Phrase "the best of both worlds"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi,
Could you please tell me what “the best of both worlds” means? It’s the title of a Hannah Montana song, of course :stuck_out_tongue: , but I can’t make out what it means :roll:

Thank you very much
Nessie

2

It’s hard for me to say without context but I would fancy “the best of both worlds” = the best of your world and my world. = the best of you and me = the best of both of us ???

3

Hi Nessie

The song is about (“the world” of) being a big star and (“the world” of) being just an ordinary (not famous) girl. There are advantages and disadvantages in each. When you talk about having the best of both worlds, that means having the advantages of both, and none of the disadvantages.
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4

Some people say that if one is bisexual, one has the best of both worlds.

5

Hi Amy,
Thanks for your very clear explanation :slight_smile: Now that I remember the soap, it’s easier to understand “the best of both worlds”.
Er… by the way, should that be called a soap?

Hi Molly,
That’s quite an interesting explanation :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

6

Hi Nessie

Do you mean “soap opera”?
I’m not a big fan of soap operas. If there is one called “The Best of Both Worlds”, I’m afraid I’m not familiar with it.
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7

Yea, “soap opera”, I think so, Amy :slight_smile:

And of course there’s no soap opera called “The best of both worlds” :d It’s “Hannah Montana” :slight_smile:
It’s a bit strange that you know the song without knowing the soap opera :stuck_out_tongue:

8

My niece is fond of Hannah Montana. Almost everything I know about Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus (and her dad Billy Ray) I learned from my niece. :smiley:

I would call Hanna Montana a “(TV) series” (not a soap).
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9

Thanks, Amy.
Actually these kinds of TV series are not very common in my country, so I’m still unable to distinguish among soap opera, TV series and sitcom.

By the way, Amy, do you know why Hannah’s real surname is “Cyrus” while her dad’s is “Ray”?

Many thanks
Nessie

10

Hi Nessie

Ray is her dad’s middle name. His last name is Cyrus, too.

A soap opera is a special type of TV series:
bartleby.com/61/17/S0521700.html
Soap operas began as TV shows broadcast daily – usually early to mid afternoon. Housewives were the target audience. These shows were typically extremely melodramatic and had the same characters and continuing storyline day after day.

A sitcom is a ‘situation comedy’, and it is also a type of series. These shows are typically broadcast once a week (before reruns, that is), usually in the evening. They have a set of core characters, but unlike a soap, each show has a different storyline.
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