Have you seen the ultimate lesson on FilmEnglish? It is designed around a short movie called Fear of Flying and it is about a bird who is frightened of flying.
You can imagine what life a bird who cannot fly has. In its constant nightmares it falls flat from the stormy sky unable to stretch its wings.
The summer comes to an end and all birds are preparing to migrate to the «Sunny South». Dougal instead stuffs his kitchen with various supplies to be able to survive the winter safely ensconsed at home.
But it is terribly terribly cold in winter and he gets robbed by a squirrel so he must do something if he doesn’t want to end his days starved or cold to death.
And he decides to migrate to the «Sunny South» too.
But he does it… on an airplane!
And that’s it.
I suppose the lesson of this short is that you can overcome fear by tricking it.
And I totally disagree.
The one and only way to do it, unfortunately, is face it.
If you don’t overcome you fear, if you only try to play tricks with it like Dougal did, you will never get rid of it. A very strong fear enslaved us and in a very gently and imperceptible way it starts to dictate us what to do. I know what I am saying because I experienced it myself.
I believe everybody is strong enough to deal with his or her own demons?
Have you already tackled yours?
There are also some body idioms in the lesson. Let’s have a closer look.
to put your foot in it — сморозить глупость, сказать или сделать что-то не то и таким образом поставить себя в неловкую ситуацию
In the last episode of Downton Abbey lady Mary’s godfather puts his foot in it when he asks Isobel about her offspring. Apparently he has forgotten that Matthew is dead.
to have a heart of gold — иметь золотое сердце: My mother certainly has a heart of gold. She is ready to give a hand to anyone in need.
to keep smb at arm’s length — не подпускать кого-то слишком близко (в прямом и даже чаще в переносном смысле), то есть сохранять дистанцию: Tom, meanwhile, refers to the dearly departed Sybil as his wife, a likely strategy to keep himself at arm’s length from the lovely new woman/stalker in his life.
a shoulder to cry on — человек, которому можно поплакаться в жилетку (по анг. плечо, на котором поплакать): You are lucky if you have a shoulder to cry one. Because we all need one, from time to time. Sharing our troubles with others and recieving support from them makes us feel that we are loved and cared.
to be getting at somebody’s nerves — действовать на нервы: This constant dripping is getting on my nerves. Please, close the tap more firmly.
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to be head over heels — быть по уши влюбленным: Tony is still head over heels about lady Mary, so much so that he breaks his engagement with another woman.
to give a hand — помочь: Sarah’s car stalls on the side of a deserted back country road where Tom just happens to be driving. Forever a chauffeur, Tom gives Sarah a hand and the two swap stories.
there is more to it than meets the eye — больше, чем кажется на первый взгляд: Mr. Molesley totally has a thing for Baxter. During the finale, the two outsiders bond over their shared fragility with Mr. Molesley proving there’s more to him than meets the eye when he stands up for Baxter after vicious Thomas Barrow comes sniffing around, causing trouble.
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