Feifei Hello and welcome to The English We Speak – I’m Feifei…
Rob And hello, I’m Rob.
Feifei Hey Rob, have you seen Finn today?
Rob Yes, I saw him just a few moments ago… same old Finn.
Feifei But when I saw him he was very cheerful… smiling and he was singing too!
Rob Nothing wrong with singing at work.
Feifei I know… but he just seems…
Rob Full of the joys of spring?
Feifei Full of the joys of spring? Erm, I don’t think so – it’s winter Rob – cold and wet.
Rob No Feifei! The season might be winter but Finn’s behaviour, or his mood, is cheerful and lively – like springtime – you know, bright, sunny, flowers growing, new animals being born, birds flying around…
Feifei Mmm… that does sound like spring. It’s a nice phrase. It means someone is happy?
Rob Happy – that’s right. Shall we hear some more examples?
Examples Emily’s full of the joys of spring today – her boyfriend has just asked her to marry him!
Raj seems full of the joys of spring today – he must have some good news about his exam results.
I’m full of the joys of spring today – I’ve just won £1,000 in the lottery – now, what shall I spend it on?
Feifei So if someone is full of the joys of spring they are in a good mood. So Rob, why is Finn in such a good mood?
Rob He’s happy because he’s going on holiday tomorrow – swapping our cold winter for two weeks in the sun, on the beach in Thailand!
Feifei Lucky Finn! But hold on Rob… there’s a strike at the airport tomorrow. All flights are cancelled. Does he know that?
Rob I don’t think so. Shall we tell him?
Feifei I don’t know. That will make him ’empty of the joys of spring’…
Rob …and full of the misery of winter!
Feifei Is that another idiom?
Rob No, I just made that one up. Come on, I’ll go and tell him.
Feifei Bye.
Rob Bye.