This is a download from BBC Learning English.
To find out more, visit our website.
The English we speak from bbclearningenglish.com hello.
And welcome to the English We Speak.
I'm Neil and joining me is Fei Fei.
Hi everyone.
In this program we have an expression which means to make a great effort to achieve something.
Neil, why are you wearing that running gear in the studio?
I'm not sure that shorts and a vest are appropriate for the workplace.
As for those sweatbands, well.
Fei Fei.
It's because I'm desperate to get fit.
You see, I'm running a marathon at the end of the month and I've barely started training.
I'm really going to have to bust a gut to be ready on time.
Yes, you really do need to start training.
But surely busting a gut is not going to help.
Well, I'm not going to bust my gut.
Literally.
To bust a gut means to make a huge effort to achieve something.
Imagine working so hard that your stomach or gut actually breaks.