Now, the VOA Learning English
program, "Words and Their Stories".
On this show, we are like word detectives. And like a good detective, we uncover
the stories behind common phrases in American English. Today we will investigate
phrases and expressions that use the word SMOKE.
like word detectives: como
investigadores de vocabulario; we
uncover: revelamos; behind:
(ocultas) detrás de las; common
phrases: expresiones populares;
Police officers and detectives often share a problem while investigating a
crime. They may catch someone they suspect is guilty. But they cannot send the
person to prison unless they can prove guilt to a judge or jury.
often share: comparten a
menudo; while investigating (WHILE
+ ING verb): mientras investigan;
crime: delito (atención:
crimen = murder);
catch someone: atrapar a alguien
(de quien); suspect is guilty:
suponen culpable; unless: a
menos que; prove guilt:
probar a culpabilidad; to a judge
or jury: ante un juez o tribunal;
That is why police will often say they are searching for “a
smoking gun.” The smoking gun is evidence that proves a person’s
guilt.
searching for: en busca de;
a smoking gun: evidencia, prueba
irrefutable (literalmente = una
pistola humeante, recién disparada);
The expression gets its name from the smoke that rises from the gun after it is
fired. The person holding the gun may try to deny they fired it. But anyone
seeing the smoke knows the weapon was used. And if someone is lying dead across
the room with a bullet wound, the smoking gun proves who did the shooting.
gets its name from: debe su
nombre a; rises from the gun:
sale de la pistola; after it is
fired: luego de ser disparada;
holding: que sostiene; may
try to deny: puede intentar
negar que; anyone seeing:
cualquiera que observe; the
weapon was used: el arma fue
utilizada recientemente; is lying
dead: yace sin vida; bullet
wound: herida de bala; proves:
demuestra; who did the shooting:
quien efectuó el disparo;
SHERLOCK HOLMES
The writer Arthur Conan Doyle knew about smoking guns. He used the expression in
1893 in one of his stories about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.
writer: escritor; knew
about: sabía de (los), conocía
(los);
In the story, a group of sailors rebel against the captain of a ship. Sherlock
Holmes and others find the captain lying over a map, dead. Standing across from
him is a clergyman with a gun in his hand. And not just any gun: a smoking gun.
sailors: marinos; rebel
against: se rebelan contra;
lying over a map, dead: yaciendo
sin vida sobre un mapa; clergyman:
sacerdote;
The clergyman has just shot the captain! The smoking gun proves he is not a man
of God, but a murderer.
has just shot: acaba de
dispararle (al); murderer:
asesino;
However, there does not have to be a murder for there to be a smoking gun. In
recent years, the expression “smoking
gun” has come to mean any strong piece of evidence.
however: sin embargo;
there does not have to be: no
necesariamente tiene que haber;
for there to be: para que exista;
has come to mean: se viene
aplicando a; any strong piece of
evidence: cualquier prueba de
carácter irrefutable;
THE WATERGATE SCANDAL
In the early 1970s, for example, many Americans suspected President Richard
Nixon was covering up illegal activities by his aides. However, the president
denied involvement in any crime. And there was no firm evidence tying him to
criminal activity.
in the early: a principios de
(los años); suspected:
sospechaban que (el); covering up:
ocultando; illegal: ilegales;
aides: asistentes; denied
involvement: negó estar
involucrado; no firm evidence:
sólidas evidencias; tying him to:
que lo ligaran a;
In the end, the Nixon White House gave Congress tape recordings that proved he
had tried to hide information about the illegal activities. The release of the
tapes forced him to resign from office.
tape recordings: grabaciones en
cinta; had tried to hide:
había intentado ocultar; release:
puesta en circulación; forced him
to resign from office: lo
obligó a renunciar a la presidencia;
Both politicians and the press called these Nixon’s smoking gun. They firmly
tied him to a break-in at the Watergate building in Washington. Americans still
call them Nixon’s
smoking-gun tapes.
both politicians and the press:
tanto los políticos como la prensa;
break-in: allanamiento;
MORE COMMON USES
A politician or anyone involved in illegal activities can use
a smoke screen to hide
behind.
In the military, a “smoke screen”
is a cloud of smoke created to hide military operations.
In conversation, a “smoke screen”
is something that you do or say to take attention from something else or to hide
your real purpose or intention.
smoke screen: cortina de
humo; to hide behind: detrás
de la cual ocultar la realidad
(actividades ilegales, operaciones
militares, para desviar la atención
de un tema en particular);
to hide real
purposes or intentions: para
ocultar los objetivos reales o las
verdaderas intenciones;
If a smoke screen doesn’t work, you may want to use
smoke and mirrors to
hide your criminal behavior.
smoke and mirrors: pretextos
y engaños (literal = humo y espejos);
criminal behavior:
comportamiento delictivo;
Years ago, magicians would use smoke and mirrors to fool their audiences. These
days in conversation "smoke
and mirrors" is anything people do to try and fool someone else.
years ago: hace
muchos años; magicians would use:
los magos utilizaban; to fool
their audiences: para engañar a
sus públicos;
However, if you are trying to hide a crime, your opponents or the police may try
to smoke you out.
To smoke someone out means to try to get them to come out of hiding.
This comes from the practice of actually using smoke to make people leave an
area.
opponents: adversarios,
competidores; to smoke you out:
poner al descubierto (litera =
ahuyentar con humo, hacer salir a
alguien de su escondite); to make
people leave an area: obligar a
la gente a dispersarse, liberar una
zona;
"Smoke out" can
also mean to bring someone or something into public view. The media is usually
quick to smoke out a scandal. In the Watergate scandal, two Washington Post
reporters, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, were the primary people responsible
for smoking out Nixon’s role in the cover up.
smoke out: ventilar o hacer
públicas situaciones secretas;
the media: los medios (prensa,
radio, televisión, Internet);
smoke out a scandal: sacar a
relucir un escándalo; the primary
people: las personas
primordiales; for smoking out:
para hacer público; role in the
cover up: el rol (desempeñado
por Nixon) en el encubrimiento;
Even when Woodward and Bernstein did not have the tapes in their possession,
they probably knew very early that something was wrong. As we say, “where
there’s smoke, there is fire.” This expression means that if
unpleasant things are said about someone or something, there is probably good
reason for it. You may also hear it said this way: “There
isn’t smoke without fire.”
even when: aún cuando;
knew very early: sabían con
mucha anticipación; was wrong:
funcionaba mal; where there's
smoke, there is fire: cuando el
río suena, agua lleva (literal =
donde hay humo, hay fuego); good
reason for it: un buen motivo
para que ello suceda; this way:
de esta manera; there isn't smoke
without fire: cuando el río
suena, piedras trae (literal = no
hay humo sin fuego);
After the public found out about the
smoking-gun tapes, all
the work Nixon tried to do during his presidency
went up in smoke. If
something goes up in smoke it is all wasted. When most people think of Nixon,
they think of Watergate.
found out about: supo, se
enteró sobre; the smoking-gun
tapes: las cintas grabadas;
went up in smoke: quedó en aguas
de borrajas (literal = se esfumó, se
hizo humo); is all wasted:
todo está perdido;
And that brings us to the end of this "Words and Their Stories". If you
learned even one new expression on this program, your time with us
did not go up in smoke.
It was not wasted!
brings us to the end: nos
conduce al final; if you learned
even one: si aprendiste tan sólo
una; your time with us: el
tiempo que invertiste en nosotros;
did not go up in smoke: no se
esfumó; it was not wasted: no
lo desperdiciaste;
Join again next time as we explore more American English on "Words and Their
Stories".
I’m Anna Matteo.
join again next time: regresa
con nosotros la próxima vez. |