The English We Speak
8 January 2013

Not rocket science

The English We Speak

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

Page 1 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

(Sound of a rocket being launched)

Kaz:

Hello, I'm Kaz.

Yang Li:

And I'm Yang Li. Hey Kaz, why are we listening to this rocket launch?

Kaz:

Well, it's dramatic, but there's another reason. I thought it could introduce

today's expression.

Yang Li:

Tell me more.

Kaz:

The expression is 'It's not rocket science'.

Yang Li:

'It's not rocket science', meaning?

Kaz:

Something that's not complicated or difficult to understand – 'it's not rocket

science'.

Yang Li:

For example?

Kaz:

OK. Somebody can't get the television to work and asks you, "How do I

switch this thing on?" You would say "It's not rocket science. Just press 'on'

on the handset".

Yang Li:

So there's nothing complicated about it. You just press the 'on' switch and

away you go. But is the expression 'it's not rocket science' only used for

gadgets?

Kaz:

No, not at all, Li. In fact it's used for many situations that are just

obvious… for example – why are we always short of money?

Yang Li:

Well, it's not rocket science Kaz – we don't get paid enough!

Kaz:

Brilliant Li. That's an excellent example.

Yang Li:

Yes, I like it too. But let's listen to some more examples:

Examples

A: How do I cook this soup?

B: Come on Rob, it's not rocket science, all you have to do is open the tin and heat it up.

C: I can't understand why our company is in such a mess?

D: It's not rocket science to figure that out – there are too many managers!

The English We Speak

© British Broadcasting Corporation 2013

Page 2 of 2

bbclearningenglish.com

Yang Li:

OK Kaz, the phrase 'it's not rocket science' is used for situations that are

obvious. But I get the feeling that the phrase 'it's not rocket science' is

quite informal, right?

Kaz:

You're right Li. So please use with care!

Yang Li:

Absolutely.

Kaz:

It's usually used with the negative 'It's not rocket science'.

Yang Li:

Well, I'm sure of one thing Kaz.

Kaz:

What's that Li?

Yang Li:

Presenting this programme is not exactly rocket science – it's easy!

Both:

Bye!

(Sound of a rocket being launched)