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Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Proverbs 132. The proverb today is "a
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drowning man will clutch or grasp at a straw.' Okay. Let's take a look at the note here. This
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proverb is often used as the American idiom to clutch at straws or the British
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idiom grasp at straws. Even though in the US., sometimes I hear grasp at straws
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too, but it is more British. All right. Let's continue here.
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If someone clutches or grasps at straws, he or she tries to do something that is
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very unlikely to succeed and they only do it out of desperation. Almost like
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what were they thinking ? Did they really think that was going work ? You know ,
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the only reason they tried it is because they were so desperate they, they would...
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they probably had no other choice. They're just a last hope. Okay.
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So let's continue. The proverb alludes to the idea that a drowning man will try to
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clutch even at just a piece of floating straw. So if you're really in the water
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and you're drowning and there's that piece of floating straw . Ah ! Maybe you still try
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to grab it. I don't know. To hope beyond hope that you know, somehow a miracle
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could happen and it could save you. We say to save himself. Of course, a floating
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piece of straw is too weak to possibly hold or save a drowning man. So the
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action is futile. It is useless. It's not going to save them. Okay. Anyway, let's
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look at some examples we have here. Here's the first one. He must really be
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desperate to make this attempt. He is just clutching at straws All right. So this is
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the idiom use. The first one, the first like the American one. Oh ! Must be clutching
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at straws. There is no way this can be reversed. It can't be changed back around.
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All right. Number two. Now this is the actual proverb you could use it as the
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actual proverb too. This is an a/b part. So A here says did he
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really think this desperate attempt would work ? And B says well you know, how
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it goes. A drowning man will clutch at a straw. Well that's the way you might
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use it with the proverb. Okay. And the last one you know, the idiom that maybe
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the way the British may use it. Number three. Their claims and accusations have
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no validity. You know. no validity, no proof. They are just grasping at straws.
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Okay. Anyway, this is the way it's used. I hope you got it . I hope is clear. Thank you
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for your time. Bye-bye.