Pull back on
Here’s a good phrasal verb for you: to pull back on. What does it mean to pull back on something? It means to do less of it. Let’s review how you heard “pull back on” in this lesson.
Television networks around the world are having to pull back on showing original content just as more eyeballs are available to watch their shows. Talk about a bad situation! There are a lot more people able to watch TV now—and TV networks have to reduce the amount of new programming they show, just because it’s not available. They have to pull back on airing original content because there’s just not enough of it. They’re pulling back; they’re doing less of it.
We usually use an -ing verb after “pull back on,” but you can also just put a noun, like this: Networks have to pull back on showing, on airing new content. Or, networks have to pull back on original content. Here are a few other ways you can use “pull back on”:
Employers are pulling back on hiring during these uncertain times. They are doing less hiring. Big companies may be pulling back on new investments, as well. That means they are not going forward with as many new investments in factories, machinery, or research, as they previously had planned.
A lot of companies have had to pull back on advertising during this crisis. All of a sudden, KFC’s “finger-lickin’ good” fried chicken ads are not exactly appropriate for this new normal. Other brands are pulling back on ads that show people in large crowds or doing fun leisure activities. Instead, a lot of ads show people thoughtfully looking out a window!
New tests for COVID-19 are in short supply. Some places have started to administer a lot of tests every day—but if they don’t pull back, they’ll run out of tests. That’s what happened in Connecticut. They had to pull back on testing because they simply didn’t have enough equipment to continue doing as many tests per day.
After this health crisis passes, many people will be left with an economic crisis, as they try to replenish their savings. Many people have pulled back on spending during the crisis—we have nowhere to really spend any money. But even after things start opening up, I think we’ll see a lot of people pull back on their typical level of spending, as they try to build up savings after this crisis.
I’m still amazed that you can get a lot of stuff delivered to your house, even in this crisis. But Amazon has had to pull back on delivery of non-essential goods. JR has been waiting for a new cable to connect his computer to a monitor for weeks. Amazon decided to pull back on delivering things like cords and cables, to focus on delivering essentials.
JR’s song of the week
Speaking of JR, he has selected a song of the week. This week it is “Don’t Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa. It’s one of the singles from her second album and it just came out a few weeks ago. It was featured on Big Brother Brazil, which, incidentally is one of the television series not to be interrupted by the coronavirus. In fact, the contestants on Big Brother Brazil are sequestered in a house—meaning, they have no contact with the outside world. Someone had to go into the house and tell them about the coronavirus—that’s how isolated they all were. And of course everyone watched their reactions on TV.
Anyway, back to the song of the week. Here’s what Dua Lipa said about it in an interview. She said: “It’s about finally being in a happy place and knowing this new person is amazing. But then thinking: ‘Nothing else compares to this, and what if this ends and it breaks my heart?’ It’s the whole thing of being scared to be too happy.”
So there you have it. “Don’t Break My Heart” by Dua Lipa is the song of the week, courtesy of JR.
See you next time!
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Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
