Ask Native Speakers Get Answers to Your Language Questions

She uses "distracting" here to mean that people would be unable to concentrate due to conflict and relational issues rather than focus on their work. One's mind would be preoccupied. Ex: Henry's fidgeting is distracting me from my project. Ex: The singing outside is very distracting.

Yes, "peck me if you must" in this context is used for the same meaning as "kill me if you must", implying that the other swans might kill him by pecking at him.

To "come apart at the seams/fall apart at the seams" is an idiomatic expression meaning that something is about to break into parts or pieces - describing someone or something that is in terrible condition. In this video, it has been used to describe the poor condition of other industries, which seem like they will collapse. Ex: Mary has not slept in days. She looks like she will come apart at the seams. Ex: The company has not many any profit in months. It seems as if it will fall apart at the seams.

By "the eyes of history," he means that this is important considering the exclusion of LGBTQ members in many societal areas in the past, including governmental positions. So it is as if history is watching this moment. It also means that this will one day be a part of history. Ex: The eyes of history on the royal family, considering Prince Harry's decision to leave to the USA. Ex: The eyes of history are on this medical breakthrough.

Yes, this expression is commonly used when making a bet through a coin flip/coin toss. Another similar expression is "I'll bet you for it," and this can be used in betting situations outside of coin flips/tosses as well. Ex: Who's paying for dinner? I'll flip you for it. Ex: Wanna make a bet for lunch? Whoever yawns first during the meeting today is the loser.

No, it doesn't! Here they literally mean to walk out the doors of the bank building. But you're right. It's been long enough for them to retire. It does have a similar meaning to "finish" or "end," though. Ex: When the competition is over, we'll walk out winners. Ex: She'll walk out of the school grounds a graduate at the end of the year.

The preposition of "of" is used to express a relationship between two things. In this case, "you're of two different worlds" can be understood as meaning "you're from two different worlds," with the "of" signifying the relationship between two people who come from different worlds. You can read it as "to be of different worlds," or you choose to use "from" instead of "of" here, but this is a common grammar pattern. Ex: They are of different educational backgrounds. Ex: They are of Japanese heritage.

Sometimes a "church" is considered a group of people rather than a building. When it is considered a building, it doesn't always mean a specific type of building, depending on the type of church it is. A "cathedral" is quite a large building and has a "bishop." A "basilica" is a title given to church buildings defined by their architecture, antiquity, or role as centres of worship. It's usually in reference to Ancient Roman architecture. Ex: My friend goes to church in somebody's house. Ex: We saw the cathedral 'Notre-dame de Paris' during our vacation. It was beautiful. Ex: St Peter's Basilica is a church in Vatican City and is quite well known.

Tarpaulin is a type of heavy-duty canvas cloth that is used to drape over things. It's usually waterproof, so it's often used to protect things or structures that are outdoors for long periods of time, like sheds, vehicles, furniture, and so on. Ex: We can bring a tarpaulin in case it rains. Ex: My parents draped tarpaulins over our patio furniture for rain protection.

In the video, wasabi is shown as the green paste commonly eaten as an accompaniment to sushi or raw fish (sashimi). It has a strong flavor and often described as spicy. Ex: I don't like eating sushi with wasabi as it's too spicy for me. Ex: Wasabi is a great condiment to eat with raw fish.