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Introduction

Sometimes there are things we want to avoid doing or just are unwilling to do. Learn a phrase that describes what you should do in these situations.

Transcript

Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Feifei…

Neil
…and I'm Neil. Have you ever tried to avoid doing something because it looks unappealing, risky or even dangerous? Well, here is a phrase you can use to describe your actions – it’s run for the hills.

Feifei
'Run for the hills'. We’re not really going to run – it sounds like a long way!

Neil
Don’t take it literally – of course, this phrase is metaphorical – but the meaning has got something to do with avoiding a situation by a big distance. If you tell someone to run for the hills, you are warning them to keep away from the situation.

Feifei
And by saying 'run' implies moving quickly?

Neil
Yes, we're saying quickly avoid the situation, but it also implies you are unwilling to do something. It’s what I did when our boss said he was looking for a volunteer to do some extra filing – I ran for the hills!

Feifei
I did the same. And I ran for the hills when Julia suggested having lunch together – she's so boring!

Neil
A good example Feifei – and here are some more…

Examples
When my friend suggested investing in his own company, I ran for the hills.

When our relationship became toxic, I ran for the hills.

Marco asked me to babysit for him. I ran for the hills!

Feifei
In this The English We Speak, we're learning about the phrase 'run for the hills' which is something you say about situations you really want to avoid.

Neil
It can be used when talking about a serious event like a natural disaster when you are warning people to evacuate, go somewhere safe and literally run for the hills. But in everyday use, it's informal and sometimes humorous.

Feifei
Like running for the hills to avoid having lunch with Julia! And I think we should run for the hills now, Neil.

Neil
Why's that?

Feifei
I can see the boss coming and no doubt, he'll want one of us to do that extra filing.

Neil
Oh yes. Let's run. Bye!

Feifei
Bye.

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