Jul 03
Plenty of fish [5:35m]:
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| Many different languages around the world have this expression. Do you have this expression in your language? Listen to this episode about There are plenty of fish in the sea and see if you recognize a similar expression in your native language. Hint: This expression is often used when talking about relationships that didn’t work out. |
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Jessie: So the expression There are plenty of fish in the sea means that there are other options available. So, just like if you were going fishing and you caught a fish but at the last minute he got away, someone might say, “Well, don’t worry. There are plenty of fish in the sea.” So that means you can easily catch another fish.
Harp: Exactly. So now, you can use this expression in different ways, but the most common one is used in reference to relationships.
Jessie: Right, so a boyfriend or a girlfriend. So it’s almost like saying that you are catching a boyfriend like you are catching a fish. So if you break up with your boyfriend, it’s like the fish got away.
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Illust: wynlok
Jun 21
| Sometimes we don’t want to be rude and so we need to tell a little white lie. Other times it may be important to be completely honest, and this is called brutal honesty. When is it OK to tell a white lie and when is it necessary to be brutally honest? Harp and Maura discuss this, and talk about honesty in relationships and with kids. How important is it to be honest your culture? |
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Maura: Maybe you go to someone’s house for dinner and they make pizza and you really don’t like onions and they put onions on the pizza. They ask if you like the pizza and you say, “Yeah, it’s delicious” because you don’t like onions but you don’t want to tell them that. You don’t want to be rude or impolite.
Harp: Yeah, exactly, that’s a little white lie. So a little white lie is usually to protect someone’s feelings, I would say.
Maura: Right, you want to be polite, you don’t want to be rude. So what is the other one? Brutal honesty. So brutal honesty is when you tell the complete truth and it can be rude or impolite.
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo: Kevin Labianco
Jun 13
Get it over with [8:07m]:
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Sometimes studying another language is really hard. We wish we could just get it over with and speak the language well. That is today’s expression to get something over with. We usually use this expression when we have an obligation to do something that we don’t want to do. We use the examples of homework and cleaning toilets!
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Maura: The expression today is “to get something over with”.
Jessie: “To get something over with.”
Maura: Yeah, we usually say, “to get it over with”.
Jessie: Yeah, but we usually don’t say it that slow.
Maura: No, I’m saying it slow so that everyone listening can hear the words that I’m saying.
Jessie: So how does it sound if you were saying it in normal conversation?
Maura: Well, we say it very fast, we say “get it over with”.
Jessie: Right, so the ”t” kind of mixes with the “over”.
Maura: Exactly, it doesn’t sound like a hard “t” sound, so the real slow expression is “to get it over with”.
Jessie: “To get it over with.”
Maura: “To get it over with”, right that’s how we naturally say it. So now that we know what it sounds like. What does it mean?
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo credit: martapiqs
Jun 07
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The expression rain check in this episode has a few different meanings. The first one is described in the transcript below. And of course is connected to rain. Another kind of rain check is used in a story. And another one is used when people cancel plans. Get to know all the explanations by listening to this episode!
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Jessie: Today’s expression is “rain check”.
Maura: Yes, a rain check.
Jessie: Rain check. Rain check is kind of neat because it has a few different types of definitions.
Maura: OK.
Jessie: So let’s start off with the very literal definition. The first, and still a meaning, was kind of given to fans when they went to see an outdoor sports event if it rained and the event was cancelled. So, if they had that ticket they could either get their money back, because they didn’t get to watch that game or they could get into the next event free, the next time.
Maura: OK, so that makes sense, if there is an event and it rains, you get a rain check for the next event, when hopefully it is a sunny day.
Jessie: Right.
Maura: OK, what else do you have?
Jessie: OK, so another meaning for rain check is sometimes used at a store…
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo credit: viZZZual.com, designed by Asami
May 30
To pull strings [7:19m]:
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| Sometimes it is not easy to get what we want. What we want could be a job or tickets to a really popular show. In these cases, sometimes we can pull strings to get what we want. When people pull some strings, they use power to get what they want. Is it fair to pull strings? |
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Harp: This is an idiomatic expression so there aren’t any real physical strings. It’s just an expression.
Maura: Right, the strings really represent the power and the connections to power that you have.
Harp: Exactly.
Maura: Good, you can pull strings, if you have power.
Harp: Exactly. Or someone can pull strings for you if they have power.
Maura: Exactly, it can work in all different ways, depends on who has the power. So what are some examples of where people might pull strings?
Harp: Well, there was that concert I wanted to go to last night.
Maura: OK.
Harp: Well I pulled some strings. I called my friend and he got me some tickets.
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo: Sister72
May 24
Harp's Trip In India [10:04m]:
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| Harp recently went on a trip to India with her family. Have you ever been to India? Harp tells us about the weather and the food. She also tells us about shopping in India, because this was a shopping trip with Harp’s two sisters and mom! |
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Maura: And what is shopping like in India?
Harp: Oh it is fantastic. It is completely different from North America.
Maura: Oh really?
Harp: Yeah. So I guess if you go to a shopping mall in India or in Delhi or in one of the big cities it’s the same, but we were looking for Indian clothes so we were trying to buy the lenga, the saris, the suit. And I’ll put pictures on the website so you can understand what that means. OK, so you go into a store and first thing you… sit down, right away. There is no walking around.
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo: Harp
May 16
When pigs fly [5:19m]:
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| The expression when pigs fly is used when people talk about something they would never do, or some event that would never happen. It is a very old expression, and no one knows why we talk about pigs! We can also use the similar expression, when hell freezes over. Check out the examples in this episode. |
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Harp: So, would you ever shave your head?
Jessie: I would never shave my head.
Harp: Or you could say I would shave my head when pigs fly.
Jessie: Oh I see. So pigs could never fly and I would never shave my head, so I could say, I will shave my head when pigs fly.
Harp: Exactly.
Jessie: So that means “never”.
Harp: Exactly. So should we give some more examples? My boyfriend is very adventurous and…
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Illust: Asami Takemoto
May 09
Hold a grudge [5:33m]:
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| Are you holding a grudge against someone? Have you been mad at someone for a week? A year? 10 years? We hope not! To hold a grudge is not a good thing and means that you are mad for a long time. It is much nicer to be happy! Listen to this fun episode to learn more about holding a grudge and having hard feelings. |
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Harp: So maybe something happened 10 years ago but you’re still angry, you’re still holding a grudge.
Robin: OK, can you give me an example?
Harp: For sure. So let’s say, that I have an ex-boyfriend and my friend decides she wants to date him and so she dates him for maybe a month. That is my ex-boyfriend, she is not allowed to date him! I’m still going to hold a grudge 10 years, 20 years later. I think it is an unwritten rule you can’t date your friends exes.
Robin: Ok so you would be mad 20 years later.
Harp: Ok maybe not 20 years but I would hold a grudge for a while.
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Culips, Photo: Lst1984
May 02
Terms of Endearment [7:02m]:
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| Oh Sweetheart! Sweetheart is one of the most popular terms people use to show someone they care about them. Every language has special names to use when speaking to the one you love. In English we have tons of names like this. This episode Maura and Robin explain some of these dear names, and when you might want to use them. |
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Maura: Robin, do you use these terms of endearment, these special words for people?
Robin: Not so often, but it’s probably because I don’t have a romantic partner.
Maura: Well, I have a romantic partner but we don’t usually use these words, and I don’t use them with my family or friends either. Like we said, some people don’t use them at all. It’s probably the best advice to not use them because it’s hard to know when a good time to use them is.
Robin: And if you do use them, use them with your romantic partner. That’s probably the safest bet.
Maura: Right, so don’t use them but if you want to, if you want to try it, use these words with a romantic partner or a really close friend or family member. Ok, so now let’s get into these words.
Robin: We have a couple of them. There’s sweetheart, and sweetie, and there’s sweetie pie…
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Podcast/ Lipservice: ESL Podcast Culips, Photo: ellie
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