内容简介

名词 “rod” 的意思是 “棍子，棍棒”。表达 “make a rod for your own back” 用 “做了根棍子来敲打自己” 这个说法来比喻一个人 “自讨苦吃”。听节目，跟主持人菲菲和 Phil 一起学习在哪些生活场景中可以使用表达 “make a rod for your own back”。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。在每期节目中，我们都会介绍一个英语母语人士或讲英语流利的人会用到的习惯用语或者短语。I'm Feifei, and I'm here with Phil. You look a bit stressed Phil.

Phil
I am a bit stressed! I kept volunteering to do extra work, and now I've got so much to do, and I don't know when I'm going to get it done.

Feifei
Maybe you shouldn't have volunteered for so much work. It looks like you made a rod for your own back.

Phil
And now you've given me an expression to look at in this programme – 'make a rod for your own back'. We use it to say that you do something that will cause you problems in future, like volunteering for too much work.

Feifei
In this expression, the rod is the thing that will cause you problems. It's you that will feel the negative consequences of your decisions.

Phil
If someone invites too many people to a party at their house, they might be making a rod for their own back. They will need to buy or make food for lots of people.

Feifei
Let's hear some more examples of people using 'make a rod for your own back'.

Examples
I offered to make a cup of tea at work the other day, and now I have really made a rod for my own back. I have to make the morning tea every day.

I missed a couple of my Spanish lessons, and I've really made a rod for my own back because now I'm going to have to study extra hard for the test.

I offered to referee a kids' football match, and now all the parents expect me to do it every week. I've really made a rod for my own back.

Feifei
你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。以上我们一起学习了表达 “make a rod for your own back” 的用法。在这个表达中，单词 “rod” 的意思是 “棍子，棍棒”。而 “make a rod for your own back” 通过描述 “自己做了一根用来从背后驱赶自己的棍子” 来比喻 “自讨苦吃”。

Phil
Yes. Often when we decide to do something, we don't realise that it could cause problems in the future, and that we are actually making a rod for our own backs.

Feifei
Luckily, there's no way that listening to our programmes could be making a rod for your own back, so make sure that you come back next time for more expressions. See you then!

Phil
Bye!