Hello, I'm nail Joining me today is Katherine.

Hi.

Hello, Neil.

What's how story today?

Today story nail is about a zebra and the mystery of its strike Okay, let's find out more about the mystery of the zebra stripes.

From this BBC interview we put striping rugs on horses to see how they affected the number of visits by horse flies a same time.

We're also looking at real zebras who also happened to be present at this horse delivery.

And what we found is that incredibly the once he adds stripes to a horse, it drops the number of horse fly visits dramatically.

So that was Dr Martin.

How from the University of Bristol.

Now he's been doing research into the mystery off the zebras stripes?

A zebra is the black and white horse like animal that lives in Africa.

Now what they did in the researchers, the dressed of ordinary horses to look like zebras, they actually put black or white stripey blankets or rugs as they call them on these emperors.

And they discovered that when you put a stripey blanket on a horse, it gets visited a lot less by flies.

Horse flies.

So they thought, Well, this must be y zebras are stripey because a stripey animal is less attractive to flies.

That a non stripey animal?

What a fascinating story.

I might start wearing a zebra coat like everybody else in the summer.

Okay, you've been looking at this story, and you've picked out three words and expressions.

What are they we have evade to deter Andi earning their stripes evade to deter on earning their stripes.

Okay, so your first headline with that word evade fit headline comes from Earth sky.

New research suggests that stripes help zebras evade biting flies.

Okay, So evade here.

Simply meaning avoid.

Yeah, they're very, very similar.

It means get away from something.

Stop something happening.

Often interchangeable.

But that is a difference.

Yes.

And it's to do with responsibility and obligation, isn't it?

Yes.

Talking of responsibility and obligation.

Neil, do you pay tax at all?

Do I pay tax?

What kind of a question is that of course I pay tax.

I'm I'm a member of the BBC stuff.

OK, so you're not avoiding or evading your responsibilities.

What would you do if you wanted to avoid paying tax?

Well, I suppose I could move to a country that didn't have tax or had very low tax, some working, some working.

Yeah.

I don't want any money.

No money.

Notre or I could come up with ways not to pay Neo e.

I hope you're not talking in legal.

Yes, Afraid so.

So you're deliberately and purposely avoiding your responsibilities in a way that's basically wrong.

That's right.

Yes.

So it would be It's my legal responsibility to pay tax on by not doing so.

I am evading it rather than avoiding it.

Okay.

And we'll just go to this spelling there.

Evade e v a d e Onda.

Avoid a v o I d.

Now, if you evade tax, you may be charged with the crime off.

Tax evasion.

Evasion?

Yes, way don't want not doing.

We don't.

Let's move on.

OK, next headline we have comes from the Guardian.

Why the zebra got its stripes to deter flies from London on it to deter to do something in order to change the actions off something.

Yes.

So in this case, the stripey coat deters flies.

It means it stops the flights from landing on it on.

We can use deter to mean stop somebody or something, doing something, usually because we don't want that thing toe happen.

Yeah.

Okay, so we've got a bit of a situation in our office.

Haven't way the continuing biscuit thievery scenario.

Yes.

When will it?

And a certain member of the team.

We won't name him himself to the biscuits.

Ah, but often I try to deter him.

I think everyone tries to do to him.

We've got a number of methods, some more successful than others.

Yeah, the electric fence was very That was really cool.

A very effective deterrent.

It was a deterrent.

Yes, it waas.

Yes.

It stops this person for a while until he discovered how to avoid or get round this electric fence.

But it was the best one yet.

The best deterrent.

Okay, let's now have a look at our final headline.

Okay.

Horse and hound.

The headline is earning their stripes.

Zebras, coats deter horse flies.

Study finds earning their stripes doing something to make others respect to them?

Yes, To earn your stripes.

This is a military.

It hasn't well in military.

All kind of organisational expression, isn't it?

Yeah.

When there's rank involved.

Yeah, and hierarchy in levels of responsibility.

In position?

Yes.

Have you ever your military career being an illustrious one?

Near, well, military?

Perhaps not.

But I waas in the cubs.

Oh, the child's organizations make fires and play games and stuff.

That's right.

And I had a position of responsibility.

Did she?

I was what's known as the Sixer right of tourney pack.

Bless you probably have will have old were you when you assume this responsibility eight or nine.

But part of that When I when I got promoted to that rank, I had to.

So my mother had this so stripes on my on my sleeve on your uniform.

So I some straight That's right.

So I earned my stripes literally earned my stripes figuratively.

It meant that I was seemed to be successful by the people I was surrounded by.

I'm no other cubs, not at all surprised to hear that, Neil.

So and the stripes are literally a mark.

Some something on your sleeve that showed you You're responsible and we see this in the Army in particular is an example.

This sergeant is a responsibility.

He or she will have three stripes.

That's right.

Eso different.

So different stripes show different levels of responsibility.

So this episode didn't in any stripes.

There's no stripes on those episodes sleeves.

Absolutely not.

But the headline writers couldn't resist using this expression because obviously zebras have stripes they are.

So if you in your stripes, you show that you've got you in respect from other people.

When you have somebody new in your office, you don't know how good they are at their job.

But after a while, hopefully they'll show you by working well and being a good team member that they're good in your team.

They're a good member.

And once they've done that in particular with one particular thing, they do well.

You can say Oh, he's earned a strike, Really earning his stripes?

Yes, all she on.

Now it's time for our vocabulary.

Recap, please.

We have evade.

Which means avoid to deter, to do something in order to change the actions of something on earning their stripes, doing something to make others respect them.

If you would like to test yourself on today's vocabulary, there is a quiz you can take on our website at BBC Learning english dot com, where you can find all kinds of other activities to help you improve your English.

And of course, we have an app which you can download for free.

Thanks for joining us and Good bye bye.

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