In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “in the works.”
Episode 363 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “in the works.” What does it mean when we say that something is in the works? Find out in this episode. Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hi, this is Shadi, from Iran. And you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 363 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting idiom. The idiom is “in the works.” In the works. That’s i-n, t-h-e, w-o-r-k-s. In the works.
What does “in the works” mean? What does it mean if we describe something as in the works? First, let me tell you what “the works” means here. In this expression, “the works” refers to some kind of machinery or some kind of factory.
And so, when we say that something is in the works, we mean that it is being made. It is being produced now. Or it is being planned. Or it is being prepared. If something is in the works, it is in development. It is in the planning stage.
Let me give you an example of a situation where somebody might use the expression “in the works.”
Let’s say that the city or the town where you live is building a park. And you go down to the place where this new park will be, and you notice that there is no path for people to ride bikes. You go to the site of this new park and there is no bike path. And you say to somebody, “Excuse me, I think this park will need a bike path.”
And the person says to you, “Oh, the bike path is in the works.” The bike path is in the works. That means the bike path is already being planned. “We have already thought about the bike path and we are working on it right now.” It is being developed. Maybe somebody is planning where exactly this bike path will go. And they are already arranging to have all of the materials brought to this park. Or something like that.
The planning is already happening. They already know about this issue. The bike path is in the works. The bike path is not a new idea. They did not forget about it. They are planning to make this bike path already. It’s already in the works.
That is “in the works,” very useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 363 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Shadi recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!