Inch closer

To inch closer

This is a good expression this week—to inch closer. An inch is about two and a half centimeters. And to inch closer, or to inch forward, is to move at a very slow pace. The world is inching closer to the era of drone delivery—that’s what you heard earlier. And that means, little by little, the world is getting closer to having drone deliveries. There are a lot of problems. This is not one of those technologies that develops really fast.

I’m writing this on a Saturday, and as I write this, Donald Trump and his political adversaries in Congress are inching closer toward a budget deal that would re-open the US government. If you’ve been following this news—well, I’m sorry. If you haven’t been following this news, the president and Congress have been fighting with each other over the past month or so about the budget, and as a result the US government has no budget, and a lot of government agencies are shut down while they fight it out. But the two sides are inching closer to a deal—nothing dramatic. By the time you hear this, maybe they will have reached a deal. But as of today, they are still inching closer. Each side is giving just a little bit of ground, and it seems ever so slightly more likely that a deal will be struck. The two sides are inching closer to a deal.

Have you ever been stuck in a major traffic jam? Maybe you’re stuck in a traffic jam right now as you’re listening. If so, you might be just inching along the highway. If you’re just inching forward, or inching along, you’re going very slowly. Inch by inch, little by little.

Sometimes that’s how I think my Spanish is going, just inch by inch toward fluency. Or it’s getting worse inch by inch, I’m not sure. I was talking to JR last weekend in Spanish and I forgot a few very simple words—yikes. I’d better hit the books!

Thanks once again for being with us. JR and I enjoy getting your notes, reading your reviews on Facebook, and learning about your lives and how English and this program fit into your daily routine. Don’t be a stranger—and if you’re not on our email list yet, make sure you do that. Join us at PlainEnglish.com/mail . We’ll be back with another regular episode on Monday. We’re going to do something a little different on Monday—not too different, just a new type of topic. So I’ll leave you with that cliffhanger for now, and make sure to join us again on Monday.