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  • Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Proverbs 132. The proverb today is "a

  • drowning man will clutch or grasp at a straw.' Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. This

  • proverb is often used as the American idiom to clutch at straws or the British

  • idiom grasp at straws. Even though in the US., sometimes I hear grasp at straws

  • too, but it is more British. All right. Let's continue here.

  • If someone clutches or grasps at straws, he or she tries to do something that is

  • very unlikely to succeed and they only do it out of desperation. Almost like

  • what were they thinking ? Did they really think that was going work ? You know ,

  • the only reason they tried it is because they were so desperate they, they would...

  • they probably had no other choice. They're just a last hope. Okay.

  • So let's continue. The proverb alludes to the idea that a drowning man will try to

  • clutch even at just a piece of floating straw. So if you're really in the water

  • and you're drowning and there's that piece of floating straw . Ah ! Maybe you still try

  • to grab it. I don't know. To hope beyond hope that you know, somehow a miracle

  • could happen and it could save you. We say to save himself. Of course, a floating

  • piece of straw is too weak to possibly hold or save a drowning man. So the

  • action is futile. It is useless. It's not going to save them. Okay. Anyway, let's

  • look at some examples we have here. Here's the first one. He must really be

  • desperate to make this attempt. He is just clutching at straws All right. So this is

  • the idiom use. The first one, the first like the American one. Oh ! Must be clutching

  • at straws. There is no way this can be reversed. It can't be changed back around.

  • All right. Number two. Now this is the actual proverb you could use it as the

  • actual proverb too. This is an a/b part. So A here says did he

  • really think this desperate attempt would work ? And B says well you know, how

  • it goes. A drowning man will clutch at a straw. Well that's the way you might

  • use it with the proverb. Okay. And the last one you know, the idiom that maybe

  • the way the British may use it. Number three. Their claims and accusations have

  • no validity. You know. no validity, no proof. They are just grasping at straws.

  • Okay. Anyway, this is the way it's used. I hope you got it . I hope is clear. Thank you

  • for your time. Bye-bye.

Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Proverbs 132. The proverb today is "a

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