In this mini episode, you will learn the strange expression “on all fours.”
Episode 369 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the strange expression “on all fours.” 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
“This is Marwa from Iraq, and you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 369 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 want to teach you an interesting and strange expression. The expression is “on all fours.” On all fours.
That’s on: o-n, all: a-l-l, fours: f-o-u-r-s. On all fours.
I think the meaning of this expression is very simple, very easy to understand. I also think it’s very strange.
The meaning of “on all fours” is “on, or walking on, your hands and knees.”
Imagine somebody down on the ground with their knees on the ground and their hands on the ground in front of them. If they are in that position, they are on all fours. They are on all fours.
And I think it’s a very strange expression because we don’t usually talk about your hands and your knees as fours. We don’t really talk about anything as fours. For one thing, why don’t we say “on all four”? That would still be strange, but at least it might make a little bit more sense.
“On all fours.” It’s just the kind of expression that seems very strange when you stop to think about it. “On all fours.”
Well, anyway, here is an example of a situation where you could use the phrase “on all fours”:
“When I walked into my friend’s apartment, I saw him searching for his keys on all fours.” When I walked into my friend’s apartment, I saw him searching for his keys on all fours. In other words, he is looking for his keys on the floor. Maybe he is on all fours. On his knees and his hands, and he’s trying to look under furniture. He’s trying to look under chairs and look under the sofa and under the table. He is on all fours while he is looking for his keys.
You will also hear people say, “down on all fours.” And so, we say things like, “My friend was down on all fours searching for his keys. He was down on all fours.”
“On all fours.” “Down on all fours.” They mean the same thing. They mean “in a position with your knees and your hands on the floor.” Or “on the ground.”
And that is “on all fours,” a strange, interesting, and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 369 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 Marwa 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!