Things Native Speakers Say

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I have a list of stuff that I keep adding to, of words, expressions, phrases, etc that I want to talk about on the show. This episode is me going through this list and telling you all about how to use them, the nuances behind each one, and giving you ways in which you can incorporate them into your day-to-day with practical examples.

Transcript

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Hey, what's up? What's going on? Welcome to another episode of English with Dane, a show designed to help you enjoy the process of perfecting your English. As always, I'm your host Dane and you can find me on Instagram and TikTok at EnglishwithDane. Today's episode is about expressions, phrases, idioms, and other things that I've been writing down over the last few months. If you listen to the show, you know that I'm a big proponent of having a notebook where you physically write things down. New words, phrases, expressions, whatever the case may be. If you have a list on your phone, that works too, but I encourage you all to have a physical list where you write these things down. There's something about actually writing with your hand that makes things easier to retain and to recall for later use. So I do this too when I'm talking to friends or students, or even when I hear something on TV, I write it down. So I thought today we would look over some of these things I've jotted down over the last few months. Funnily enough, to jot down is one of them. So I guess we'll start there. But first, let's officially start the show. You are listening to episode 44 of season two of English with Dane. Hit it. Alright, let's get right into my list. The first one is to jot down. Jot spelled J-O-T. This is a phrasal verb, of course, and it just means to quickly write something down. Maybe a quick note, a phone number, an idea you don't want to forget, or whatever. It's like write down, but the nuance here, La Sutilesa, the nuance here is that it implies that it's a quick action. It's an informal act in a way. Just a casual note to remember something later. So when someone is giving you an address, maybe a phone number, like I said, you jot it down on a post-it. When you get an idea late at night, you jot it down. You get it. Next up, I have yay, yay, but not as a celebratory exclamation. Not like you won something and you're saying yay, qué bien. No. I'm talking about yay as an adverb which means this much. Importante. When used in this way, it needs to be accompanied by a hand gesture. We say something is yay big or yay high while we hold our hand up as a reference. So, like, hey, I think I left a box here about yay big. And as you're saying that, you're holding out your hands in a way that shows more or less the size of the box. I realize that it's a very specific one, but it's just one that feels really natural to use, and I don't think I've ever mentioned it before. And if you hear it out there, you might be a little confused. So I thought I'd share it. We use about right before saying yay most of the time. About yay big is something you'll hear a native speaker say. The next thing I wrote down in my notebook is a phrasal verb to gloss over, gloss spelled G-L-O-S-S. To gloss over means to deliberately, so on purpose, to deliberately avoid dealing with something difficult, negative, or complex by treating it briefly or superficially. Maybe you're watching a documentary about someone, and they barely cover or touch on or talk about a certain dark part of this person's life. They are glossing over it. They are avoiding it because it can be a bit touchy or difficult to deal with. Maybe in a presentation, the people presenting gloss over certain pain points because they don't want to get into it. I think it's a very visual phrasal verb because gloss is what you apply to a surface to make it shiny. Lip gloss, for example. You can also apply it to wood, madeira, to wood to make it shiny and to hide some imperfections. So you can see how this phrasal verb came to be. Maybe you gloss over mistakes, or a company glosses over some bad numbers. You get it. Let's take a look at a few adjectives I wrote down. This first one is a compound adjective, so two words joined by a hyphen, ungion, hyphen. I have even keeled. I might have mentioned that one in an episode about compound adjectives, but I just really like it. It comes from the world of sailing, and I think it originated in the 19th century. Even keeled. Keeled is spelled K-E-E-L-E-D. The keel of a boat or ship is the main structural spine, Espina, structural spine that runs along the bottom center of the hull del casco, the hull, laquilla de un barco. If a ship is even keeled, it means it's not swaying from side to side. The keel provides stability. So if someone is even keeled, they are emotionally steady, calm, and not prone to dramatic mood swings. Let's stick with keel for a second because I have another one on this list. To keel over, another phrasal verb. To keel over means to suddenly collapse or fall down, usually from fainting, there's my yarce, from fainting, exhaustion, shock, or a medical issue. This also comes from the same boat or sailing universe. You can imagine a boat losing its balance or tipping over. You might hear someone say, he was so dehydrated he just keeled over. Or she keeled over in the middle of the meeting, so we called an ambulance. You get the gist. Oh, that's not on my list, but I think it's worth mentioning to get the gist. Gist spelled G-I-S-T. To get the gist means to understand the main idea or the general meaning of something. So you grasp the core elements, but maybe not the specifics. So you're talking to someone about something and you're explaining it, and then you end with you get the gist. It's like saying you understand, you get the picture, etc. Next up is an adjective you might have never heard before. Handsy, like handy, but with an S in there. Handsy. If someone is handsy, it means they tend to touch people more than what is considered appropriate, welcome, or socially acceptable. It usually has negative connotations because it feels invasive. If you take the S out of the word, you get handy, which means useful, handy, but with the S in there, handsy, not cool. This next one is a verb that I feel like I've never heard a non-native speaker use. Schmooze, spelled S C H M O O Z E. To schmooze means to talk to someone in a strategic way in order to gain favor or to put yourself in a more favorable position, let's say. If you are schmoozing someone, you are trying to build connections to advance socially or professionally. There's a cynical element to. It's not flat out manipulation, but let's say it's networking with intent. You kind of fake it and you act more likable in order to gain favor or earn someone's approval. This word comes from Yiddish, which is a historically Jewish language that developed around the 9th to 12th centuries among Ashkenazi Jews in Central and Eastern Europe. So Yiddish influenced English primarily through mass Jewish immigration to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th century, especially in New York City. There are other words that come from Yiddish. Klutz, for example, spelled K-L-U-T-Z. If you are a klutz, you are someone who is chronically clumsy, schmuck is another one. S-C-H-M-U-C-K. A schmuck is like a jerk. Someone who is obnoxious or insuffrible is a schmuck. You'll hear these a lot in New York, and it's not just Jewish people who use them, these words are really widespread now. Let's keep going down my list. Oh, I have a similar one. Tool, as in Herramienta, but used to describe someone. That guy is a tool, for example. If someone is a tool, they are, again, obnoxious or insufferable. A tool. I love this next one. A tryhard with a hyphen between try and hard. A tryhard is someone who tries too hard to impress, to be cool, to be funny, or be accepted, and most importantly, who makes that effort visible. The key here, La Clave, the key here is that their efforts must be really apparent. Like that guy at work who laughs too hard at the boss's jokes in order to be liked more. That guy is a tryhard. It's obviously forced and very noticeable. In English learning circles, it's maybe the guy who throws slang, who throws slang into everything, who really forces it to the point where it's like, hey man, shut up. Yesta. We get it. You know all the slang words, just stop. That is a try hard. You can see how that word came to be. Someone who is trying way too hard. This term implies insecurity and overcompensation. We all know someone like this, and now you know what we call people like that in English. Let's do a few more. I just feel like I have so many good ones, it's hard to stop. This next one is an expression, or maybe just a phrase we use a lot. It's a whole thing. It kind of just means that a situation is complicated and has a lot of aspects to consider. It says, there's a long backstory here, or there's a lot of emotional weight, peso emocional. Or maybe it's just a logistical mess. Maybe you're talking to someone new about a problem you're having with your ex, and they say, why don't you just talk to him about it? And you say, pfft, it's it's a whole thing. Or, hey, why didn't I see you at their wedding? Ah, pfft it's a whole thing. It tells people that there's a lot to unpack. It also has an angle of you wouldn't really get it if I explained it because you need to know more about the people involved or the situation. This next one is so strange. I need to do some research on where it comes from. To skedaddle, spelled S-K-E-D-A-D-D-L-E. Skedaddle. To skedaddle means to leave quickly or suddenly. But there's more because I feel like there's a comedic element to it. To leave suddenly or quickly, but maybe in a chaotic way. It's not a dignified exit, let's say. I feel like you would hear it in Scooby-Doo. And it's also like something an adult would say to kids in my mind. At least it gives off that vibe, the spirende, it gives off that vibe. You can say it in a casual way, though, like you're leaving a gathering or a party, and you tell your partner in front of other people, hey, we should we should skedaddle. It's light, it's breezy, it's playful, and what I like about it too is that it feels old-fashioned, but in a silly way. This next phrase is one you can use to kind of reluctantly agree. I'm talking about, I'll give you that. You're saying, okay, I will grant you that point. I'll give you that, or I'll give you that. It's not a full surrender, not that it's not a full surrender. You're just giving someone the credit or the validation that what they said is something you cannot or will not argue against. It signals, okay, you made a fair point, and I won't try to say it's not. It's usually accompanied by a but, like, I'll give you that, but, and then you keep it going. You still kind of hold on to a little bit of power because you're giving them that point, you know. I don't know if we have an equivalent expression in Spanish. At least I can't think of one right now. So leave a comment if you know what it would translate to. Alright, one more. This last one is one you've heard before, but maybe you don't feel comfortable using, and it's kind of in line with that one we just talked about. Fair enough. Fair enough means that's reasonable, or I accept that. It's acceptance without enthusiasm. Again, fair enough is acceptance without enthusiasm. It's almost like saying, okay, that's sufficiently reasonable. It's neutral in tone, although you can of course modify that tone and make it work in different ways. I like fair enough because it's like rational and composed. It's like saying, me parece razonable and the same time. I don't know, I'm a fan. I just think it's a very socially efficient phrase, and for some reason that makes me happy. You don't want to, you're not excited, but you know it's the right move, and even though you've been fighting it, you know there's no other way. So we have to trim the budget. Yeah, fair enough. Your friend is saying she doesn't want to hang out with your other friend because of a few things she said behind her back. Hey, fair enough. Someone doesn't want to talk about something, and you decide not to press, right? Not to pressure that person. So, hey, fair enough. It just works. I'm a fan. I have more of these, but I don't want to overwhelm you, not the quirabumar. I don't want to overwhelm you with too many of them. What I want you to do is choose a few of these, maybe the ones you liked the most, or the ones you think you would use because they sound like you, and take them for a spin. Try them out. Be sure to write down or jot down the ones you like and add a little bit of context. Write out a few sentences that you would say and try saying them out loud, walking around your house. You'll sound like a crazy person, but you'll be much more likely to commit them to memory and to actually use them in a conversation. Alright, that's it for this episode of English with Dane. Don't forget that my group sessions are now open. So if you're interested in classes with me, hit that link in the description of the episode. Let me know what your preferred schedule is, tell me your level, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible with all the information you need. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who you think would also enjoy it. And don't forget to follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. Subscribe to English with Dane on YouTube, and remember that you can listen to every episode on YouTube too. All right, that's it for me. Hope you have a great week. Talk soon. Later, you can't do it.