Summary
Have you ever met someone who sounds like they know lots about a certain topic, but in reality… doesn't? Neil and Feifei have an expression for you that describes just that type of person – but what has it got to do with public speaking and hiking?
Transcript
Feifei
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak with me, Feifei…
Neil
…and me, Neil.
Feifei
In this programme, we have an expression you can use to describe someone who talks confidently about a topic, but might not actually know that much about it.
Neil
Which reminds me, Feifei. Did I tell you that I've started a new evening course?
Feifei
No. What's it in?
Neil
Well, see if you can guess… My lords, ladies and gentlemen. It is indeed an immense honour and privilege to stand here before you on this great occasion and humbly offer my thoughts…
Feifei
Er… Neil. What are you going on about?
Neil
Public speaking! It's my new course.
Feifei
Right. Well, you can certainly talk the talk.
Neil
Oh good – that's the whole point.
Feifei
Hmm. That's not really a compliment. When we say someone can talk the talk, it means they talk a lot about a subject, but they might not really know that much about it – even if they sound confident.
Neil
How dare you! Well, let's hear some examples of this expression in action.
Examples
Oh no, not another meeting chaired by Binh. He can certainly talk the talk but he actually knows nothing!
OK, go in there, talk the talk, and get out before they realise we don't have a clue about marketing!
It's one thing talking the talk, but we need action. We need someone who can walk the walk.
Feifei
You're listening to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. In this programme, we're looking at the expression 'talk the talk'. It refers to people who talk confidently on a topic without necessarily knowing much about it.
Neil
That's right, Feifei. You know, you're really quite knowledgeable about the English language, aren't you?
Feifei
Thanks.
Neil
I mean, you don't just talk the talk – you can walk the walk too.
Feifei
Absolutely! As you heard in the earlier example, and just then from Neil, the opposite of 'talk the talk' is 'walk the walk'.
Neil
That refers to someone who shows their abilities through action – not just talking.
Feifei
Like you, Neil.
Neil
You know what? I think I'll give up that public speaking course and join a hiking club – to learn how to walk the walk.
Feifei
Ha! Good idea.
Both
Bye!