Jason: So…were you able to talk to Kyle again about the pile of dirty dishes he always leaves behind? We all know he’s been doing this for months!
Jen: I did. He said he’ll start washing the dishes right away but we’ll have to see.

Jason: Come on~ we’ve told him so many times and he still doesn’t do it!
Jen: I know. Let’s give him one more chance and if push comes to shove, I’ll ask him to move out.
Jason: Okay fine.

본문에서 Jason이 제게 묻습니다. “So were you able to talk to Kyle again about the pile of dirty dishes he always leaves behind? Kyle한테 항상 먹고 난 지저분한 그릇을 그냥 내버려 두는 데 대해 말해 봤니? We all know he’s been doing this for months! 몇 달 동안이나 그대로라는 걸 모두 알잖아?”

그러자 제가 답합니다. “I did. He said he’ll start washing the dishes right away but we’ll have to see. 응, 말했어. 앞으로는 먹고 바로 설거지 하겠데. 하지만 두고 봐야지.”라고요.

이어서 Jason이 “Come on~ we’ve told him so many times and he still doesn’t do it! 에이, 우리가 벌써 몇 번이나 말했는데도 안 하잖아!” 라고 하자, 제가 “I know. Let’s give him one more chance and if push comes to shove, I’ll ask him to move out. 알아. 그래도 한 번 더 기회를 주자. 그래도 설거지를 안 하면, 그 땐 집에서 나가라고 해야지.”라고 말합니다.

Now keep today’s expression ‘if push comes to shove’ in mind and let’s hear the conversation again. 그럼 다시 한번 대화를 들어볼까요?

Jason: So…were you able to talk to Kyle again about the pile of dirty dishes he always leaves behind? We all know he’s been doing this for months!
Jen: I did. He said he’ll start washing the dishes right away but we’ll have to see.

Jason: Come on~ we’ve told him so many times and he still doesn’t do it!
Jen: I know. Let’s give him one more chance and if push comes to shove, I’ll ask him to move out.
Jason: Okay fine.

Today’s expression is if push comes to shove. This expression is used when the situation is critical or urgent. If push comes to shove 에서 push는 밀다, shove는 push 보다는 강하게 밀치는 것을 뜻합니다.

If push comes to shove 를 직역하면 ‘만약에 미는 걸 넘어서 거칠게 밀치면'이란 뜻이 되는데요. 따라서 ‘우려하던 상황이 더욱 악화되면’ 또는 ‘더 이상 대안이 없어지면’ 이라는 뜻으로 쓸 수 있습니다. 대안이 없다면 결국 특단의 조치를 취할 수 밖에 없겠죠?

In today's conversation, I told Jason that if push comes to shove I'll ask Kyle to move out. This means that when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult, I will take that action.

Now let’s review what today's expression means. When someone says, “if push comes to shove” it means when the time has come for action, even if it is difficult, he or she will take that action. ‘우려하던 상황이 더욱 악화되면’ 또는 ‘더 이상 대안이 없어지면’ IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE. Now try using this expression on your own.