Shine a spotlight

Shine a spotlight

The English expression I want to share with you this week is “Shine a spotlight.” To shine a spotlight on something is to call attention to that thing. You remember that Mamoudou Gassama was an illegal immigrant in France when he made his daring rescue of that four-year-old boy. All the attention on that one act of heroism also shines a spotlight on the issue of illegal immigration. It called attention to the issue because the fact that Gassama was an illegal immigrant was so central to the story.

You remember the story about the Chinese pilot who landed a plane safely after the windshield blew out? We talked about that in episode 50. That was also a brave and heroic act by the pilot—but it shines a spotlight on air safety in China, where there have been several safety violations on airplanes. As good as the story was, it called attention to the air-safety struggles that China is having.

Here’s one more from the archives. You remember the DJ Avicci, who committed suicide? That shines a spotlight on mental health issues, especially among people who are in the public eye.

So, remember, to shine a spotlight on something means to call attention to it.

Thanks for listening to Plain English this week. If you’re new to the program, make sure you click “follow” in Spotify or “subscribe” in Apple Podcasts or your other podcast app. Another great way to keep up with the show is to sign up for our episode e-mails. Each email has the definition of one additional word or phrase per episode, plus links to the English articles I use to prepare the episode.

The next episode will be on Monday, when we’ll talk about the total effects of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Thanks for being with us and don’t forget to come right back here again on Monday.