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Words and Their StoriesLearning Expressions with VOA
Processed with VS1Explore how public figures create, adapt, and spread expressions through memorable language.
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Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptThe story looks at words and expressions associated with U.S. presidents, including language they coined, adapted, or helped make memorable. It shows how a public figure’s repeated phrase can enter wider conversation and how political language can outlast the moment in which it was used.
Cultural note: The source is a historical language feature, not an endorsement of any president or political slogan. Some examples are dated, humorous, or politically charged; use them as language-history examples and avoid presenting an old phrase as a current official position.
Keep exploringA phrase can become famous because of who says it, how often it is repeated, and when it is used. Notice the difference between creating a word and making an existing word popular.
Phrase guide · 6 expressions
Original explanations and examples, created for learners. Save a card for later or hear the phrase spoken by your browser.
Describe how speakers form a new word or give one a new use.
Meaning
Create a new word or expression, or give language a new form.
Tone & use
A neutral phrase often used in writing about language, culture, and history. A person may coin a form, while others help it spread.
Example
“The journalist coined a phrase for the trend, and readers began using it online.”
Recognize vivid phrases used to describe people or ideas.
Meaning
A person who behaves unpredictably and may cause trouble for a group.
Tone & use
Informal and usually critical. Avoid applying it casually to a real person when a more specific description is available.
Example
“The committee worried that the spokesperson could be a loose cannon during the live interview.”
Meaning
A person who keeps many things and finds it difficult to throw them away.
Tone & use
Informal and mildly teasing; it can sound unkind if the person is sensitive about clutter.
Example
“My uncle is a pack rat who still has every concert ticket from the 1980s.”
Meaning
Uncertain, doubtful, or not especially reliable.
Tone & use
Informal. In professional writing, consider “uncertain,” “questionable,” or “not yet confirmed.”
Example
“The weather forecast is iffy, so the organizers have a backup location.”
Understand historically specific political expressions in context.
Meaning
No nonsense, deception, or foolish talk.
Tone & use
Informal and playful or emphatic; associated with U.S. political rhetoric. It can sound old-fashioned outside that context.
Example
“The coach promised no malarkey—just a clear schedule and an honest review of the team’s progress.”
Meaning
A phrase emphasizing the enforcement of laws and the maintenance of public order.
Tone & use
A politically charged slogan in some contexts. When discussing it, explain who uses it and what policy they mean rather than assuming one fixed interpretation.
Example
“The historian explained how “law and order” appeared in campaign language during that period.”
Knowledge check
Choose the expression that best fits each situation.
Try it · Choose the best expression
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