Jiaying Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I’m Jiaying but there’s no Neil. I’m waiting for him to arrive…
Neil Sorry I’m late. I’ve had a bit of a disaster.
Jiaying Oh no.
Neil Yes, I’ve been doing some DIY…
Jiaying DIY – that means ‘do-it-yourself’ – you’ve been doing your own building and repair work. That sounds dangerous!
Neil Not really. All I was doing was putting up some bookshelves. But I put one of the nails through a water pipe – and water started spraying everywhere.
Jiaying Disaster!!! It sounds like a botch job.
Neil Oh, is that bad?
Jiaying Very bad! A botch job is a job or task that is done badly or without much care. You can also ‘make a botch of something’. It looks like you’ll need to call in a plumber, but let’s hear some examples first…
Examples Oh no! You’ve made a botch job of the decorating. We’ll have to start again.
My girlfriend made a botch job of the cake – she used the wrong ingredients and then baked it too long. I guess it’s the thought that counts!
Our builder came highly recommended, but when the ceiling fell in, I knew he’d done a botch job.
Jiaying This is The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. We’re learning about the phrase ‘a botch job’ which describes a task that’s done badly or carelessly. It’s what Neil has done putting up some bookshelves. So, Neil, did you call a plumber?
Neil No, far too expensive. I just put some sticky tape over the hole.
Jiaying Oh no, you’ve botched it again. Why did you try to do this DIY job in the first place?
Neil To save money, of course.
Jiaying Oh dear, I think your botch job will become an expensive job. Anyway, here’s a book to put on your new bookshelf.
Neil Oh, thanks! What is it?
Jiaying ‘Your Guide to Better DIY’.
Neil Quick, where is the section on plumbing?
Jiaying Ha, ha. Bye, Neil.
Neil
Bye.