VOA词汇掌故2024--Learn 'Rub Elbows,' Other 'Rub' Expressions

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

Today we are talking about the term "rub." While this three-letter word is small, it should not be seen as unimportant. In fact, "rub" carries a lot of meaning and can be used in many different situations.

For starters, "rub" is a noun.

One way it is used this way is in cooking. A rub is a collection of dry seasonings¹ that can be added to meat, tofu or vegetables before cooking.

"Rub" can also mean something problematic. If I ask, "What's the rub?" I am asking "What's the problem?" (This expression is very informal.)

"Rub" is also a verb.

For example, I might rub my head if I have a headache. Or I may rub my shoulder if it hurts. And if something really hurts, I might rub in some medicine to help reduce the pain.

But to rub something in also has another meaning - an idiomatic² one. If you rub something in, you keep reminding someone of something unpleasant. This is a very common expression. So, let's hear it used in a conversation.

A: Hey, I had fun playing basketball yesterday. Your team almost won. Almost.

B: It was fun. I got a great workout.

A: What was the score again?

B: Okay, okay. Stop rubbing it in! Your team beat mine by ... a lot!

Rubbing something in is similar to rubbing someone's nose in something. In the example we just heard, one man rubs his friend's nose in a loss at a basketball game. When we rub someone's nose in something, we remind them that they have failed or got something wrong.

As a verb, "rub" is used in many other expressions.

If you rub someone the wrong way, you cause that person to be angry or annoyed. It means you have irritated them, usually for something in your personality or behavior. You do not have to do anything specific to rub someone the wrong way. For example, the president of the company rubbed some of his employees the wrong way with his direct way of speaking.

Another expression is to rub elbows with someone. We use this expression to describe being at the same event as someone or simply being around them. But we don't generally use it for interactions with our close friends. Often, the people we rub elbows with are famous, important, or influential³. For example, I rubbed elbows with some famous people at the mayor's birthday celebration.

Another way to use the verb "rub" is in the expression to rub salt in the wound. This means you make a bad situation worse for someone else. Let's say you know someone who loses their job. When they tell you that news, you remind them that they still owe you money. You have just rubbed salt in the wound. Ouch! This is similar to kicking someone when they are down.

Another use of the word "rub" is in the phrasal verb rub together. We use this with other words to say that we lack something. For example, if I don't have two brain cells to rub together, I can't think straight. I'm confused. Or, if you don't have two dimes⁴ to rub together, you have no money. You are broke! (You could also say pennies or quarters -- as long as they are coins.)

Our last expression is to rub something out. That means you get rid of it. And sometimes we use it in a rather violent situation. If a bad person rubs someone out, they do away with them. In other words, they actually kill them!

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories!

Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.

Words in This Story

informal -adj. characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary, casual, or familiar use

idiom -n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but must be learned as a whole

idiomatic -adj. of, relating to, or conforming to idiom

irritated -adj. to be impatient, angry, or displeased⁵

personality -n. the whole collection of individual emotions and behavior that make one person different from others

confused -adj. being disordered or mixed up

broke -adj. having no money

1 seasonings   

n.调味品，佐料( seasoning的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It emphasizes the use of seasonings, so no two dishes ever taste alike. 它对调味品十分讲究。因此，没有两个菜会有同样的味道。 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• The food made of flour and various seasonings is called moon cake. 中秋节的食品也是圆圆的，也象征着团圆，这种用面和各种作料做的食品叫月饼。 来自互联网

2 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

3 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

4 dimes   

n.（美国、加拿大的）10分铸币( dime的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters are United States coins. 1分铜币、5分镍币、1角银币和2角5分银币是美国硬币。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In 1965 the mint stopped putting silver in dimes. 1965年，铸币厂停止向10分硬币中加入银的成分。 来自辞典例句

5 displeased   

a.不快的

参考例句：

• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。
• He was displeased about the whole affair. 他对整个事情感到很不高兴。