In this mini episode, you will learn the idiom “under your belt.”
Episode 386 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the idiom “under your belt.” 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
“Hello there! This is Dieredieufe Serigne Touba from Senegal, West Africa. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 386 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 and useful idiom.
The idiom is “under your belt.” Under your belt. That’s u-n-d-e-r, y-o-u-r, b-e-l-t.
I say “under your belt,” but in different situations, it could be “under my belt,” “under his belt,” “under her belt.” It just depends on the situation.
What does “under your belt” mean?
We use “under your belt” to describe things that we have experienced or things that we have accomplished. Or, sometimes, things that we have received or things that we have acquired. We can describe experiences and accomplishments as being under your belt. If something is under your belt, you have experienced it, or accomplished it, or received it.
It is something that is now a part of you.
That might sound a little bit confusing, but I think this simple example will explain how we use this idiom:
Let’s say that I have a friend who is a teacher, and he has just started a new job at a new school. You might think he would have a little bit of trouble adjusting to a new job, adjusting to a new school and new coworkers. But my friend has ten years of teaching under his belt. My friend has ten years of teaching under his belt. In other words, he has already experienced ten years of teaching. Or he has already accomplished ten years of teaching. He has already gained all of that experience—the experience of working as a teacher for ten years. So, this new job is not difficult for him.
And so, “under your belt” refers to things that we have experienced or accomplished or gained in some way.
Why do we use “under your belt” to refer to this kind of thing? I think I know the reason.
Imagine that you eat a big meal. Where does that big meal go? It goes in your belly. It goes in your stomach. It goes under your belt. It is under your belt, and it is now a part of you. The same is true for important experiences or accomplishments or important things that you have gained or acquired. They become a part of you.
It’s the same as my friend in that example. Those ten years of experience as a teacher are now a part of him, the same way a big meal becomes a part of you.
And so you can use “under your belt” to refer to important experiences you’ve had or important accomplishments. Or important things that you have learned or gained.
And that is “under your belt,” an interesting and useful idiom that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 386 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 Dieredieufe 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!