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Definition:
a) an important decision
German translation:
fork in the road = eine wichtige Entscheidung
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GOOGLE INDEX
fork in the road: approximately 640,000 Google hits
Sample text:
FORK IN THE ROAD
Will the new European Research Council lead EU science to success or lose its way?
(New Scientist magazine)
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One day Alice came to a FORK IN THE ROAD and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I don't know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.
- From Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Did you know?
fork in the road
metaphor
- a point at which an important decision must be made
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This expression originated from the time when forks typically had only two prongs. It was initially used in the literal sense of a road that splits in two directions.
The expression then became a metaphor for the moment in which an important decision is to be made. The concept of the figurative fork in the road was popularised in part by Robert Frost's classic poem The Road Not Taken in which he writes:
Two roads diverged in a wood,
And I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
There has been lively debate among experts and non-experts regarding what Frost was trying to say in this poem. Perhaps one of the best interpretations of the fork in the road dilemma was by Yogi Berra, a professional American baseball player well-known for his humorous butchering of the English language. Yogi summed up his philosophy this way: "If you come to a fork in the road, take it."
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"If your career has come to a fork in the road, take some time off to think about it, or at least go the pub and talk it over with your mates."
Thanks to Volker for suggesting today's word!
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And now...
Today's Learning Tip (4):
Coffee Break
Involve a colleague in your office in your English wordpower development - take a few minutes in the coffee or lunch break to test each other with the words you would especially like to remember.
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