Posts tagged To shoot the breeze
An interview with Harp
12/30/2012
by Culips
in Chatterbox
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
If you’ve been listening to Culips for a little while, you’ve already started to get to know the Culips hosts, Harp and Maura. And you’ll also know that in our Chatterbox episodes, sometimes we interview people. So here’s an interview with Harp, where she tells us about her life growing up and what she’s up to now. Along the way, she also drops a few expressions for you.
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| Maura: | So, what did you study at university? |
| Harp: | I studied political science. |
| Maura: | So does that mean you wanted to become a politician? |
| Harp: | I was actually thinking more of becoming a lawyer. And so it’s a really common route to go from political science into law. And I love politics. Even now, I read the news a lot, I’m always following what’s going on politically in Canada, the US, and even internationally. |
| Maura: | So, you grew up in Fort St. John, and then you lived in Edmonton, and then you decided to travel and move around. Where is the first place that you went? |
| Harp: | Well, you know, it’s funny, because I had travelled quite a bit in Canada, and even the US, when I was growing up, but I hadn’t really left North America until I decided, with a bang, to move to South Korea for a year. |
| Maura: | Wow! So, tell us about that experience. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To tune in | To keep an ear out for something |
| When I say…, I mean… | Fort St. John |
| Out west | A small-town feel |
| With a bang | To not speak a word of English |
| A built-in babysitter | To sink or swim |
| A cool vibe | A day job |
| To shoot the breeze | That’s because you like to shoot the breeze |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Photo ©Culips
We’re just shooting the breeze
09/2/2012
by Jessie
in Catch Word
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Every once in a while people have unimportant, yet fun, conversations. Sometimes it’s nice to talk with a friend about nothing really important. We must do it often in English, because we’ve got a ton of expressions for it! Listen to Harp and Maura explain and give examples in this episode. They’re not just gabbing!
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| Maura: | Right. To shoot the breeze means to talk about stuff that isn’t really important. |
| Harp: | Exactly. It’s when you’re talking to someone and it’s not a substantial conversation. You’re not talking about world politics, you’re just talking about something kinda simple, fun, nothing important. |
| Maura: | So, Harp, what kinds of topics do you think are not that important? What kinda stuff? |
| Harp: | That’s an interesting question because it depends on who the person is. But if I’m telling you about how I went shopping and I bought some new clothes and a little story about when I was shopping, it’s nothing too important, it’s… |
| Maura: | Right. Or maybe you’re telling a friend about what you had for lunch today or a delicious cake that you made last night; just some little story about your life that doesn’t affect anyone, really. |
| Harp: | Yeah. When you shoot the breeze, it means you’re just having a simple conversation about something that’s not very important. |
| Maura: | Right. And the origin of this expression is really interesting. |
Expressions from this episode included in the Learning Materials:
| To shoot the breeze | To have to do with something |
| Same old | As chatty as ever |
| To overhear something or someone | To chitchat |
| To depend on/to depend | To chew the fat |
| To gab & to yak | To be in a rush |
| Verbal diarrhea |
Podcast/Learning Materials: Culips English Podcast, Image: ©Glossy Icons
