Lock out

Lock out

Today’s expression is “lock out.” It’s a phrasal verb, and we usually use it in the passive voice. But first, I’ll share how you heard it earlier, which is in the active voice. Earlier today, you heard that ransomware hackers lock employees out of their own systems and demand payments before they release the data or computer systems again . They lock out the employees, or the lock the employees out.

If you lock someone out, you prevent that person from accessing something important . However, as I mentioned, it’s much more common to use this in the passive voice. For example, I’m locked out. Or I’ve been locked out.

The employees of Colonial Pipeline were locked out of their systems. They were not able to access their systems, because someone else was preventing them from accessing it. They were locked out by the hackers.

Have you ever forgotten your password to your bank’s web site? That’s no problem if you’re using a password manager , like we talked about in Lesson 326. But if you try the wrong password three or four times, you get locked out. Even if you get it right later, you’re locked out. The bank doesn’t let you in. You need to call and get a new password or reset it with multi-factor authentication or something like that.

At my job, we have to reset our Windows passwords every sixty days. When there’s about five days left , we start getting urgent warning notices . They turn from yellow to red when there’s just two days left. The notifications start to take on a panicky tone . If we don’t reset our passwords by the deadline , we get locked out. We can’t log into our computers. We have to call the IT department to reset the passwords.

That’s locked out in a digital sense. It has a very analog meaning, too! To be locked out is to be outside your house, without a key , when the doors are locked. You know that feeling—I, luckily , don’t have this feeling very much—but you know that feeling when you step outside and you hear the door closing behind you , and just in that last instant you realize that your keys are inside? That’s a terrible feeling.

I’m pretty careful with my keys, so I’ve only been locked out of my house once in my life, believe it or not . I had to call a locksmith . The guy came and popped the door right open . It was a little disconcerting to see how easy it was, but he got it.

If your phone rings, it’s your friend, you pick up, and he says, “I’m locked out,” he’s not talking about his bank’s web site. It means he’s accidentally locked his door behind him and he doesn’t have any keys. He’s calling for you to help or at least to keep him company .

JR’s song of the week

Time for JR’s song of the week—but I nominated it this week. The song is, “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” by Billy Joel. It’s about the struggles of a commercial fisherman on Long Island, New York, near New York City. He’s trying to continue to fish enough to support his family , but he’s finding it hard to catch enough fish. And the costs of living on Long Island are going up too fast for him to keep up. There’s “no Island left for Islanders like me,” he sings. That means that there’s less and less space on Long Island for people who are originally from there, given how expensive it has become.

It’s a good song. It’s not one of Billy Joel’s big hits, but it’s always been one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. “The Downeaster ‘Alexa'” is this week’s song of the week.

See you next time!

And that’s all today. Change your passwords and use a password manager: that’s all I have to say. Great job, as always, I’m just so impressed with all the hard work you guys are doing in English. I hope you enjoy these lessons and this type of practice. I love hearing from you and learning all about you. So sign up as a free member to get my emails and stay in touch. It’s real easy from the Plain English home page—just sign up for a free membership. It’s the best way to stay in touch with your favorite English learning podcast. PlainEnglish.com.

We’ll be back with you again on Monday with a new topic. I don’t know for sure yet, but I think we’ll talk about Chile. They’re going to draft a brand-new constitution in Chile and they’ve recently selected the representatives who will draft it. We’ll definitely do a lesson about that, so I think that’s going to be next Monday. We’ll see.

Until then, keep up the great work and we’ll see you over at PlainEnglish.com.