VOA慢速英语--It's Nothing but Trouble to 'Let The Genie out of the Bottle'

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.

The words we say are weightless sounds in the air. But they are powerful. What we say can greatly affect people, situations -- just about everything.

That is why, sometimes, it is a good idea to walk away from a heated argument. If we feel angry, we might say something we regret.

Perhaps anger is not the problem. Maybe your thoughts on a situation or issue are not fully¹ formed. But you speak anyway.

Or maybe you simply have a secret -- one that you are dying to share!

Whatever the reason, sometimes we speak when maybe we shouldn't. And once those words are out there, there is no taking them back. The damage is done.

Or, we could say: the genie² is out of the bottle.

Let's take apart this saying.

A genie is a trouble-causing spirit with magical powers from Middle Eastern folktales. Some experts say this expression may be connected to the centuries-old stories of Aladdin. He is a young man who releases a genie trapped in a small container. That's the bottle. Once out, the genie is powerful and tricky³. The result? A lot of trouble.

So, if you "let the genie out of the bottle," undesirable⁴ results, or consequences, will follow.

"To let the cat out of the bag" has a similar meaning. The cat is in the bag for a reason. When you let it out, there will be consequences. And both the genie and the cat, as well as the words we say, cannot be recaptured.

But how do we use these expressions? Here is one example:

The politician says she misspoke about her plans to run for president. But the press had already reported on it. The genie was out of the bottle and could not be put back in.

Here is another example. Two co-workers use both expressions.

A: Tony really let the cat out of the bag at work today. He told everyone that Mary found another job and was leaving the company next month.

B: What?? But she hasn't told management yet!

A: I know. So, they fired her.

B: That's awful. That means she'll lose a whole month's pay.

A: He apologized but there is no putting THAT genie back in the bottle.

B: I bet Mary would like to put Tony in a bottle.

A: Ha!

A genie is far more dangerous than a cat and harder to catch. So, the two sayings are not always interchangeable.

Here is an example:

Some experts say social media is damaging users, especially children. But the technology and its appeal is here to stay. No one can put that genie back in the bottle.

In that example, you would not use "let the cat out of the bag." Instead, use it when someone has said something that was supposed to remain a secret. You can't take words back and you can't re-hide a secret. Something has been done and can't be undone⁵.

And that's the end of this Words and Their Stories. Thanks for listening!

Words in This Story

century – n. a period of 100 years

consequence – n. something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 genie   

n.妖怪，神怪

参考例句：

• Now the genie of his darkest and weakest side was speaking.他心灵中最阴暗最软弱的部分有一个精灵在说话。
• He had to turn to the Genie of the Ring for help.他不得不向戒指神求助。

3 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

4 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。

5 undone   

a.未做完的，未完成的

参考例句：

• He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。