Topic: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

Sam; How much money have you got today?

Frank; Oh, about twenty dollars. Why?

Sam: Well, I’m broke and I really need ten dollars. Could you lend it to me?

Frank: Why don’t you ask your brother?

Sam: That’s the problem. I borrowed ten dollars from him last month and now he wants his money right away.

Frank: Can’t you see that borrowing from one person to pay another doesn’t make sense?; You had better learn to manage your money.

Sam: I guess you’re right. Now, about that ten dollars?

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Vocabulary

  • have got: Have got and have mean the same. Have got is more informal. We use have (gothere to refer to both verbs: Ex: I’ve got a terrible pain in my back.
  • be broke: without money
  • right away: immediately
  • make sense: to be clear and easy to understand
  • had better: If you had better/best do something, you should do it or it would be good to do it
  • rob Peter to pay Paul: to borrow money from one person to pay back money you borrowed from someone else