Transcript
Hold up
Today I’m going to show you how to use the phrasal verb “hold up.” We did this one in Lesson 168 , but the way we talked about it then, it had a different meaning.
“Hold up” in this context means, to stay strong, or to perform well, especially under pressure or in conditions of stress and adversity.
Let’s start with two examples of performing well. Remember, “hold up” means, “Will something perform well in conditions of stress or pressure?” In today’s lesson, you learned about the new smart gun being made by Biofire . If you watch demo videos, you’ll see that it works perfectly in controlled demonstrations in a gun range.
But many people buy guns for self-defense. How would this work in the middle of the night? How would it work if your hands were sweaty? How would it work if it were not fully charged? How would this hold up in the real world? In other words: would this gun stay strong, would it perform well, in conditions of stress and adversity, like what you find in the real world?
Next example. I’m watching the show “Suits” now; it’s about corporate lawyers. It’s every bit as unrealistic as other legal and police shows, but I at least think it’s entertaining. One phrase that you sometimes hear in Suits, and in other police shows, is this: “Will this evidence hold up in court?” That means, “will this be accepted by a court as evidence?” Will this evidence be strong enough to survive in court?
What might not hold up in court? Recordings that were made illegally would not hold up in court: if you record someone confessing to a crime, and you made the recording illegally, the court won’t accept it. That won’t hold up in court; that won’t survive the stress test.
If police find a piece of evidence, but they don’t track it and register it properly: that won’t hold up in court. If a suspect confesses to a crime, but he didn’t have the chance to consult with a lawyer: that confession won’t hold up in court.
In all these cases, the evidence will not survive, it will not prove to be durable, it will not work as evidence. It will not hold up.
Those were two examples of “hold up” meaning: will something perform well under pressure? Will the Biofire gun perform well in real-world stressful situations? Will a piece of evidence survive examination by a judge in a courtroom?
“Hold up” can also mean “stay strong.” And when we use it this way, we often say “held up well” or “did not hold up well.”
You might remember, we just had a global pandemic of unprecedented proportions. How did the economy hold up during the pandemic? There were definitely disruptions. But the global economy held up well during the pandemic. Why did the economy hold up well? In many places, governments gave support to people who were out of work. Many people could work from home. And trade in physical goods held up well, too. Consumers kept spending.
The economy held up well. The economy was placed under stress—the pandemic—and it performed well, it stayed strong, under those circumstances.
You can use “hold up” to describe the health of a friendship or a relationship. You might say, “Their relationship held up well, even after one partner lost his job and the other’s parent got seriously ill.” What does that mean? One partner lost his job—that’s stressful. The other’s parent got seriously ill—that’s stressful. Both of those things can be stressful in a relationship. But their relationship held up well, meaning, their relationship stayed strong despite the stress.
Do you have friends from long ago? If so, you might find that you’ve grown apart. You might have moved to different places, you might have different careers, you might have different family situations. All of those things might cause a friendship to fade. But if that didn’t happen, if you still have a friendship despite all those differences, you might also say, “Our friendship has held up over the years despite our differences.”
JR’s song of the week
Now it’s time for JR’s song of the week. It’s called “Be” by Garrett Kato. After a few weeks of older songs, we’re back in the 21st century with this one. This is a really good one, a really mellow sound. The lines I like are: “I hope you find some peace inside of yourself // It can get bad sometimes // But you can fall asleep with me.”
Good song, “Be” by Garrett Kato is the song of the week, thank you JR.
See you next time!
That’s it for this Thursday, May 18, 2023. Next week, I am going to have an announcement for you. So I want you to be listening here next week—I don’t know if I’m going to make the announcement on Monday or Thursday. But it’s an exciting new activity that you can do with us here at Plain English—it’s going to be a fun and exciting way to practice English with us, something we’ve never done before. But I think you’re going to like it. I’m not ready to say exactly what it is just yet, but next week I will say, either on Monday or Thursday.
So if you’re interested—oh, and this is going to be free, don’t worry—but if you’re interested in doing a little more with us besides just listening to the lessons, then you are going to want to tune in next week for a special announcement.
Don’t forget, tune in next Monday and Thursday and I’ll fill you in on all the details. See you then.
¿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+.