The script of this programme 本节目台词

Rob: Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English from BBC Learning English. I’m Rob.

Helen: Hello, I’m Helen. This is the programme where we try to help you understand language often heard in English conversations.

Rob: Well, I went to a presentation this morning and I heard a word that made me laugh.

Helen: What is it?

Rob: See if you can guess. Let’s play a word game. Are you ready?

Helen: Yeah, I am.

Rob: OK. It’s made up of two words and the first word is a cute little animal.

Helen: Ok.

Rob: If you kiss the animal, it may turn into a prince.

Helen: I know this one. If you kiss a frog… it turns into a prince. The first word is ‘frog’.

Rob: Well done, Helen. The second word is the type of walk that soldiers do.

Helen: Easy - marching.

Rob: Yes, you got it. I heard the word ‘frogmarch’ this morning. And do you know what do we call a lot of frogs altogether?

Helen: A school of frogs?

Rob: No.

Helen: A herd of frogs?

Rob: No, it’s an ‘army’ of frogs. Anyway, I just have this cartoon picture in my mind of an army of frogs all wearing boots, marching down the river.

Helen: That’s hilarious. But what does ‘frogmarch’ really mean? Surely it’s not a way of marching.

Rob: No, ‘to frogmarch’ means to force someone who’s unwilling to move forward or walk somewhere, often by holding their arms tightly.

Helen: Frogmarch 这个短语用来表达在一个人不愿意向前或某地走的时候被人反拧双臂强迫拉走。Ouch, that’s pretty harsh. Let’s hear some examples.

• The drunken suspect was handcuffed by the police and frogmarched to the waiting police van.
  
  
  
  
• In major sporting events, if you disrupt the game, you risk being frogmarched out of the stadium by security guards.

Helen: So Rob, how did you hear it used? Were there any security guards or police involved?

Rob: Not quite. The presenter told us that his lecture on social dynamics was a must for everyone and so we either all sign up voluntarily or he would frogmarch us there himself.

Helen: Oh, that’s a threat.

Rob: Exactly, so of course, we all signed up.

Helen: Very effective. The next time I want full attendance, I’ll know exactly what to say.

Rob: Frogmarching someone?

Helen: Yeah.

Rob: Right, make sure you have enough people to do the job. It usually takes at least two people to frogmarch one person. Bye bye.

Helen: Bye.