2024-04-29 Do the trick – The English We Speak

Introduction

Here’s an expression that describes something solving a problem. Find out how to use it in this programme.

Transcript

Neil
Welcome to The English we speak, with me Neil…

Feifei
And me, Feifei.

Neil
In this episode we’re going to look at an expression which is all about finding something that solves a problem – ‘do the trick.’

Feifei
‘Do the trick’. Can you give us an example to show how we use this?

Neil
OK, I was looking for something to make my front room look nicer, it’s a bit boring at the moment. But look at this, I’ve found a really nice picture for the wall. I want to brighten things up and I think this really does the trick.

Feifei
Let me have a look at the picture. Oh yeah, that looks amazing. That’ll certainly do the trick! Now, we might talk about a magician, or a skateboarder doing tricks – but this is nothing like that, is it?

Neil
No, not at all – when we say something ‘does the trick’, it doesn’t literally do a trick – it just solves a problem. Like my boring-looking front room.

Feifei
You know what, you should get a nice bright rug – I wanted to make my room look more interesting, I bought one and it really did the trick!

Neil
Now, if you want a better idea of how to use this expression these examples should do the trick quite nicely.

Examples
Vinegar works well here, but if you don’t have any, some lemon juice should do the trick.

When people are angry with you, sometimes just a few kind words can do the trick and calm them down.

If you need the motor to work better, a squirt of oil will usually do the trick.

Feifei
You’re listening to The English we speak from BBC Learning English, and we are learning the expression ‘do the trick’, which is an informal way to say that something will solve a problem, or give you the result that you want.

Neil
We often use it when we’re explaining how to do something, and we want to suggest the best way to achieve something.

Feifei
An alternative expression that means the same is ‘do the job’.

Neil
Yes, if you’re struggling to learn new words, then a bit of focussed practice really does the job.

Feifei
Hopefully our explanation has done the trick, and we’ll see you in the next episode, bye!

Neil
Bye!