Joining me today is a very festive looking Catherine.

Yes, well, Neil, it's a our festive programme.

So as you asked me to put a festive jumper on, I've got my festive jumper, you have and and survive as well.

What's our story then?

So the story is a security issue at an English turkey farm on the farmer has brought in some very unusual security guards unusual security cards at a turkey farm.

Okay, let's find out more from this BBC news bulletin from the reporter Elizabeth Hartson, the farm's bean rearing Turkey's since the 19 fifties and sells around 24,000 year.

The birds roam free outside, which has obvious benefits, but there is one big downside.

Predators and foxes in particular.

The farms director Tom Corpus has come up with an unusual deterrent.

As he told me during a visit to the farm in early November.

Well, we actually started using our packers.

We were getting hammered water folks.

We just read the birds out so they're rearing facilities on.

We got in and we lost over 100 and 1st 1 week and we kept losing birds.

So an English turkey farm there, which has a problem with Fox's killing turkeys, turkeys the bids that are eaten for Christmas dinner all over this.

The UK eso the security guard that the farmer brought in was al Packers.

Now al Packers on animal that is native to South America.

It like it's looks a bit like a llama, and it's related to the camera.

Fact family.

In fact, yeah, I'm not the kind of thing you expect is a guard.

Animals, Not just, you know, I think it's quite common in in some countries.

But in the UK and Al Packer, guarding Turkey's is something you don't see every day.

Okay, well, you've been looking through the news websites at this story.

And what are the items of vocabulary that you've come up with?

Okay, so we have three items.

The 1st 1 is standing God, we have keeping watch on brainchild standing guard, keeping watch and brainchild.

So standing guard house.

That appearing.

Okay, so if we look in the STV news.

The headline is alpacas protecting 24,000 Christmas turkeys from killer foxes on.

In that story, the sentence is heard of Al Packers are standing guard over 24,000 free range turkeys.

Okay, so standing guard protecting something to make sure it stays safe or doesn't escape.

So when we think of standing guard, is it like it?

Buckingham Palace, Whether any uniform and a rifle, Yes.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

The original meaning of God is to protect something or someone from danger on in an official military or police sense.

If you stand guard, you stay in one position for a number of hours, protecting whoever you're protecting.

Yeah, but that that is used in another sense.

In a less literal sense.

I don't think you can force an AL packet to stand up straight in one position for eight hours at a time.

So is use much more.

In a figurative sense.

They are guarding these turkeys, but probably they're moving around or they might be in the field next door.

I don't know, but they're not standing upright with rifles.

That would be strange.

It was okay.

And the the proposition that goes with standing guard.

OK, it's over.

So they're standing God over Turkey's.

When you had an object, use a proposition over right.

I've been standing guard over something at home.

Christmas presents, maybe Christmas presents.

Don't tell the kids, but yeah, I'm a bit scared that they know where they are.

I get home from work and I stand guard.

Okay, I'm going to guess there inside the wardrobe.

I'm not giving it away in case they're watching.

OK, okay.

We got for our second item of vocabulary a related concept, but slightly different.

Yep.

So from the telegraph, we have blitz and Dasha, sage and onion, the alpacas guarding a gang of Christmas turkeys.

And within this, within that story, we have the names of all these out packers, and it says they are now keeping watch over the coppers.

24,000 thirties.

So keeping watch.

Meaning paying close attention to a situation so you can react to any problems that might happen.

Keeping watch.

What's the difference in keeping watch in standing guard?

They're kind of similar.

I think standing God has a lot to do with the position you're operate.

You've got a weapon and you're protecting something from danger.

When you're keeping watch, it can have a very similar meaning.

It can be used in military situations, but it also means keeping watch me is looking to see what might happen.

So it's a kind of just in case or you're expecting a change.

You don't know what, but you have to watch it very carefully.

So when you're cooking your Christmas dinner in the my turkey cooking your turkey hasn't quite been saved for the help.

If it yes, if the Attackers managed to don't manage to save it from your oven.

Yes, you have to keep watch to make sure it doesn't burn.

So you're watching checking occasionally not forgetting about it.

Bit paying attention.

Yes.

Keep watch.

Yeah, next we have brainchild.

How is that appearing?

Okay, so, brainchild in the BBC news headline is the alpacas protecting 24,000 Christmas turkeys on in the story?

We have again the names off these al practice, and it's telling us that this was the brainchild off Tom cover compass.

Okay, well, I know what a brain is.

I know what a child is.

Is that a child come out of the brain.

I don't understand, Katherine.

I will explain it to you knew out of your brain actually comes a thought or an idea.

And if this idea is really special to you, it's really precious.

You're really proud of it.

Maybe nobody thought of it before.

You can call this idea a brainchild.

So it means a wonderful original idea that you really can.

It is really special in your proud of it.

Like the Al Packers.

Yeah, exactly.

This guy had this great idea.

Let's use Al Parker's on on an English form.

And that was a brainchild because, okay, it's really common in some countries, but here it was quite a sparky idea.

I had a brainchild of my Did you?

Yeah.

I suggested that we wear our our festive Christmassy jumpers for this program.

You is.

We both have.

We both have the other some more successfully.

I'm a bit disappointed in yours, actually, when you compare it to Maine, which I'm gonna stand up in display.

So I have a full season of seen on my jumper.

We've got the rate.

The robin skating on ice snow?

Yeah, nighttime scene.

It's fabulous.

I've got snowflakes Is that not good enough?

Neil, Yours is just a scanty jumper you wear all year round.

Very impressive.

You're trying to tell me that I conned you into wearing a city job.

But I do feel a little bit ripped off in that case just to make it even sent.

My brainchild sat at I look stupid enough.

Fabulous.

Okay, Should we go to our Facebook challenge?

Let's dio So yes, I asked ah, Christmas related question, according to the English expression.

Who or what doesn't vote for Christmas?

Is it a Santa?

Be Brussels sprouts or see Turkey's again?

We had a fantastic response on Facebook, as usual, quite a lot of people thought Santa, presumably Santa has a lot of work to do, and it was maybe an idea that he doesn't really want to do it.

But in fact, John Lopez told us, see Turkey's would make sense.

I've never heard from them, but I'm pretty sure they are not so found of Christmas time.

And that's absolutely the right idea.

Turkey's probably don't like Christmas because it's they go in the oven and get eaten.

Yeah, what would you want that if you were a Turkey.

Absolutely.

No, no, no.

The Packers wouldn't have done their job with Yes.

So turkeys voting for Christmas that could be in an everyday situation.

For example, workers voting for a pay cut or something.

Three.

Agreeing to a pay cut, you say.

Well, that's a bit strange.

That's like turkeys voting for Christmas.

Absolutely use that expression, like turkeys voting for Christmas when people agree to do something that actually is not beneficial to them.

No.

But now we're going to do something that is beneficial, which is re capping the vocabulary.

Let's go.

So the first vocabulary item was standing guard, which means protecting something to make sure it stays safe or doesn't escape.

Then we had keeping watch, meaning pay close attention to a situation so you can react to any problems on.

We had a brainchild, which describes somebody's plan or original idea.

Okay, well, if you'd like a test to quiz yourself on today's vocabulary, you can go to our website and find one at BBC learning english dot com, where there's all sorts of other activities to help you improve your English.

Thanks for joining us and good bye bye.