To “get around” a rule refers to when we want something that’s not really allowed, but we find a way to get what we want without directly breaking a rule.
Transcript
Get around
Today’s expression is to get around a rule. We use this when we want something that’s not really allowed. But we find a way to get what we want without directly breaking a rule. Most countries require a work visa or temporary residence permit if you want to spend an extended period of time working . Those permits traditionally required an invitation letter from a local employer. But remote workers worked online. They got around this by simply presenting themselves as tourists and working remotely. In most places, that type of work is not really against the rule. The digital nomads were able to work in the places they liked, but didn’t have to get a work permit. They got around that work permit or work visa rule. They got what they wanted without directly violating any rules.
Here’s another example. Let’s say you’re an American traveler and you would like to spend a year in Colombia. Unfortunately, Colombia lets Americans stay for six months out of any calendar year. In the year 2021, you can spend six months there. In the year 2022, you can spend six months there. Too bad: you wanted to spend a year in Colombia.
Is there any way to get around that rule? Yes. You can go there on July 1 and spend six months there—the final six months of the calendar year. Then you can go on a quick trip to Lima, Peru. You can leave on December 31 and come back a couple days later in a brand-new calendar year. Then you can spend January through June in Colombia again. You’ve just spent twelve months in Colombia, but you haven’t spent more than six months of any calendar year there. That’s how you can get around the rule. You got what you wanted, and you didn’t break a rule. You got around it.
When someone asks, “Is there any way to get around that rule?” the person is saying, “I don’t want to follow the rule, but I don’t want to directly break it either.”
During the pandemic, visitors to Hawaii had to quarantine in their hotel rooms for 14 days before getting out and enjoying the island paradise. Not a great way to start your vacation. I’m sure more than a few tourists started wondering, “Is there any way to get around that?” And yes, there was. Some resorts participated in a “bubble,” sponsored by the local government. In a resort bubble, you get a COVID test upon arrival and you cannot leave the resort. You can leave your room and enjoy the beach, pool, and restaurant. But you can’t leave the resort. That way, you can enjoy Hawaii and don’t have to follow the strict quarantine rules. You can get around the quarantine requirements that way.
If you shop online, you might only have 30 days to return a product to the store. Oops—it’s now been 33 days since you bought that new pair of shoes, and they don’t fit. Returns are no longer allowed. Is there any way to get around that? Sure, you can call the company and ask for them to extend the return window. I think most companies would do that if you asked.
“There’s no way around that.” If someone tells you that, then you know you can’t find any exception to the rule. If you show up to the airport for an international trip and your passport is going to expire while you’re away, the airline won’t let you on the plane. There’s no way around that. You have a valid passport on that day, sure. But they’re not going to let you go somewhere if your passport expires during your itinerary. In fact, they usually require your passport be valid for at least a month after your return.
That happened to one of my colleagues. His whole family got to the airport for a trip to Europe, and my colleague had to stay back for a couple of days. His passport expired a week after his return, but they still didn’t let him on the plane. I guarantee you, he was asking, “Isn’t there any way around that?” But the answer was always, There’s no way around that. There’s no exception, no way to get around the rule.
Quote of the Week
Time for our quote of the week. It’s by the comedian Eddie Cantor. He said, “It takes 20 years to make an overnight success.” I like that. I’m in awe of the fact that we have a COVID vaccine. I just think it’s so incredible and we are so lucky to live in the year 2021. They developed that vaccine in less than a year. So it seems like it was an overnight success. But really, these companies have been working in the background on the mRNA technology for years and years, no glory, no headlines, no big success stories. A few small successes, but no big success stories. And then they are saving the world, all in one year.
The quote says, “It takes 20 years to make an overnight success.” And I really love that quote because there are a lot of things that might seem like an overnight success to an observer. But we don’t see all the work, the preparation, the trial and error, the failure, the resilience—we don’t see that before a person or a company becomes an overnight success. “It takes 20 years to make an overnight success,” says Eddie Cantor.
See you next time!
And that’s all today. We have a big audience, so we might even have some people in the audience who are digital nomads. We might have people researching or even applying for a digital nomad visa. If that’s you, I’d love to hear from you and hear about your experiences. You can leave a comment in our free Facebook group at PlainEnglish.com/Facebook .
The next lesson will be on Thursday. If you’re looking for something to do between now and Thursday, check out our web site, where we have a full library of lessons, going all the way back to Lesson 1. You can find them in the Libraries tab at the top of the page if you are a member. We have a variety of membership levels, but the is—and always will be—one free membership level. So check that out at PlainEnglish.com and you can browse our old lessons. They’re all organized by category and topic.
See you Thursday!
¿Hablas español?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into Spanish. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .
How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
你说中国话？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parlez-vous français?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Você fala português?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
日本語は話せますか？
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Parli italiano?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sprechen Sie Deutsch?
The transcript of this lesson is available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Sen Türkçe konuşmayı biliyor musun?
The transcripts of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Turkish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Mówisz po polsku?
The transcript of Plain English lessons are available with interactive translations into your language. In each lesson transcript, we select about one hundred difficult words, phrases , and expressions for translation. Polish translations are available starting at Lesson 278.
How is this different than simply using a translation engine?
Translation engines are powerful tools for communicating in the modern world . However, they often miss the context and can either mislead you or leave you confused . Our human translators are here to make sure that you’re getting not only the correct definition, but also the full context .How can I use the translations in my studies?
Most members use the translations as they are listening to the lesson and reading along . When you come across a word you don’t understand, you don’t have to press pause to discover the meaning . You can simply hover your mouse over the highlighted word . This lets you learn the definition of the word without having to press pause on the audio.
Do the translations work on mobile?
Yes! Instead of hovering over a highlighted word, just tap on it .
Can I see a sample?
Yes, please visit PlainEnglish.com/sample to see a sample episode with the Spanish translations.
How can I access the translations?
Translations are included in two memberships: Plain English Plus+ and Starter. Choose a plan and get started today!
Audio
The fast version of this expression is available for subscribers of Plain English Plus+.