To make a push
Today’s expression is “to make a push.” You know the word push, right? You push a button; you push open a door; there might be some pushing and shoving on the playground. But that’s different from “to make a push.” What does it mean “to make a push”? It means, to make an extra special effort, usually toward a goal.
The Tour de France is 21 days of racing. Those guys are never really relaxing or just pedaling along, enjoying the scenery. Even so, they are regulating their effort. There are times when they try to go faster, and times when they are conserving their energy a little bit. They need to strategically direct their effort where it will do them the most good. Some cyclists are strong on flatter ground; others are good on the descent; Egan Bernal is especially good at climbing. That’s why he decided to make a push on the climb up to Col de l’Iseran. He’s a good climber, and he saw his opportunity to make a push and take the lead, which he did.
Your favorite sports team might make a push to sign a star player. In that case, the special effort is not on the field, but off the field. What might a team do to make a push to sign a star player? They might invite him or her to tour the team’s facilities. They might encourage players on the team to reach out and introduce themselves, talk about how nice it is to play on that team. They might help the player figure out where he and his family might live. And, of course, they might sweeten their offer a little bit, too: offer a little extra money in one last push. This is what teams do when they want to make one last push to sign a star athlete; one last special effort.
What do package delivery services do at Christmas time in the western world and on Singles Day in China? They make a push to get the huge volume of packages to their customers on time. They make a push because it’s a special effort during the biggest gift-giving time of the year.
Related: China’s Singles Day sets a global shopping record
If you’re releasing a new product, you might make a push for publicity right when the product is released. Sometimes at work, if we’ve got a big project, we decide to make a push one day (or often night) to make a lot of progress all at once. Sometimes if you make a push, a special effort in one burst, it gives you the momentum you need to reach a goal.
Quote of the week
Time for the quote of the week. It’s a cycling quote, from former pro cyclist Chris Boardman. The quote has to do with the Tour de France. Here’s what he says: “There simply is nothing else like it. And, as a test of physical and mental endurance it has no equal…It’s the only race in the world where you have to get a haircut halfway through.” Mental and physical endurance is right. I don’t know how they keep their focus, keep their intensity, over a three-week race. And these are not short days either! “The only race in the world where you have to get a haircut halfway through.” I like that.
Okay that’s all for today. Remember, as I mentioned on Thursday, if you like the translations on the web site, please, please, please, sign up for our e-mail list. There are some changes coming and I want you, my listeners right now, to continue to enjoy those translations uninterrupted. So please, sign up for our e-mail list so we can give you all the news you need to know. PlainEnglish.com/mail . Nothing to worry about, but you will want to be on that email list as soon as possible, so please take just a minute and join at PlainEnglish.com/mail. Thanks once again for being with us; thanks for all of your notes. You are the best audience in the world! That is really the truth. We’ll be right back here together on Thursday. See you then.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
