Forget smells for a second — is there a particular SOUND that instantly takes you back to childhood? What is it?

A natural way to answer

For me it's the sound of rain on a tin roof. We had a little shed in the garden, and I'd sit in there during storms. Whenever I hear it now, it takes me straight back to those quiet afternoons. It's oddly comforting.

Key phrases to use

• scramble about — to move around quickly and a bit frantically, looking for something“I was scrambling about under the sofa for my keys.”
• tug at your heartstrings — to make you feel strong emotion, especially tenderness or sadness“That old photo really tugs at my heartstrings.”
• take you straight back — to make you vividly remember an earlier time at once“That song takes me straight back to school.”
• melt away — to disappear gradually, as if dissolving“All my worries melted away on the beach.”
• send a shiver down your spine — to make you feel a sudden strong emotion, of fear or thrill“That melody sends a shiver down my spine.”
• catch you off guard — to surprise you when you are not expecting it“The question caught me off guard.”