Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“Colin is enough of a good guy. He would never give me advice unless I asked for it. That’s what he did to level the playing field.”
—Actor Taron Egerton, speaking about working with Colin Firth on The Kingsmen (GQ Magazine)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
strive for fairness; give the same opportunities to all
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Imagine you are in a boxing match. You have not met your opponent. You don’t know their size or strength. The crowds are cheering for you! But then, your opponent walks out. He is huge. His muscles are as big as your head! How can you compete? The game isn’t fair. It doesn’t start with an even playing field.
When you try to level the playing field, you try to make things fair and even. When you’re in school, maybe your classmates match your intelligence or talents. When you’re in a boxing match, your opponent is close to your size.
Taron Egerton talks about working with Colin Firth who is a very talented actor. Colin Firth has a longer career and more confidence as an actor than Taron. But he still tries to level the playing field with other actors by making them feel comfortable. He is friendly, kind, and tries to give other actors confidence.
Do you think it is important to play on a level playing field? How do you try to make things fair?
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“It’s important to level the playing field by giving all children a chance to go to college.”
“Government money can level the playing field for farmers when they have a bad year.”
“It can help to level the playing field when cities make the internet available to everyone.”