The English We Speak: Do it for the plot
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Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, where we explain expressions used by fluent English speakers so that you can use them too. I'm Feifei and I'm joined by Georgie. How are you, Georgie? I'm very well, thank you, Feifei. How are you? I'm very well. Now, Georgie, I came across an expression on the internet and I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. I wonder if you can help me? Sure. What is it?
Well, it was a video of a woman debating whether to quit her job to go travelling around South America. At the end, she said she might just do it for the plot. OK, do it for the plot. This is quite a new internet expression. It means making a choice, often quite a bold, chaotic or unexpected choice, to do something that will make life more exciting or interesting, like your life is a film. Ah.
Ah, OK. So that's where plot comes in. It's about seeing yourself as the writer, producer, director and star of the film. That is your life. Maybe you want to give the people around you something to talk about. Exactly. You can use it to talk about your own life. For example, I once ran into the sea fully clothed in winter with my friend. It was freezing, but we did it for the plot.
But you can also use it to encourage other people. Go on, do it for the plot. Let's hear more examples. No, I've decided I'm dyeing my hair green. Don't look at me like that. I'm doing it for the plot. I was at a comedy night and my friend suddenly stood up and started telling jokes. She just did it for the plot. I don't like heights, so I didn't want to do a bungee jump, but my friends told me to do it for the plot. No.
Now, this expression comes from the internet and it's very informal. It's most commonly used between friends, either encouraging each other to make spontaneous decisions or using it as an excuse to make spontaneous decisions. Now, you've got me thinking, I've never been surfing, but I might just join a surf club and give you all something to talk about. Go on, Feifei, do it for the plot.
OK, let's recap. We learned do it for the plot, which means to do something a little wild and spontaneous to make life more exciting. Thank you for joining us. Bye. Goodbye.