Skip to content
Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English podcast artwork

Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English

by VOA Learning English

Education

Words and Their Stories programs explain idioms and expressions that many learners of American English find difficult to understand.

From the show's RSS feed, refreshed Sep 16, 2026. Source feed.

Subscribe Bookmark

Episodes

  1. What Does It Mean 'To Mushroom'? - March 13, 2025

  2. 'Watching the Grass Grow' Is Not Fun - March 11, 2025

  3. Green Means Spring and Other Things - March 07, 2025

  4. How to 'Dish Up' Something Good - February 27, 2025

  5. The Importance of Being ‘Dialed In’ - February 20, 2025

  6. Don't Miss a Thing With 'Eagle Eyes' - February 13, 2025

  7. What Does It Take to Be a 'Power Couple'? - February 05, 2025

  8. Protecting Apple Trees from Climate Change - January 31, 2025

  9. ‘Kitchen-Table’ Is a Type of Politics - January 30, 2025

  10. Sometimes We 'Spread Ourself Too Thin' - January 20, 2025

  11. Knee Jerk and Gut Reactions: When We Are Not in Control - January 16, 2025

  12. The Story of Jack Frost - January 10, 2025

  13. 'Kicking Off' a New Year - January 02, 2025

  14. Expressions for New Year's Resolution - December 23, 2024

  15. Expressions That ‘Stop You Cold’ - December 11, 2024

  16. For Words of the Year: Brat, Brain Rot, Polarization - December 10, 2024

  17. 'Show Your Hand', other Card Idioms - December 05, 2024

  18. What Does ‘Like Gangbusters’ Mean? - November 27, 2024

  19. Learn 'Rub Elbows,' Other 'Rub' Expressions - November 20, 2024

  20. What Does It Mean to 'Hit Pay Dirt' - November 14, 2024

  21. Have You Ever Felt the ‘Long Arm of the Law?’ - November 07, 2024

  22. For When You Do Something Wrong: Mea Culpa - October 31, 2024

  23. Exploring the 'Butterfly Effect' - October 24, 2024

  24. Expressions Using Our Head and Shoulders - October 17, 2024

  25. When in Rome … - October 10, 2024

  26. Is ‘Pie in the Sky’ Just a Dream? - October 03, 2024

  27. Keep Your Nose to the Grindstone - September 26, 2024

  28. How to Use "Swimming" to Deal with Life's Situations - September 19, 2024

  29. What Is Your 'North Star'? - September 13, 2024

  30. ‘Dead Giveaway’ Is Not as Dark as It Sounds - September 05, 2024

  31. An Eye for an Eye - August 29, 2024

  32. Reaching the 'Tipping Point' - August 22, 2024

  33. Sometimes Help Is Just 'A Phone Call Away' - August 16, 2024

  34. One Person's Trash Is Another Person's Treasure - August 08, 2024

  35. When Is Two Too Many? When It's a 'Double Whammy'! - August 01, 2024

  36. Let's Talk about 'Going South' - July 25, 2024

  37. Be Careful What You 'Bank On' - July 18, 2024

  38. What Gives You 'Food for Thought'? - July 11, 2024

  39. Partners in Crime - July 05, 2024

  40. Learn Some 'Wave' Expressions - June 27, 2024

  41. It’s Showtime! - June 20, 2024

  42. Being 'Put Through the Wringer' Is Not Fun - June 13, 2024

  43. Are You Strong 'Out of the Gate'? - June 07, 2024

  44. Be Bold. 'Break the Mold'! - May 31, 2024

  45. Many Handy 'Hand' Expressions - May 22, 2024

  46. Ways to 'Divide and Conquer' - May 17, 2024

  47. It's Time to 'Separate the Wheat from the Chaff' - May 10, 2024

  48. What Good Comes from 'Casting a Wide Net'? - May 03, 2024

  49. To Pull or Not to Pull Punches - April 25, 2024

  50. Are You the Windshield or the Bug? - April 19, 2024

About this show

Words and Their Stories programs explain idioms and expressions that many learners of American English find difficult to understand.

Hosted by

VOA Learning English

Frequently asked questions

How many episodes does Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English have?

Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English has 50 episodes on PodParley. The most recent episode was published on March 13, 2025.

What is Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English about?

Words and Their Stories programs explain idioms and expressions that many learners of American English find difficult to understand.

How often does Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English release new episodes?

Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English publishes weekly, based on its 50 episodes since April 2024.

Who hosts Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English?

Words and Their Stories - VOA Learning English is created and hosted by VOA Learning English.
Link copied