– Manuscript –
Welcome to English in a Minute!
A swan is a large, lovely bird. So, a swan song must be something a swan sings. Right?
Swan Song
Speaker A: Jonathan, do you want to go see Nellie Fratelli’s Big Band Blowout with me?
Speaker B: Nellie Fratelli? Didn’t she retire last year
Speaker A: I don’t think so.
Speaker B: We saw her last show together. She even called it her Swan Song Soiree.
Speaker A: No, no, no, that was Nellie Fratelli’s Frittata Cantata.
A “swan song” is the last performance or piece of work by an actor, athlete or writer.
Swan song most commonly refers to celebrated performers giving a special goodbye performance.
And that’s English in a Minute!
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
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