	Oh, cheer up, Rob. Why are you sounding so miserable?
0:28.2	Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but, uh, well, I've got problems financial problems oh I'm sorry to
0:36.5	hear that what's happened well I had to get my car fixed I had to get a plumber round to fix a leaking pipe. I received a huge tax bill and then to add to it all I lost my wallet yesterday.
0:51.0	I don't know I'm doing my best to keep the wolf from the door.
0:54.8	A wolf? You really have got problems if you have got to keep a wolf out of your house.
1:00.0	Not a real wolfly. When people say they're trying to keep the wolf from the door, they mean they've only just got enough money to survive.
1:09.0	Oh, I see. So you just have enough money to eat and live?
1:15.0	Yes, it's not a good position to be in.
1:18.0	Let's hear more examples of the phrase in action.
1:21.0	I'm going to have to sell my car if I'm to keep the wolf from the door.
1:29.1	It's tough being a student.
1:31.2	I study all day, then have to do an evening job just to keep the wolf from the door.
1:37.0	We've only just saved enough money to keep the wolf from the door. So if you keep the wolf from the door you just have
1:47.1	enough money to survive. Okay Rob I get it. With all your bills to pay you really are struggling to keep the wolf
1:56.4	from the door so what are you going to do? Well I need to ask a good friend to lend me some money.
	...

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