Diamond in the Rough

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Welcome to English in a Minute!

A diamond is a beautiful and valuable gem. But if a diamond is “in the rough”, is it still valuable?

Diamond in the Rough

Speaker A: So, your friend Sam helped me with my taxes the other day.
Speaker B: How did it go?
Speaker A: At first I thought he wasn’t going to work out. He looks very unprofessional with his long hair and tattoos.
Speaker B: But he’s great with numbers. He is a diamond in the rough.
Speaker A: He is. And he saved me tons of money on my taxes.

Uncut diamond looks rough. They look like little stones that couldn’t be worth much. But their value is hidden beneath the rough appearance. People who look rough on the outside but have great abilities are called “diamonds in the rough”.

And that’s English in a Minute!

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*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.