🎭 Don’t budge an inch in your goal of becoming an amazing English speaker! Learn this cool British idiom, once used by William Shakespeare, and discover the language used to stand by your beliefs. Then, tell us about a time when you didn’t budge an inch! 👇👇👇 👩‍🏫 FOR TEACHERS: Download a FREE lesson plan and worksheet here! 👉 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/shakespeare/Lesson_plan_18_not_budge.pdf More videos in this series: 🎭 Forever and a day 👉 http://bit.ly/bbc_shakespeare_speaks_forever_and_a_day 🎭 Spotless reputation 👉 http://bit.ly/bbc_shakespeare_speaks_spotless_reputation 🎭 The world's my oyster 👉 http://bit.ly/bbc_shakespeare_speaks_worlds_my_oyster 🎭 Not budge an inch 👉 http://bit.ly/bbc_shakespeare_speaks_not_budge_an_inch 🎭 A fool's paradise 👉 http://bit.ly/bbc_shakespeare_speaks_fools_paradise Visit our website for activities and extra materials connected to this episode 👉http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/shakespeare/unit-1/session-19 TRANSCRIPT Narrator It's evening at the Duck and Whistle. William Shakespeare and his actor friend Thomas Swann are rehearsing the opening scene of Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Thomas I'll answer him by law. I won't budge an inch… Will Just a minute Thomas: Christopher Sly is drunk, but we do need to understand the words! Thomas You're criticising my acting, Will. Again. Will Thomas, Thomas. You're a great actor. A wonderful actor. But Thomas, can the audience please actually hear the words I wrote for your character to say…? Thomas The audience can see what's happening! I'm in the pub, I'm drunk, there's broken glass everywhere and - Bess Thomas Swann! If you've broken one of my glasses, I'll have your guts for garters… Will / Thomas No, no, no! Thomas Bess, it's in the play. Will The innkeeper - in the play, Bess - is going to call the police unless Christopher Sly pays for the glasses he broke. But Sly says he doesn't care about the police, he's entitled to be in the pub, and he's not moving.   Bess Oh… well just you be careful. I won't have people breaking glasses in my pub. Will Of course, Bess. Now, Thomas. Please. Speak more clearly. Thomas No. I'm an artist, and I have to do it my way. Will Bess, please read the innkeepers lines. I'll be Christopher Sly. Thomas, just listen. Bess Alright Mr Will, the innkeeper's lines: I know my remedy. I must go fetch the third-borough. Will as Christopher Sly Third, or fourth, or fifth borough, I'll answer him by law. I'll not budge an inch, boy. Let him come, and kindly. Will Now please Thomas, do it like that. Thomas I will not do it like that. Bess He's just like Christopher Sly isn't he Mr Will? He won't budge an inch either. Narrator We'll leave them there for now. Christopher Sly is just one of several stubborn characters in The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare's early comedy about the battle of the sexes. The phrase not budge an inch is used these days to describe not only objects that won't move but also people who won't change their minds. Take Simon Walker, the director general of the British Institute of Directors, who said that the British chancellor George Osborne… Clip 1 …must not budge an inch on the crucial job of deficit reduction. Clip 2 That stupid dog refused to move. I kept pulling on the lead, but he wouldn't budge an inch. Thomas Will, it's my way or – Will Now look here Thomas - Bess Now stop arguing you two or I'll knock your heads together. Thomas, do what Mr Will says. It's his play. Thomas Grrrr. To budge, or not to budge: that is the question. Shakespeare Speaks is a co-production between BBC Learning English and The Open University. For more great Shakespeare content visit http://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/shakespeare-speaks 🤩🤩🤩 SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel 👉 http://tinyurl.com/ps3hplv Get our app: Android 👉 https://bit.ly/2PeLcf6 iPhone 👉 https://apple.co/2wmG2GU #English #Idioms #Shakespeare