Listen Now

Talk Like a Native Episode 20 - Ring a Bell Christine: Hey Kevin, who were you talking to? Kevin: I was talking to Beyonce. Christine: Who’s that? His name kind of rings a bell. Is he a comedian? Kevin: What? She is a famous singer. Christine: Really? What song does she sing? Kevin: The one that goes like, “All the single ladies, all the single ladies.” Christine: Hmm...that doesn’t ring a bell. Kevin: What is this bell you keep talking about? Christine: Kevin, are you sure you’re an American? Why do you not know any English expressions? Rings a bell is an expression that’s used when something sounds familiar like you’ve heard it somewhere before. It’s like your brain alerting you to an old memory. Kevin: Are you sure YOU’RE American? How do you not know Beyonce? She’s married to Jay-Z. Christine: Umm...I’m just going to pretend I know what you’re talking about and give our listeners some examples of this expression: I’m sorry but that description doesn’t ring any bells for me. I’ve never met John before, but his name rings a bell. This kind of rings a bell, but I’m not sure why it seems familiar to me.Christine: Wait, so how do you know Beyonce? Kevin: Oh, we go way back. She used to live down the street from my house. Christine: Where did you live? Kevin: You know I’m just pulling your leg right? I was just talking to my mom. Christine: Oh hey, you do know some English expressions. Want to explain it to our listeners? Kevin: When you pull someone’s leg, you’re jokingly telling someone something that’s not true. Christine: Nice, two expressions in one episode. I hope we didn’t overwhelm anyone. Kevin: It’s ok, it is our 20th episode. I thought we could give them a little extra this week. Christine: That’s a great idea. We’d also like to take this time to say thanks for listening to us and hope that you will continue to tune into Talk Like a Native.

Talk Like a Native Episode 19 - (to) Find your Feet Kevin: What are you thinking about? Christine: Oh, I was thinking about when I first left for college. Everything happened so quickly, I don’t even know how I found my feet. Kevin: How does that even work? Have you lost them before? Christine: Haha, not literally. To find your feet means to adjust to your new environment or experience. The feet doesn’t refer to someone’s physical feet, but a foundation for them to stand on when you’re in an unfamiliar situation. You can also refer to it as “finding your footing”, too. Kevin: Ah, I see. Kind of like the way we had to find our feet when we first came to Korea? Christine: Exactly. We didn’t really know the language or have any friends but through time, we managed to find our feet. Kevin: I really like this expression because you can really visualize it. When you first get to a new place, it’s really hard to know where you stand. Everything is new and it almost feels like you’ve literally misplaced your feet. Christine: I completely understand what you mean. Every time I start a new job, I feel so lost and out of place. Kevin: We should give our listeners some examples of this phrase so that they can understand how to use this awesome expression too. She’s learned where the supermarket is but is still finding her feet with everything else. I guess it’ll take time for her to get used to it all. Establishing your footing after you move to a new country is a long confusing process of trial and errors. Don’t worry, you’ll find your feet soon! I was lonely when I first left home and finding my place in college was very hard, but I think I have my feet now. It takes some time to get used to it all but I’m settling in and have found my footing. Kevin: So why were you thinking about college anyway? Christine: This student of mine is going to college soon. She was so excited about finally moving out and living on her own. It made me think about how I felt when I first left for school. Kevin: Do you even remember when that was? Christine: Hey, I’m not THAT old ok? Kevin: I’m just saying. It just seems like a long time ago. Christine: We’re no longer on speaking terms. Kevin: Hahaha (nervous laughter), I was just kidding! …

Talk Like a Native Episode 18 - Keep your chin up Kevin: Hey Christine, long time no see. Christine: Hey Kevin. Kevin: What’s wrong? Why so glum? Christine: Facebook Memories just reminded me of something I was trying to forget. Kevin: And what was that? Christine: Well, a few months ago I got into a fight with a friend of mine. Now, he doesn’t ever want to talk to me again. Kevin: What happened? Christine: I have no idea. It was completely out of the blue! He picked a fight and when I tried to explain myself he just blew me off. Kevin: Why would he do that? Were you guys really close? Christine: We’ve known each other for a really long time. I felt like he was someone I could really trust and confide in. I guess I was wrong. Kevin: Maybe he was just having a bad day. You should try to get in touch with him again. Christine: It’s been over 2 months already. I tried to say hi once, but got nothing but radio silence. Kevin: It’s okay man, keep your chin up. I’m sure things will work themselves out. Just give him some time for now. Christine: Keep what up? Kevin: Keep your chin up! It’s something you say to your friends when you want to encourage them to stay strong. It’s to let them know that they’ll get through this. Christine: That’s a nice thing to say. Thanks for that. I will try to keep my chin up. I mean I’ve been through so much worse. I should just let it go. Kevin: Let it go, let it go! Christine: Before this turns into a bad karaoke session. Let’s give our listeners some examples of this expression! -Don’t worry, you have an amazing resume. Keep your chin up, you’ll find something soon. -Keeping your chin up will be hard after all that has happened but keep at it and things will get better! -Don’t tell me to keep my chin up! I’m so tired and I just want to be left alone. Christine: This talk has made me feel much better. Kevin: Well, I’m glad I could help. So let it go, let it go! Christine: Oh my god, stop.

Talk Like a Native Episode 17 - Lost your touch Kevin: Hey Christine, what are you up to? Christine: I’m trying to sketch something but I think I’ve lost my touch. Kevin: What? Are you telling me that you can no longer feel anything? You lost your sense of touch? Christine: No, I mean I don’t think I can draw anymore. To lose your touch means to lose expertise or finesse. You may have been really good at something before, but suddenly you can no longer do it as well. Kevin: Ah, you mean you used to be able to draw well but you can’t anymore! Christine: Exactly! Haven’t you ever lost your touch with anything? Kevin: Hmm... I’ve lost my touch at basketball. I used to be able to shoot 3 pointers with my eyes closed. Now, I can barely do a layup. Christine: Oh, you used to play basketball too? I miss playing basketball. We should play sometime. Kevin: Let’s go play now! Christine: How about we give our listeners some examples of today’s expression and then worry about that later? Kevin: Oh right, sorry. Let’s hear some example’s of this week’s phrase: - In his latest book, he seems to have lost his touch at creating intriguing storylines. - Michael Phelps never lost his touch, he was still able to bring home 5 golds from Rio. - She didn’t want to lose her touch, so she practiced the violin for 6 hours a day. Kevin: That drawing looks like a foot. Christine: I was trying to sketch the Eiffel Tower. Kevin: Seriously? It looks like you really did lose your touch. Christine: You know what? Let’s go play basketball right now. I will school you. Kevin: BRING IT ON

Talk Like a Native Episode 16 - Take with a grain of salt Kevin: Hey, guess what? I think I’m moving to Macau! Christine: What? Really? Why all of a sudden? Kevin: Robert just offered me a job position in Macau. He said that his company is about to hit the jackpot*, I think I can make a lot of money if I move there to work for him! Christine: Robert said that? Kevin, you know Robert! You should always take what he says with a grain of salt. Kevin: With a grain of salt? Are you trying to get back at me for telling you to put salt on your wound? Christine: No, no. I’m telling you that he seems to exaggerate a lot and maybe you shouldn’t take everything he says so seriously. Kevin: Oh, you mean I should give it some more thought before I decide to move to another country? Christine: Right. I’m saying that what he says may be true, but there’s a bigger chance that it might not be. I’m just saying that you should be careful. Kevin: Are you telling me that I should be skeptical of whatever Robert says? Christine: Yeah kind of, but don’t tell him that I told you this! Kevin: Hmm. Let’s hear some examples of this week’s phrase: I would take everything that’s written in that article with a grain of salt. That website isn’t exactly the most reliable source of news. We should take this engagement with a grain of salt. Last time she told me she was going to marry the guy and then started dating someone else the next week! The reason why I take what he says with a grain of salt is because once he told me he was fluent in 5 languages and it turned out he only knew how to say hello in all of them. Kevin: Well, thanks for the advice. I’ll give it a lot more thought before I give Robert an answer. Christine: No problem. What are friends for? *hit the jackpot - to win a lot of money in gambling or in a lottery

Talk Like a Native Episode 15 - (Don’t) cry over spilled milk Kevin: Hey Christine, what’s up? Why so serious? Christine: I’ve just been thinking about a job offer that I received last year. Kevin: Really? What about it? Christine: If I took that job last year, I could be making a lot more money than I am now. Kevin: What kind of job was it? Christine: It was a managerial position in London. I could have been making more money AND be living in London. I’ve always dreamed about living there since I was young. Kevin: But I thought that you were pretty satisfied with your life here! You have a lot going for you here as well! Christine: I know, but sometimes I just think about how different or how much better my life could be. Kevin: It’s okay! I’m sure that there will be more opportunities in the future. It’s just one job offer! There’s no point in crying over spilled milk. Just apply again later! Christine: What? You spilled milk? It better not have been in my car. Kevin: No, no. No one actually spilled milk.  I said don’t cry over spilled milk. That means that what is done, is done. There is no use crying about it after. You cannot go and change something that already happened. The more you think about it, the worse it will feel. Christine: Oh, I get it. Since you can’t unspill the milk no matter what you do, then you should just clean it up and move on. Kevin: That’s right! Now, let’s give our listeners some more examples of this phrase: - Please stop complaining about your bad haircut. There’s no use crying over spilled milk. Wear a hat until it grows out or go to another salon and get it fixed. - There’s no point crying over spilled milk. If he doesn’t want to talk to you, it’s his loss not yours. Getting upset about it won’t change the fact that he still doesn’t want to talk to you. - So you got into a small accident. At least you’re safe and didn’t get hurt! The insurance company will take care of the repairs, so stop worrying! It’s no use crying over spilled milk. It’ll just stress you out. - You already did everything you could. Don’t cry over spilled milk. Stressing about it doesn’t actually solve any problems. Christine: I guess you’re right. But sometimes I can’t help but think about what would have happened or how different my life would be. Kevin: Everything happens for a reason. You may not see its importance now, but eventually everything will work itself out.

Talk Like a Native Episode 14 - Hands are tied Kevin: Hey Christine, do you think I could get a raise? Christine: I can’t. My hands are tied. Kevin: What? Your hands look fine to me. If you didn’t want to give me a raise, you could just tell me. You don’t have to make up an obvious lie. Christine: It’s not that I don’t want to raise your salary, it’s that we don’t have enough money in the budget to do it. When I say my hands are tied, I mean that there is nothing I can do about it. Kevin: Oh, I thought you were just trying to make up an excuse. Christine: I’m really sorry. I promise that when we start to earn more money, I will give you a raise. Kevin: It’s ok, I understand. Let’s hear some more examples of this phrase! - Although the president promised to spend more on healthcare, he now claims his hands are tied due to budgetary restrictions. - I would really like to help you refund this product but my hands are tied. If you do not have your receipt, we cannot process the refund. - With the new rules, their hands were tied and they could no longer help on the weekends. Kevin: How about buying me lunch? Don’t tell me your hands are tied there too. Christine: I actually already have plans today but I promise to buy you lunch next time. Kevin: Everybody heard that right? She promised to buy me lunch next time. Let’s go have steak. Oh or sushi or lobster! Christine: I’m going to buy you McDonald’s if you keep annoying me. Kevin: Nooo!

Talk Like a Native Episode 13: “Dodge a Bullet” Kevin: Hey Christine, what are you looking for? Christine: I lost the USB drive that my boss gave me. It has the project that we’ve been working on for the last month! Kevin: I’ll help you look too. When was the last time you saw it? Christine: I had it this morning when I was getting ready for work. Kevin: Have you checked the bathroom? Christine: Why would it be in the bathroom? Kevin: I usually brush my teeth before I leave the house. Sometimes I leave my phone there and I have to go back for it. Christine: Oh, that makes sense. I’ve done that before too. Let me go check the bathroom... Oh, I found it! Thank you Kevin! Thanks to you I really dodged a bullet. Kevin: Dodged a bullet? Do you work for the FBI or something? Christine: No! I work for a media company. It was an important proposal for an upcoming business deal. If you hadn’t helped me find my USB, I could have lost my job! To dodge a bullet means to successfully avoid something bad from potentially happening. Kevin: Oh you mean like how I dodged a bullet when I didn’t eat that chicken at the BBQ last week? Christine: Hey! I warned them that the meat might have been a little undercooked. It’s not my fault they got food poisoning! Anyways, let’s give our listeners some examples. - I really dodged a bullet when that meeting where I had to present got cancelled. - Talk about dodging a bullet! I almost married that jerk who cheated on me. - We really dodged a bullet leaving before the storm hit! I heard the streets flooded, and everybody was stuck on the mountain until the next morning. Kevin: I heard that Steve was so sick that he couldn’t even go to work the next day. Christine: Well, I guess I dodged that bullet too. I was so busy cooking that I didn’t have time to eat the food. Kevin: Maybe next time you should make sure you focus on cooking the food instead of looking at your phone. Christine: I thought I saw a Pikachu! Gotta catch’em all!

Talk Like a Native Episode 12: Beat around the bush Kevin: Christine, I wanted to talk to you about something. Christine: Sure, what’s up? Kevin: Well, I’ve been thinking... Christine: Yeah…? Kevin: A lot of things have been on my mind lately. Christine: Okay… please keep going. Kevin: I’m not sure how to say this but… Christine: Oh my god Kevin. Just spit it out* already. Stop beating around the bush. Kevin: I think our podcast is awesome. I’ve been wondering who has been listening to us. Christine: Seriously? That’s all you wanted to say? Kevin:  Well yeah, what did you think I was going to say? Christine: I don’t know. I was worried that you were going to tell me you had some sort of terminal illness or something. Kevin: Yeah, I’m sorry for beating around the bush. I just didn’t know how to put all of my feelings into words. Christine: Next time, please just tell me what’s wrong. Kevin: Oh I just realized we haven’t explained what the expression means yet. Christine: Beating around the bush means avoiding the main topic or not speaking directly about the issue. Kevin: Beating around the bush is one of those expressions that you can really visually understand. Imagine someone beating everything around the bush except the bush itself. Let’s hear some more examples:      - I was trying to beat around the bush because I didn’t know how to tell my boyfriend I wanted to break up.      - My boss kept beating around the bush before he could bring himself to tell me that I was being laid off.      - Quit beating around the bush and tell me what you’re thinking about.      - I can always tell when my brother is about to ask me for a favor when he starts beating around the bush. Christine: Well, I’m glad to hear that you think this podcast is awesome. Hopefully our listeners think so too! Kevin: Thanks for listening!

Talk Like a Native Episode 11: (Cost) an arm and a leg Kevin: What are you doing? Christine: I’m debating whether I should buy tickets to the rock festival. I really want to see Weezer*. Kevin: So, what’s stopping you? Christine: The tickets cost an arm and a leg and I fear that I may be too old for rock festivals. Kevin: What? An arm and a leg? Like literally? Christine: No! Of course not! If we say something costs an arm and a leg, it just means that it is very expensive. Kevin: Oh! So how much are the tickets? Christine: Tickets are $180 per person. Kevin: Ouch...that is pretty pricey. Christine: Plus, it’s summertime and it’s hot. I fear that it might actually cost me an arm and a leg in the pit* with all of those youngins*. Kevin: But maybe it’s worth it. I know how much you like Weezer. Christine: Let me think about it while we give our listeners some examples. Everything at the restaurant tastes amazing but it costs an arm and a leg I really wanted to go to Europe but plane tickets cost an arm and a leg during peak season. We love this place because everything is high quality and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg! Christine: I wish they could have a concert just for me! That way I don’t have to deal with the sweltering summer heat. Kevin: That would probably really cost you an arm and a leg. Christine: I know...but one can always dream. Kevin: So you’ve decided not to go then? Christine: Yeah, I don’t think I can handle the heat and the crowd in the pit. Kevin: Good choice. We can’t have you suffering from heat stroke. You still have to do more episodes with me! Christine: For the greater good. *Weezer: An American rock band *Pit: Mosh Pit (Area at the front of a typical rock concert where attendants push and jump) *Youngin: Slang / colloquial term for young person

Talk Like a Native Episode 10 : “The grass is always greener on the other side (of the fence)” Christine: Why the long face* Kevin? Kevin: I’m feeling a little depressed about my life. I was just browsing on Facebook and it seems that all of my friends have gotten married and have kids already. Christine: First of all, Facebook is not a gauge of how happy people are. Secondly, contrary to popular belief*, marriage is not the answer to all of your problems. Trust me on this when I say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Kevin: What do you mean? Christine: I mean that single people look at married people and might feel that their life is better. They feel like maybe their life would be more complete if they were married. It’s like looking over at your neighbor’s lawn and thinking that their grass looks healthier and greener when in reality it just seems that way from your perspective. Kevin: So are you saying married people feel the same way? Christine: Of course! Married people might look at single people and wish that they had more time to do the things that they wanted to do. They might envy the freedom to go out and not have to answer to someone when they come home. There’s positive and negative aspects to both sides. Kevin: Wow, I’ve honestly never looked at it that way. I guess you’re right when you say the grass is always greener on the other side. Let’s help our listeners get a better understanding too! Stacy: My job is so tedious. I wish I had my own business, like John does.Steve: John probably wishes he had the financial security of earning a stable salary. Trust me, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Jean: I’m so jealous you just got your Master’s. I’ve always wanted to do it, but I could never find the time or the money. Scott: Well, the grass ain’t so green on my side you know. You’re forgetting the fact that now I’m about 100,000 dollars in debt and I still can’t seem to find a decent job. Cecilia: Now that you’re married, it must be so nice to have someone to go home to every day. Justin: Yeah, except now it’s like having my mom nag me about when I should come home. Enjoy the single life as long as possible because the grass is always greener on the other side. Kevin: I’ll try to look for more positive things in my life instead of being jealous of other people. Christine: That’s a great idea Kevin. How about we work on making the podcast better instead of looking at Facebook? Kevin: Okay, mom!! *Why the long face? - Why do you look so sad? *Contrary to popular belief - something that you say before you make a statement that is the opposite of what most people believe

Episode 9: “Tip of the iceberg” Kevin: It looks everything is almost done. When will the website go up? Christine: Well, we’ve only just registered the company. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Kevin: Tip of the iceberg? Are you talking about global warming or something? Christine: No, no. I’m saying that we’ve only just started it and there’s a lot more to do. Like if you see an iceberg from the surface, all you see is the tip. You can’t see how deep the rest of it is. Kevin: Oh, you mean there’s a lot more work to do! Christine: Yeah, we’re not going to be the next Facebook. People have a very romanticised view of start-ups. They think they’re going to be the next overnight sensation, like Uber or AirBnB. Kevin: They only see the tip of the iceberg. Christine: Exactly! They only see what the results are and not all of the work that has gone into it. Kevin: Let’s hear some more examples of today’s phrase. - The damage that you see is only the tip of the iceberg. They haven’t even finished counting the money that was stolen yet. - This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much money to earn in this industry, you just have to learn how to play the game. - Laying off workers is just the tip of the iceberg. I hear that they will file for bankruptcy soon. Kevin: We are now 9 episodes into our podcast and working hard to get you even more content soon. Christine: Yeah guys, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We hope that you will stick around* for even more fun and exciting expressions on Talk Like a Native. *To stick around - To remain in or near a place.

Talk Like a Native Episode 8: “Throw caution to the wind” Kevin: I’ve been thinking about something for a while now. Christine: What have you been thinking about? Kevin: Starting my own business. Christine: Oh really? What type of business? Kevin: I wanted to start a service to help people practice their language skills without having to memorize words or grammar rules. Christine: Yeah, I know what you mean. A lot of people I know have their noses stuck in textbooks trying to learn languages the hard way. Kevin: You know, what if we started a company that would help people discover the importance of actual conversation? Christine: That sounds interesting. Oh! We could call ourselves conversationalists. We’d be professional conversation partners. Kevin: That might work! We could create a whole community of conversationalists who can help people practice their conversation skills. Christine: Yeah! Like a language service provider. Kevin: I’m excited about this. Let’s throw caution to the wind and give it a shot! Christine: Wait, what? Throw what to the wind? Kevin: Throw caution to the wind. It means to take a chance. Imagine if all of your doubts and fears were like a piece of paper. What happens when you throw it in the wind. Christine: Oh, it gets blown away. I get it! Let’s do it! Let’s throw caution to the wind and start our own language service. Kevin: Before that, we should give our listeners a few more examples of today’s phrase. - If you really like her then you should throw caution to the wind and just go talk to her. - I decided to throw caution to the wind and quit my job to go backpacking through Europe by myself. - You haven’t really lived until you have thrown caution to the wind for something you believed in. Kevin: Maybe some of our listeners will even want to try out our service. Christine: Yeah! In the meantime, we hope that they can still enjoy this podcast! Kevin: Thanks for listening!

Talk Like a Native Episode 7: (To be) Up in the air Christine: Welcome back to Talk Like a Native. I’m your host Christine. Kevin: And I’m Kevin. If you like our podcast, please consider giving us a review on iTunes. It’ll help other people find our podcast. Christine: If you search for Talk Like a Native you should be able to find us easily on iTunes! We’ve also decided to add something we think would be helpful for our listeners to get a more natural feel of the language. Kevin: We’re going to repeat the dialogue at a native speaker pace so you can get a better idea of what you want to work to achieve. Christine: We hope that you will like this new addition. Kevin: Now, let’s get down to business*. What’s our phrase for the week? Christine: It’s up in the air. Kevin: You mean you haven’t decided yet? Christine: No, I mean it’s up in the air. Kevin: That means you haven’t decided yet. Christine: Kevin, I know what it means. What I’m saying is that our phrase for the week is “up in the air”. Kevin: If it’s still up in the air then we need to decide quickly! Our listeners are waiting! Christine: Kevin, listen to me. The phrase for this week is “to be up in the air”. Kevin: Oh! You mean that the phrase is “up in the air” and not that we haven’t made a decision yet! Christine: Now that you’ve really confused our listeners, let’s give them a clear understanding of what this phrase means. Kevin: It means to be unsure or uncertain about something. If something is still up in the air, a decision has not been made yet. Christine: Let’s hear some examples! - Kevin: “Have you set a time for the meeting yet?” - Christine: “Things are still up in the air because Steve has a business trip on Monday.” - Kevin: “Have we decided on where we’re going yet?” - Christine: “It’s still up in the air because it might rain on Sunday. I don’t want to be at the beach in the rain.”          - Kevin: “Did we make the final decision on the logo yet?”  - Christine: “Sorry, it is still up in the air because Steve hasn’t looked at it yet. Once he looks at it we can make the final decision.”Kevin: We hope that we didn’t confuse you too much! Christine: It’s always you Kevin. If we lose listeners, I’m blaming you. *To get down to business - to get started on the work that needs to be done

Talk Like a Native Episode 6: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” Christine: Hey Kevin, what are you up to? Kevin: I’m checking out how many listeners we have. Christine: Ooh, it looks like we have at least 10. Kevin: We’re gonna be famous! Christine: Dude, don’t count your chickens before they hatch. Kevin: Chickens? What chickens? I’m talking about our followers. Christine: That’s what I’m talking about too! Don’t get your hopes up before anything happens. If you count your chickens before they hatch, you may find yourself with less than you originally expected. I think I even saw your mom as one of our subscribers. Kevin: Of course, she’s one of our biggest fans. Christine: Exactly, so we’re not going to be famous if only our family members listen to this. You’re getting too excited about something that hasn’t happened yet. Let me give you some other examples of this expression: The results haven’t come out yet and you’ve already planned the party. You shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch! I know you have big plans for your startup, but you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch, he hasn’t even proposed yet and you’ve already bought the wedding dress. Christine: This expression actually comes from Aesop's Fables about the milkmaid that is carrying a pail filled with milk on the top of her head. Kevin: Oh I know this story. She daydreams about buying chickens with the money she gets from selling the milk. Then she would make money from the eggs so she could toss her head at the suitors when she’s rich. Christine: Yup, and then she physically does that and spills the milk instead, leaving her with nothing! Kevin: Ok, fine! I won’t count my chickens before they hatch.

Talk Like a Native Episode 5: “To go places” Christine: Hey, this is Christine! I am one of your hosts for Talk Like a Native. Kevin: Just in case you guys have missed our first few episodes, we wanted to remind our listeners why we created this podcast in the first place. Christine: So Kevin, why is it that we created this podcast in the first place? Kevin: Well…isn’t it because English has so many weird idioms and expressions? We wanted to help people get a better understanding of them, right? Christine: Oh yeah. It’s because these expressions can be so confusing. We wanted to simplify them for ESL learners. English can be extremely difficult at times, and we’re hoping that we can help out with some of that frustration. Kevin: Yeah, I think this podcast will really go places. Christine: Go places? You think like we’ll be able to like go to Europe and do our podcasts there? Kevin: No. “Going places” means that it will be successful. Christine: Oh man, I was getting excited at first ‘cause I thought we’d be able to go to Paris and do our podcast there. You actually just meant that Talk Like a Native will be successful? Kevin: Yeah, but maybe if we are successful enough, we can actually go places. Christine: Here are a few examples of how to use this expression: When I first heard the idea, I knew Suda would be going places. They knew that Tom, with all his talents, would definitely go places. She had so much potential we all knew that she would go places.Christine: We hope that our listeners also believe that we will be going places as well. Kevin: Please tune in each week to hear more expressions and idioms! And remember guys, don’t memorize these phrases! Try them out and make them a natural part of your spoken English.

Talk Like a Native Episode 4: Throw under the bus Kevin: Hey Christine! How was your week? Christine: It’s been a rough week. My colleague threw me under the bus. Kevin: What?! Threw you under the bus? You don’t look hurt. Did you break anything? Are you ok? Christine: Oh, I’m sorry I did not mean that literally. Throwing someone under the bus means that they put the blame on you so that they don’t get themselves in trouble. Kevin: Ohhh I see. That really surprised me. I thought you meant that you were actually thrown in front of a moving bus. Christine: I don’t think I would be standing here if that actually happened. Kevin: That’s true. So what did this person do to throw you under the bus? Christine: So we were all working on a side project* together and when my boss found out, my colleague freaked out*. She did not want to get fired so she told him that it was all my idea and I ended up taking the brunt of it*. Kevin: I’m sorry to hear that. It really does sound like it would have been better if you were actually thrown under a bus. Christine: Yeah that’s true. Anyways, let’s give our listeners some other examples: His best friend threw him under the bus when the police questioned him about the murder. My sister threw me under the bus when my mom asked who broke the vase. I threw my brother under the bus when my mom was going to ground the both of us for something I didn’t even do.Christine: Now I may have to look for another job. Kevin: Isn’t this your other job? Christine: You’re right. Maybe I’ll do this full-time. Kevin: Speaking of time, we’re done for today! Hope you guys will join us again next week for more English idioms and expressions on Talk Like a Native. *side project - something that is not work related and can be considered against company policy * taking the brunt of it - to get a larger amount of something bad, such as blame or physical attack * to freak out - to panic

Talk Like a Native Episode 3: “Salt in the Wound” Kevin: Dude... what happened to your face? Christine: Well, I was playing basketball and one of the players on the other team tripped me. Kevin: Ouch, did you at least win the game? Christine: No. We lost by one point ‘cause the ref called a foul on me even though it wasn’t even my fault! Kevin: Talk about rubbing salt in the wound! Christine: What? That sounds painful. I wouldn’t do that! Is that some sort of home remedy? Kevin: No. I didn’t mean literally rubbing salt in your wound. I was saying that losing is bad enough and what the ref did was like rubbing salt in your wound. Christine: Huh? Kevin: When I say “rub salt in your wound” I mean that someone is making a difficult situation even worse.  Not only did you get hurt, but you lost the game because of the bad call. Christine: So you’re not telling me to put salt on my cut then? Kevin: No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think it would hurt a lot. Christine: Today’s expression is “Rub salt in your wound”. Let’s hear some examples: Getting yelled at was bad enough, but having it done in front of my friends was like rubbing salt in the wound. After a break up, watching people celebrate Valentine’s Day is hard enough, but having someone ask about my ex is like rubbing salt in the wound. Hearing the news about her wedding was rough, but finding out she married my best friend was like having salt rubbed in the wound. Christine: Thanks for explaining that Kevin. Now, I won’t think that people are actually telling me to put salt on my cut. Kevin: On second thought, I think people used to do that in order to disinfect the cuts. Maybe you should try it. Christine: No thanks.

Talk Like a Native Episode 2: “It’s so close I can almost taste it” Kevin: Welcome back to Episode 2 of Talk Like a Native. We hope you all had a great week. Christine: What were you up to this week, Kevin? Kevin: I just went shopping and met up with some friends. I’m so excited that the weather has finally warmed up. I’m really looking forward to going out this weekend and spending some time outdoors. It’s so close I can almost taste it! Christine: Dude… it’s Monday! The weekend just ended. Kevin: I know, but I’m just really excited that spring is finally here! The winter was way too long. Christine: I know, right? And it was way too cold. Anyways, today’s expression is “It’s so close I can almost taste it”. Kevin, could you please explain to our listeners what this expression means? Kevin: It means that something intangible is so close that you can almost physically feel its presence, even though it’s slightly out of reach. Christine: It’s so close, that you feel as if it’s in front of you, and you can taste it! But unfortunately, you can’t. Kevin: Right! What are some other examples of “It’s so close I can almost taste it”? - “Spring is so close, I can almost taste it!” -“I’m so close to finishing this project, I can almost taste it!” -“Graduation is so close, I can almost taste it!” Kevin: We hope that this has helped you get a better understanding of this phrase. Now go along and try this new expression with your friends! Christine: Tune in next week to learn more useful phrases and expressions that you can use in your everyday life! Kevin: Hey, did you know there’s another podcast that does something similar except everyone has cooler accents? Christine: Oh, you mean The English We Speak? Kevin: Yeah, I think it’s a BBC production. Christine: It’s ok, we’re doing it the American way. We’ll be bringing you a lot more American idioms and our accents, although not as cool, are much easier to understand.

Talk Like a Native Episode 1: Hit the ground running Christine: Hi My name is Christine. Kevin: My name is Kevin and we are your hosts for Talk like a Native. Christine: On this program, we plan to bring you an expression a week so that you can listen to it while you commute to work or before you go to bed. Kevin: They’re short and simple so that you can always find a little time to practice your expressions. Christine: This is our first episode and we’re going to hit the ground running. Kevin: That’s right folks, we’re going to charge full speed ahead*with our first expression. “Hit the ground running.” Christine: We decided to choose this phrase to start off our podcast. Kevin, please tell everyone why we decided on this phrase. Kevin: It means to start something immediately, work hard and be successful at it. Since this is our first episode, we thought it would be appropriate as we plan to do just that. Christine: When I first heard this expression, I thought it meant literally to hit the ground running. I was picturing Tom Cruise jumping out of a moving vehicle and somehow managing to continue running from the bad guys. Kevin: Mission Impossible style! Christine: Alright, let’s hear some other examples: -          As soon as the troops were given the signal,they hit the ground running. -         In order to get ahead, you’ll have to hit the ground running. -          If you want to succeed in life, you must always hit the ground running. Christine: We hope that this has helped give you a better understanding of this phrase and remember that the point of this podcast is not to memorize the phrase but actually use it. So give it a shot**. Kevin: Please tune in each week as we plan to provide you with many more expressions and idioms to help get you to hit the ground running so that you too can “Talk like a Native.” *Charge full speed ahead: To try your hardest without hesitation **Give it a shot: Give it a try; try it out