Desperate times call for desperate measures
2020.03.25
Meaning:
‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’ means ‘you can only fix a difficult situation by doing something extreme’. ‘Desperate’ has two meanings: 1. very bad and 2. extreme. ‘Desperate times’ means ‘very bad times’. ‘Desperate measures’ means ‘extreme steps/ strategies’. For example, some countries are now in ‘desperate times’ because of the coronavirus, so in some countries the governments have said ‘No-one can leave their house except to go to work’. That is an extreme step (or desperate measure).
Example:
A: There’s no toilet paper in the stores! It’s all sold out!
B: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Use newspaper.
Talking Point(s):
Do you agree that ‘Desperate times call for desperate measures’, or do you think ‘desperate measures’ are dangerous?
大人からの英会話getgo 西船橋・荻窪・津田沼・本八幡