Daily English Growth Podcast

Learn New Idioms to speak English

Kevin

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0:00 | 29:27

Learn New Idioms to speak English

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SPEAKER_00

How are you doing? How has your day been so far? Okay, I'm doing exceptionally well. And my day, I would say that um has been going great. Uh, and I would say that it was quite a productive day, actually. Though I was a little under the weather, but uh I managed my sessions, my household shows, and my parents are here today. So nice.

SPEAKER_01

Like it happens this morning. I noticed that you were definitely under the weather, but now I can't see any such, you know. Um I mean, it doesn't look on your face now.

SPEAKER_00

So any magic drink that you must have drunk, it just credit goes to my phone's camera, I would say, and that credit to my laptop's camera.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_00

That matters. Yes, your camera quality matters.

SPEAKER_01

So I'm planning to get uh something for my laptop's camera so that I can always look vibrant and bright on screen, although you are already vibrant and bright and you know sharing radiance among people, but still on screen, we have to make extra effort, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, right, right, right. Uh you hit the nail on the head, I would say okay. So today's session is all about our beginners. Because I guess we always discuss a lot of vocabulary words. I'm not talking about we too, but most of the time the videos I uh come across on YouTube. So, yes, people are um uh more uh uh or they are curious to add certain uh idiomatic expression or phrasal verbs and advanced vocabulary, but I think uh uh we should be very uh correct and very, very natural with our basic expressions first, right? Because if you are natural, if you're comfortable with your expressions, it actually helps uh to beautify your language. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01

I am totally on board with you on this because yes, definitely basic, you are done. Like, for example, if you're uh practicing English on a daily basis, so definitely you are going to touch the base of the language, but still to decorate it a little bit or to add that flowery elements to it, you need to learn a bit of idioms or maybe some kind of advanced vocabulary so that you could also feel confident day by day, right? When you add up new things, new elements to your speaking, so you feel so confident. So, yes, so we are going to add those elements, or we're going to help learners add those elements in their speaking today.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and these idioms are going to be very easy yet handy. We can easily uh use them in our everyday uh life conversation, and it's not that these are specifically for homemakers or uh uh people who are working, anyone can use these idioms. So let's get started. So the very first one is a piece of cake, right? I would like to uh I would like you to explain the meaning.

SPEAKER_01

So a piece of cake, uh as it sounds, that's something that very easy, right? So, for example, as we can say for me, uh speaking is a piece of cake, or you can say over time it has become a piece of cake for me, something very easy to do, effortless. So, yes, that's an easy idiom you can definitely use in your everyday life.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly, and any skill in uh in which you are good at, actually, right? Which uh any skill which you are good at, you can use a piece of cake. Let's say singing is a piece of cake for me, or uh we can tell about other people also. Oh, cooking, cooking both easy. So, cooking is uh a piece of cake for her. So, in this way, right? If you want to say that something is very easy for you or someone for someone whom you know, so we can explain, and we can uh use it in uh negative expression as in uh dancing is not a piece of cake for me, right? So, also I mean we can use this right.

SPEAKER_01

You're not good at it.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes, you can use it. There is one more idiom.

SPEAKER_01

There is one more idiom that we can use in the similar context. When something is very easy for you, you can also say it's a walk in the park for me. Like walking in the park is so effortless, so easy. So effortless. So you can also say cooking is a walk, walk in the park for me.

SPEAKER_00

Walk in the park, and uh actually, uh, if you want to describe or if you want to tell someone that this is easy, so I think synonyms for easy are quite easy to use, right? Because a piece of cake or uh walk in the park or a child's play. Hindi me both in a bachelor cooking is just a child's play for my mother, I can say, right, right, uh, and it has a very uh, I mean, there is one more very beautiful expression that is uh as easy as ABC. So we can also use that um getting uh uh not getting dressed me, cooking, okay. Swimming is uh some for someone, you know, for someone we can use. Of course, I don't know how to swim, but yeah, swimming is uh as easy as ABC. So we can try.

SPEAKER_01

Right. One expression I also remember that you can also say swimming is my thing, you know, when you're good at it, you can say swimming is my thing.

SPEAKER_00

My thing, right, right. So these are very uh basic but advanced expressions, and we can anyone can easily use it's not that sometimes homemakers come to me that ma'am, how to use or we find these idioms uh difficult, but these are not idiom, it's just a matter of practice, and uh I guess if you have that positive approach towards your learning, you can add these expressions uh one by one, bit by bit, I would say. Right, right. So we are not we are not in a hurry of learning this language, so it's up to our audience now. Uh, they can go for a piece of cake, a walk in the park, a child's place, or uh my thing, or as easy as ABC.

SPEAKER_01

One more advanced word I remember that's photos. Swimming is my photo, right? That means you're good at it. Cooking is my photo.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, so you can um level up. Right. Right? You can level up. Uh start with very simple, simple things, then keep keep adding, keep adding more expressions one by one, one by one. So nice. So, yes, uh, what should be the next one? Tell me. Next one.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, we can introduce build the beans.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, wow, nice. So I can tell you that um uh I'm not good at keeping secret, so don't trust me. I can spill the beans anytime.

SPEAKER_01

So now you've made uh uh it you you have made easy for beginners to understand, you know, just from your own sentence that you've just made, right? I am not a good secret keeper, so it's very easy for me to spill the beans, right? That means you can easily reveal the secret.

SPEAKER_00

Reveal the secret, right? Sometimes if you are planning a surprise party, and uh let's say uh it's my husband's birthday, so when I plan any surprise party, so I have to tell my son uh, please don't spill the beans, because out of excitement he starts giving hints. So I I have to uh you know remind him again and again, please don't spill the beans, don't spill the beans. So in this way, we can just use this idiom that don't disclose the secret. So you can go with don't spill the beans, right?

SPEAKER_01

There is one another idiom in the same context you can use don't let the cat out of the bag, out of the bag, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, same, right? Yes, yes, I I let the cat out of the bag. Accidentally, I let the cat out of the bag. Uh when you when uh not intentionally but unintentionally, you reveal some secret, so you can just uh feel sorry. I'm so sorry. Accidentally I let the cat uh cat out of the bag, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, and uh have you ever felt any situation where uh you are um among uh strangers and it's like no one is talking, it's it's just complete silence, so we feel awkward, and then uh someone uh has to uh take that initiative to start the conversation to break the ice, okay? So I think I am good at breaking the ice. Uh what do you what about you? Are you good at this thing?

SPEAKER_01

I feel so, or maybe I have improved on that, but uh this time I can say at the moment I am very confident and definitely can break the ice in a very awkward situation as well. Maybe by introducing myself or by just asking any question, you know, by cracking any joke or something like that. You just have to uh make people respond to you, or you just have to initiate the conversation, you have to break the awkward silence in the room.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, and sometimes maybe if you are not confident or if you're not good at your speaking skills, and uh you you just observe that people are uh interacting in English, right? So you feel a little awkward or you feel a little difficult to break the ice. So many people learn English just for this uh purpose, also, because they just want to be good at initiating conversation, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right, it is also a skill to learn, yes, right? Introverted people wrestle with it a lot because they're so reserved and they wait the other person to start the conversation and then only they'll respond. So for them, it's definitely a struggle, but again, there is always a room for improvement. This is something one should always have.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, correct. Sometimes what happens during our conversation, um, the other person, if that person is an introvert, so it really becomes difficult. First, if you need to break the ice, then you need to carry forward that conversation, and you have to make your conversation interesting also. So it becomes a challenge or kind of hard nut to crack.

SPEAKER_01

But you feel great at the end that at least you have tried, right?

SPEAKER_00

Right, right. And English language.

SPEAKER_01

You've used hard nut to crack, so let's explain that as well.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so hard nut to crack. I would say that yes, for uh some people, uh cracking uh interview or uh dealing with some uh someone. Sometimes some people are so rigid uh with their thought process or with their actions, they don't. I mean, it's not easy to convince them to persuade them to do something, so we can say that oh, he is a hard nut to crack, and um let's say some match problem, okay. This this sum is a hard nut to crack. Anything that is difficult to do or to perform or to deal with, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right? Right, definitely. Convincing my parents for the party was a hard nut to crack.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes, true. And uh sometimes uh I would say for me, uh, to convince people, specifically homemakers, to continue their journey of learning English, uh is kind of I mean, for me it's a hard nut to crack. It becomes sometimes, sometimes, not every time, but yes.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Uh so is there anything that you think uh that for you that thing is a hard nut to crack?

SPEAKER_01

I don't uh I'm not able to recall any such thing because I don't know. I recently I haven't encountered encountered any such thing that is for me a hard nut to crack, but I've been uh handling up my duties and my online duties as well so smoothly, like a piece of cake. So nothing as such. I'm not able to recall right now.

SPEAKER_00

Wonderful, wonderful. For some people, if they don't know English, then I guess uh cracking interview is a hard nut to crack. Right? In this way we can use so English language, learning this language actually is mandatory in today's time.

SPEAKER_01

Uh you can also say learning English is a hard nut to crack, but with consistent practice and dedication, definitely you can achieve your goals, right?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, with your dedication and consistency, it will be a piece of cake for you. Yes, in this way we can use okay, nice. So, as I just mentioned that uh this morning I was uh truly down with fever, so I would just um use an idiomatic expression that I was under the weather. It just means when you are not well physically, mentally, you are down, uh, and so under the weather, I was under the weather, but now I think I'm quite uh I'm feeling great. So, do you want to frame any sentence using this one?

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SPEAKER_01

Uh, under the weather, my friend was under the weather yesterday, so that's why she didn't attend the class.

(Cont.) Learn New Idioms to speak English

SPEAKER_01

She was not feeling well. Nice, so under the weather, simply mean when you are not well, right, right when you're sick, and this idiom you can use n number of times, you know, whenever you're not feeling so good, whenever you're feeling blue, not well, just use it without any second thought. I'm under the weather, right?

SPEAKER_00

Exactly, and you just used your when you are feeling blue, that's right, and uh suddenly because I am a melophile, so as I heard this word blue, and uh that song came in my mind. I try to be a little funny during the conversation, right? So, yes, feeling blue means when you are feeling low or sad or gloomy, right? Right, yes, okay, and you know what? Uh now we are going to celebrate Raqi, it's just around the corner, and not around the corner, my I mean it just uh the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll be yes, we'll be celebrating Raaki. I was telling my son to study well because I know he's going to distract completely. So I was just instructing him to hit the books. So that's what I was instructing him. So hit the books means time to study well. Yes, time to study and to study well.

SPEAKER_01

Right.

SPEAKER_00

Because I guess uh he will have uh his exam on Tuesday, I believe. So, yes, he needs to hit the books because uh celebrations come with uh uh a lot of distractions, though we are full of energy, we feel rejuvenated after celebrating any festival. But when we have to get back to our work, then we actually realize that now it's time to buckle up or to pull up our socks. And again, I use two idioms. So buckle up and pull up our socks means now you have to you have to take the charge.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, so pull up your socks means get ready, right? Um, maybe you have taken a lot of rest and now it's time to get ready and get back to work. That time you can use this idiom that pull up your socks and get back to work, right? Uh, like maybe any employee is coming after a long leap. That time the manager can uh tell that employer that come on, pull up your socks and get back to the project. Right?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, great, great. So uh do you do you eat out or do you like eating or um having junk food?

SPEAKER_01

I really don't, but occasionally I dine out. But most of the time I like homemade food only.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so I guess uh you people go or you dine out or you eat out once uh in a blue moon? Once in a yes, once in a blue moon. Rarely. So that's why I asked you this question. Uh-huh. So, yes, once in a blue moon, that's anything that we don't do frequently or regularly, rarely. Right. Okay, right. So, is there anything apart from this that you do once in a blue moon? Uh, once in a blue moon.

SPEAKER_01

Uh I meet my best friend once in a blue moon. Rarely. Yes, actually. Right, right. And frankly speaking, I read books once in a blue moon because it's very difficult for me to keep up with that reading habit. So this is something that is so real in my life.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, actually, actually. I I am quite good at buying books. I uh frequently buy books, but when it comes to read those books, I think um I it's not my fault because my faith.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, no problem, it's a night of the issue, right? We were talking about books.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, uh, yes, so I was telling you that uh I'm good at uh buying books, but the thing is uh if I'm not able to keep up with my books or if I'm not able to read in a regular way, uh it's not my fault because uh my plate is always full, and uh I would say that I have uh always a bigger fish to fry. So that's why I have to do my reading. Okay, so now again I uh there is one more task for you. You have to tell or you have to explain uh a lot on my plate. If you have a lot on your plate, what does it mean? And a bigger fish to fry.

SPEAKER_01

So you can explain. Yes, I'll take up um I have a lot on my plate. That means you have a lot of tasks uh to be taken care of. That time you can say, I have a lot on my plate. And housewives can definitely relate it with, relate with it because they definitely take care of a lot of things in their day-to-day life. So they can always say this thing that I have a lot on my plate, and uh still I'm pulling my socks up and showing up for the videos, right? Showing up for the conversations, maybe showing up at at work as well. So two idioms you can use in one go.

SPEAKER_00

Right. And sometimes, let's say you are uh swamped with work, you are you have a lot of uh things to do, and you get a call from your friends, uh, let's uh let's go, let's let's just go out and watch a movie. So you can tell them that you people go and enjoy. I have a bigger fish to fry. It means you have some other important stuff to do, right? So that is uh your priority at that moment, so you will join them later. So in this way, we can say instead of saying that I have some other important things to do or kind of, so you can go uh with this very I have a bigger fish to uh fry.

SPEAKER_01

Right, right. When you're not able to attend any meeting that time, also you can use this idea that uh apologies, I can't attend this meeting because I have a bigger fish to fry, I have some prior commitments as well, right?

SPEAKER_00

True, true. And uh uh is there any idiom that's gonna be a few.

SPEAKER_01

I think uh at the end we should definitely introduce this idiom hit the sack. Oh god, yes.

SPEAKER_00

I I truly want to hit the sack now because I am uh I feel I'm Drained today. So, yes, it's time to hit the sack, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right, right. And for me also, right, go to bed. And my eyes have also become so heavy. So for me, also, it's definitely right time to hit the sack. High time to hit the sack.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, I think you joined a lot of sessions today, right? Right. Because I was uh I was aware of your schedule today. It was like you were uh schedule taking back to back sessions back to back. So, yes, now you need to take rest. So, yes, it's time to hit the sack and uh take care. I'll see you tomorrow, possibly.

SPEAKER_01

Before that, before that, uh let us introduce our WhatsApp group to the audience out there because it's very important. We are talking about a like all a lot of things out of these sessions, actually, in our WhatsApp group. So many people are missing out on that. So we can invite them also to our WhatsApp group. So, would you like to share something about that?

SPEAKER_00

Yes, it's um I just want to tell people see if you are struggling uh with practice, actually. See, we have a lot of stuff on YouTube, on Google, on Chat GPT. Okay, we are uh it's all about input, right? You are getting a lot of stuff, you are watching videos and all, but the thing is, until you are practicing that thing, it is going to be of no use, and then the question uh arises uh whom to practice with. So that's that's how and that's why we are here for you people. So we have created WhatsApp groups for you, and if you want to, if you are a woman, you want to practice with women only, then you are also then also you are welcome if you want to go for uh uh different people and you want to explore more, then also you are welcome because we have WhatsApp groups for uh people of um all ages, all walks of life, I would say, and you are going to uh get co-learners or your co-partners, and it's not uh this much only. I mean, our groups are not about this much only. Uh, people are going to get experts sessions for just rupees 500 per month. I mean, they have to contribute just rupees 500, and you are going to unlock a lot of uh opportunities because you will get experts sessions, you are going to get a lot of material in terms of vocabulary, in terms of uh grammar. I I just love those uh grammar hacks because you are going to learn the technicalities of this language, and how does this 500 matter? Because we all know learning English is quite expensive, you have to pay through your nose, but we understand your problem and we are offering you. I would I won't say a portable, we are offering you this platform, it's just for free. I mean, 500, how does it matter? You we just spend 500 for uh one pizza, I would say, right?

SPEAKER_01

And I can swear by this that you're getting services worth rupees 5,000 in just rupees 500. So that's a big thing, right? So definitely I would also like to invite everyone to our groups, and uh, we've recently created this group, and it's not been long, but still people have started enjoying practicing in that group, and they also share uh their feedback with us that they are improving and it's not been long. So they have started improving, they're taking sessions from experts. So, what else you want in your English learning journey? You're getting help instantly, right?

SPEAKER_00

Instantly, and I think we are so dedicated towards because I guess we uh we don't want them to struggle more, right? Because we understand the problem that all they need uh some people to speak with, where they need that platform where they can practice with those people who are uh quite good at speaking, right? And if you are a beginner, then too, we are there to help you because our major concern is uh to make them intermediate and then advanced level speaker, right? So it's not that uh we are exaggerating the stuff, it's just all come experience, and then you will speak, right?

SPEAKER_01

And no fake promises actually, and you can see that we both are feeling burnt out at the end of the day because we have put a lot of hard work in these sessions, so you can imagine what level of hard work we are putting in in these sessions, right? Right, definitely we are on that journey, and we are definitely focused on our aim. So there is a lot to come up in these WhatsApp groups, and we are definitely enjoying it. We want you also to be a part of this group, and let's get along in this journey together.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, because we understand your struggle, we are flourishing together, right? Because I can see a drastic change in my energy.

SPEAKER_01

Same here, same here.

SPEAKER_00

No matter how uh occupied I am, I I really truly don't feel uh drained or exhausted. I'm always ready to do one thing or the other, and my morning always every morning starts with those beautiful quotes, morning wishes, and when I deal with uh learners' queries, when I uh see they are so happy uh with their uh journey, with their learning. Actually, I think uh we are adding value uh to our lives, right?

SPEAKER_01

Right, yes, and they are betting and they are also adding value to ours because they are giving us opportunity for teaching, for sharing our knowledge too. So, this is how we are also polishing our skills, right? So that's the beauty of working in a team, otherwise you cannot uh go a long way alone, right?

SPEAKER_00

True, so come and join our WhatsApp group and let's learn, grow, grow together.

SPEAKER_01

Definitely so at this note, let's end this session, right? And uh definitely looking forward to meeting you again with a with something interesting again for our learners.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, definitely, definitely. I won't spill the beans, but yes, there is something that's waiting for uh all of us. Yes, okay, okay then. Bye bye, good night, take care. Bye, good night, take care, bye.