Footloose and Fancy-free

Footloose and Fancy-free

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning¹ English.

English has many idioms to express close connections. If two people are extremely close and do everything together, we say they are joined at the hip². If two people are very similar to each other, we say they are two peas in a pod. And when two people marry, we say they tied the knot³.

If you are tied down, that means there are important things you must do, and those things prevent you from doing something else. For example, you can be tied down by your employment⁴ or some other tasks. You can be tied down for an afternoon, a week, a month, or for years, depending on the situation.

For example, you might say, "I'm going to be tied down here for the next few hours." But you might also say, "He didn't get married because he didn't want to get tied down." In this second example, tied down refers to a long period of time.

But what about those people who haven't tied the knot and are not tied down? What expression can we use to describe them?

The following exchange gives the answer:

A: I think Michael would be a great match for Ellen.

B: I think he would too, but I don't think he's ready. Maybe in a few years.

A: You think he's too young?

B: Not really, it's just that he doesn't want to be tied down. He wants to travel and be, you know, footloose and fancy-free.

A: Sounds kind of nice, actually!

Footloose and fancy-free means that you do not have serious commitments⁶. It expresses freedom and being without serious worries. Some people may connect the expression with young people who do not yet have serious responsibilities in their lives.

American dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster says the first known use of fancy-free dates to 1590 and first meant being free from romantic attachment⁷. The first known use of footloose came in 1650. In the 1800s, footloose and fancy-free were combined into one expression in American English.

Footloose and fancy-free is the title of numerous⁸ songs, and Footloose was a popular American musical film released⁹ in 1984. The movie is about a teenager who moves to a small town where dancing is not permitted. But the teenager wants to dance and set his feet free.

Whether you're feeling tied down or footloose and fancy-free, that's it for this week's Words and Their Stories.

Words in This Story

idiom –n. an expression that has a meaning that is different than the individual words might suggest

hip –n. the sides of the body between the legs and the waist or the bone that is in that place

pea –n. a round, green seed that is a common food

pod –n. a part of a plant that contains seeds, especially peas

task –n. a job that is given to someone and that needs to be done

commitment⁵ –n. something that a person has a responsibility to do

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 knot   

n.结，难题，一小群；vi.打结；vt. 把...打成结，系牢，捆扎

参考例句：

• He made a knot in the rope.他在绳子上打了个结。
• The knot has come untied.扣儿开了。

4 employment   

n.雇用；使用；工作，职业

参考例句：

• A large office requires the employment of many people.一个大办事处需要雇用好多人员。
• The state of employment in this city is improving.这个城市就业状况正在改善。

5 commitment   

n.奉献，忠诚，辛劳，委托，实行，承担义务，赞助

参考例句：

• The builder had a commitment to finish the work on time.那个承建商答应过准时完工。
• He made a commitment to pay the rent on time.他保证按时付房租。

6 commitments   

n.委托( commitment的名词复数 )；任务；承担的义务

参考例句：

• I am very tired because I have taken on so many commitments. 我很累，因为我承担了很多的事情。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

8 numerous   

adj.为数众多的；极多的

参考例句：

• There have been numerous exchanges of views between the two governments.两国政府间曾多次交换意见。
• There are numerous people in the square. 有许多人在广场上。

9 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。