VOA词汇掌故2025--'Watching the Grass Grow' Is Not Fun

And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.

Springtime is a time of renewal¹ and growth. Many plants end their long winter sleep and form new buds and shoots. Beautiful flowers will soon be showing their bright colors. And the grass will grow thicker and greener again.

Some flowers bloom in a very noticeable way but that is not the case with grass. Imagine you are sitting in a grassy² field. And you have only one job – to watch the grass grow. That does not sound very interesting. In fact, it sounds really boring.

That idea is what gives us the expression “like watching grass grow.” We use this expression to describe an experience that is uninteresting. Another good word to describe it is tedious.

We use this expression in many situations. Let’s hear a few examples:

After the politician won his campaign, he gave a two-hour long acceptance speech. Two hours! It was as much fun as watching grass grow.

I really don’t like watching long sports games. It’s like watching grass grow.

Now, grass grows on the ground all the time. And usually, we don’t give it much thought. If you stand in one place for a long time, the grass will continue to grow under your feet.

For people who are always active, always moving, always on-the-go, we can say they don't let grass grow under their feet. We can also say beneath their feet. And sometimes we use this expression as a command.

Let’s hear some examples:

Don’t let the grass grow beneath your feet. Get back to work.

She certainly doesn’t let the grass grow under her feet. She’s been traveling non-stop for over a year.

And that’s all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I’m Anna Matteo.

Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

bud –n. the beginnings of a flower or a leaf on the branch of a plant

shoot –n. new plant growth, especially from seeds or close to the ground as in the case with grass

bloom –v. the opening of a flower

boring –adj. not interesting

tedious –adj. tiresome because it takes a long time and is repetitive

on-the-go –phrase having much high-spirited energy and movement

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。