— VOA Learning English — Words and Their Stories Source: Voice of America Learning English (https://learningenglish.voanews.com/) Licence: Public domain (work of the U.S. federal government, 17 U.S.C. §105) Audio is served by the publisher; Budi does not host or modify it.
0:01And now, words and their stories from VOA Learning English. In American English, we use many expressions to describe when two people have a lot of similarities or are very close. Here are some examples. If we say two people are joined at the hip, they are nearly always together. If we describe individuals as thick as thieves, it means they are very close. People considered two peas in a pod have many things in common. And we use the term kindred spirits to describe people who often share the same opinions and interests. These expressions can represent people who grew closer for different reasons. Maybe they complemented each other well in certain ways, or maybe their situations brought them together for the purpose of completing something
1:24important or meaningful. But today we are going to discuss a very special kind of One that involves two people who are romantically involved and very successful. People in such relationships can be described as power couples. There are many examples of famous power couples including successful movie stars, musicians, and others in the performing arts. But power couples can exist in many other industries and communities as well. And the two people do not have to work in the same industry. If they do, however, that can make them even more powerful. For example, a well-known architect who builds homes could be partnered with a famous designer who decorates them. Or one person in a power couple may be a music producer, while the other is a famous singer.
2:42Even though power couples involve highly successful people, one person could describe their partner as their better half. This is a way to complement their other half in the relationship. For example, one might say during a meeting with a friend, Hello, how are you? And more importantly, how is your better half? Now let's hear two friends use some of these expressions. Oh hey! I'm not used to seeing you alone. Where's your sidekick? Huh? Who are you talking about? Ben, you guys have been joined at the hip for weeks. Looks like you're thick as thieves. Well, the project is pretty important for the company, so we're putting in a lot of hours. Are you becoming kindred spirits from working so much together?
3:42No, it's just keeping us both very busy. trying to become the new power couple in the office? What are you talking about? We're not thick as thieves or kindred spirits and we're definitely not a power couple. We are just working hard on the same project. And that's all the time we have for this Words Until next time, I'm Ana Mateo.
This transcript was generated automatically from the recording, so it will contain mistakes — especially around names and places.