On this episode of the Real Life English with Gabby podcast, you'll be learning over 30 phrasal verbs, slang words and idioms about love and family.
You'll be learning vocabulary like spitting image, chip off the old block in the blood, live up to and more.
Let's get to it.
Hey there, welcome to the Real Life English with Gabby podcast.
I'm your host, Gabby, your fun and friendly English teacher from the one and only New York City.
My goal is to teach you phrasal verbs, idioms and slang that will help you speak English confidently and understand real American conversations.
Are you ready to improve your English skills?
Let's jump right in.
Hey there, greetings from a very, very cold New York City.
As I've taught you in the past, it's brick outside.
It's not even officially winter yet here in New York City, but we have had an Arctic blast coming down on us for the past few days.
We kind of knew that this was coming because temperatures had been seasonably warm in November.
So we kind of knew that the cold was coming for us in December.
Right now, as I speak to you, it is zero degrees Celsius, but it feels like negative three.
We've got something called the wind chill here.
And because it's very windy here in New York City, especially where I am in Brooklyn, I it feels much colder than it actually is.
You know, usually we don't get these kinds of temperatures until January or February.
But you know, I have a feeling that this is going to be a really tough winter for us here in the, Because parts of New York have already had snowstorms.
For the northeastern part of the USA.
It's probably going to be a rough winter for us, since we're so close to Canada.
If you want to learn phrasal verbs, slang words and idioms, including the slang word that you heard me use a few seconds ago it's brick outside then you can head over to episode number seven, where I teach you all about winter weather and the cold.
I will put the link to this episode in the show notes or you can just scroll back to episode number seven.
So about today's episode?
This time of year is all about family and love.
For those of you who are listening to it today or the week that it came out, it's exactly one week before Christmas, and family and love are very big during this holiday season.
So learning vocabulary about this topic is going to be extremely beneficial for your English skills.
The first part of today's episode includes a story with the first 19 words and expressions.
After the story I'll explain all of the new vocabulary words from the story, but then I'm going to be adding nicknames for specific family members and I'm going to be explaining them to you and giving some examples.
So stay tuned for that after the story.
Before we continue, I want to let you know that there's a free study guide waiting for you.
The episode study guide helps you remember what you learn in the episode and it has all the words definitions, example sentences, practice activities and the transcript.
To get it, just click the link in the episode description.
Also, if you want to learn more idioms that Americans love to use, check out my e-book and workbook Real American Idioms.
This is different than most books because firstly, I only teach relevant and popular words that are still widely used.
I don't teach anything outdated, anything old.
I only teach things that I would use myself and that I hear commonly used. in American society.
This is actually why I wrote the book, because whenever I wanted to teach my students idioms, all of the idioms books were so outdated.
They would teach idioms that my grandparents or parents used when they were younger, and I was very unhappy about this.
So I said to myself it's time to write my own idioms book.
That's current.
My book is also different because it makes you work.
I don't spoon feed you the answers.
Instead, I give you the context and then make your brain work to figure out the meanings.
Then after I explain them, you do some practice activities.
This reinforces what you learn.
This is different, because most idioms books.
What I noticed is they tell you an idiom, they give you the definition and then they give you an example sentence, and then that's it.
They're not really making you work for anything, and so you are less likely to remember.
This is why I use my seven-step method to learning vocabulary.
I've based it on research and neuroscience that shows you need to be exposed to something six to seven times before you truly remember it.
You can check out the link in the episode description for more information.
All right.
Okay.
Let me tell you the 19 words that you're going to learn first in the story.
Pass down.
Blood is thicker than water.
A father figure.
Look after.
Stick together.
The spitting image.
Like father, like son.
In the blood.
The black sheep.
Keep it in the family.
Take after.
A chip off the old block.
When something runs in the family to live up to a family affair, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Grow up, pitch in and a close-knit family.
Alright, so let's get to the story.
While I'm telling you the story, listen for the words and for the context.
Then, when the story is done, I'll explain all of the new vocabulary words and give you some example sentences.
Here we go.
The Delaney family was famous in their small town.
They owned the largest jewelry business which had been down for three generations.
For the Delaney's, family was everything, and they believed that blood is thicker than water.
The head of the family, Mr. Delaney, was very popular in their town.
He was a father figure to everyone and was very generous with both his money and his time.
He was a great father who taught his children to always look after one another and be kind to everyone.
He often said, if we stick together, nothing can break us.
His oldest son Michael was the spitting image of him.
Kind, responsible, and hardworking.
People often said, like father, like son.
Running the family business seemed to be in the blood, because Michael loved it just as much as his father did.
And he planned on taking over when his dad retired.
Michael's younger brother, Leo, was the complete opposite.
He was known as the black sheep of the family.
They normally say, that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
But in this case, it did.
While everyone else worked hard to keep the business successful...
Leo spent his time partying and avoiding responsibility.
I don't want to work in the family business, he said one night.
Why do we always have to keep it in the family?
We can hire outside staff too.
Their sister Claire had a special role in their family. she took after their mother.
She had a lot of business savvy, since she was a chip off the old block.
But she preferred to be in the background because, even though business savvy ran in the family, she felt a lot of pressure to live up to everyone's expectations.
Every year during the holidays, the Delaney's had a big Christmas party for their friends and neighbors.
It was a family affair that brought everyone together.
It was a great success as usual.
But after the guests had all gone, Leo dropped a bombshell.
I'm selling my share of the business, he announced.
The room went silent.
Michael stood up furious and said, Why don't you want to help us continue our family legacy?
We need everyone to pitch in in order to make it work.
Claire tried to calm them both down.
Remember that even though Leo may not show it, he loves this family just as much as you do, Michael.
And then Mr Delaney added no matter what happens, remember that you all grew up being a close-knit family and that's exactly how it's going to stay.
Our family always comes first.
They all decided to give him a few days to think about his decision.
After a few days, Leo called the family together once again and apologized.
He told them all that he had decided not to sell and promised that he would help more with the family business.
They were all extremely happy.
The Delanys aren't perfect, but their love for one another and commitment to their family prove that family is the most important thing in the world.
The end.
Okay, now let's review the words that you just heard in the story.
First up, we have the phrasal verb to pass down.
Pass down something or pass something down.
This is to give or teach something to the new generation.
For example, the recipe has been passed down in our family for over a hundred years.
In the story, they said that the family business had been passed down.
And this just means that it goes from one family member from one generation to the next.
You can pass down stories.
You can pass down family values.
You can pass down physical things.
Next up, we see that the family strongly believed that blood is thicker than water.
This is a very, very popular idiom in American culture and it means that family relationships are stronger and more important than other relationships.
Some of you may believe this is true and maybe some of you do not believe this is true.
I've known quite a few people who had families that they didn't get along with, and maybe they would disagree with this.
Whether you agree or not, you know, that's your choice.
But this is a very popular idiom.
Here's an example.
Even though we fight sometimes, we always help each other because blood is thicker than water.
Next up, we have the phrase a father figure.
A father figure is a man who acts as a mentor or father, especially for someone who does not have a father.
When they find another man to mentor them and help them, we call them a father figure.
In this context, the context of the story, Mr Delaney was a father figure to everyone he met, meaning that he always acted in a very nurturing and caring way with people.
After her father passed away, her uncle became a father figure to her.
Next up, we have the phrasal verb to look after.
Typically, we say to look after something or someone.
This means to take care of something or someone.
For example, she stayed home to look after her younger brother while their parents were out.
You might be thinking of the three-word phrasal verb take care of.
These two are very similar and oftentimes they can be used the same way.
Next up, we have the expression to stick together.
As you know, stick means to be attached to something, like I'm going to stick this poster on the wall or stick the tape on the wall.
So stick together is to stay close and support each other.
We can use this when two things are attached, right?
Like the papers are stuck together.
But in a metaphorical or symbolic context, when we're talking about relationships, it means that two people have a very close relationship and they support each other heavily.
For example, even during tough times, our family always sticks together.
Next up, we have the expression the spitting image.
I know this is very weird because this has nothing to do with spitting.
The spitting image means someone who looks exactly like another person.
Some of you listening may be the spitting image of one of your family members, or maybe you have a child.
That is the spitting image of you.
Or maybe you've seen someone who looks like a celebrity and you could say, oh my gosh, he's the spitting image of Tom Cruise, for example.
It just means that someone looks exactly like another person.
For example, she is the spitting image of her grandmother when she was young.
Next, we have an expression like father, like son.
We can also say like mother, like daughter, but like father, like son is more common.
And this is just a phrase that is used to say that a son is very similar to his father.
Tom became a doctor just like his dad, like father, like son.
Mary became a doctor just like her mom, like mother, like daughter.
We never swap the genders, like we don't say like mother, like son, or like father, like daughter.
We don't typically say that.
Next up, we have the expression in the blood or to be in the blood.
This is a characteristic or a talent ability that is natural and seems to come from your DNA, your genes, your family heritage.
Playing music is in their blood because everyone plays an instrument.
We often say, for example, when two actors get married and then their children act, we say it's in their blood.
Maybe you know the actress Drew Barrymore.
She comes from the Barrymore dynasty full of famous actors for the past 100 years in American society, over 100 years actually going back to the silent movie era.
She had family during that time.
So we always say, oh, Drew Barrymore has acting in her blood.
Next up we have a really popular idiom.
This can be considered an animal idiom, also a family idiom.
I'm sure most of you have heard it and that is the black sheep of the family.
The black sheep of the family is a person who is different from the rest of their family.
Often this is used in a negative context, like if your family is full of doctors and professionals, but you decided to be an artist.
This is not necessarily bad.
Maybe your family thinks it's bad.
We can at times use it in a good way.
Like someone's family's in the mafia.
They're in the Yakuza.
They're in a gang.
And you're not.
You went to school.
You tried to do something different.
And we say you are also the black sheep of the family.
Jake is the black sheep of the family because he dropped out of school and moved away.
Next up, we have the expression keep it in the family.
To keep something in the family is typically when you really want something to not be shared outside the family.
Imagine if your family is having some drama.
You say keep it in the family.
That means we don't want to tell anybody else about this situation.
We want to protect it.
For example, they decided to keep their business secrets in the family.
Next up, we have the phrasal verb to take after, take after someone specifically.
This means to resemble or be similar to an older family member, either in your appearance or your behavior.
You may be thinking of the phrasal verb look like.
Look like is very specific for your physical appearance.
Take after can be your physical appearance, but it can also be your behavior, your mannerisms, the way you talk, the way you move.
You could say, wow, she takes after her mother with her love for cooking.
So in this case, it's because of behavior.
Next up, we have the idiom, a chip off the old block.
This is similar to take after, except that this is an idiom.
This is not a phrasal verb.
This is someone who closely resembles their parent, especially in their behavior or personality.
To take after, like I said, could be physical or could be behavioral.
But chip off the old block is specifically your personality, your behavior, one of those things.
I want you to imagine a block of ice, maybe, like a piece of ice.
You cut off one little piece or one little chip and it's going to be just like the block that it came from.
And that's where this idiom comes from.
For example, he's such a hard worker, a real chip off the old block.
I will say you don't typically hear people under 30 using chip off the old block.
However, this idiom is still widely in circulation because you'll hear it in TV shows.
You'll hear it when you're talking to people.
So you don't have to use it, but you do have to recognize it, because you're going to hear this at some point.
Next up, we have when something runs in the family.
This is a trait or characteristic that many members of a family share.
It's similar to when something is in your blood.
Here, runs in the family is used as a verb, to run in the family.
For example, artistic talent runs in their family because everyone can draw or paint.
If I were going to use in your blood here, I would say artistic talent is in their blood.
Instead of, artistic talent runs in the family.
Next up, we have a three-word phrasal verb, live up to.
This is often used with live up to expectations.
This means to meet someone's expectations or fulfill someone's expectations, to meet someone's standards.
For example, he worked hard to live up to his parents' expectations.
So if your parents expect you to do well in school and you do well in school, you have lived up to their expectations.
Next up, we have the expression a family affair.
This is an event or activity that involves all of the family members, most of the family members.
Family was heavily involved.
Her wedding was a family affair with all of her relatives helping out.
In the story they talk about the big Christmas party that all the family members helped to organize.
Next up, we have a very famous idiom, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
This is an idiom, and so we're going to add it to the end of the sentence, or the beginning of the sentence, or it can just be said all at once after a thought.
So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree means that a child is very similar to their parent.
It's very similar to the chip off the old block, except that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree is more popular.
Everybody uses.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, meaning that when the apple falls, it still stays close to the tree or the family.
For example, his father was a great athlete and he is too.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Next up, we have the phrasal verb grow up.
This is extremely popular.
I would say top 25, top 30 most common phrasal verbs.
So I'm pretty sure most of you have heard of grow up, but I'm going to explain it anyway.
To grow up means to become older, to become an adult, to mature.
For example, he grew up in a small town with all of his siblings.
Next up, we have the phrasal verb pitch in.
Pitch in means to contribute or help, especially as part of a group effort.
This is similar to chip, in which we talked about in the gift episode, where a few different people contribute their money or time.
Pitch in means to contribute or help, especially as part of a group.
For example, everyone in the family pitched in to clean up after the party.
And lastly, we have an expression, a close-knit family.
This is a family that has strong, supportive relationships.
I would say that I come from a very close-knit family.
I talk to my family every day, multiple times a day.
So it's very common small talk here where people will say, oh, tell me about your family.
Are you close?
Are you guys close-knit?
For example, her family used to be close-knit, but they have grown apart in recent years.
All right.
Now that you've learned all of the new words from the story, let me teach you some family nicknames.
We often have different names for family members aside from the basic mother-father.
As I mentioned earlier in the episode, American culture is very casual, very non-formal.
So we have very informal names for family members.
Some of these we use when we are talking to them.
We call them these names.
And other names are used to talk about them when they're not around.
So first, let's talk about our immediate family. family.
Our immediate family is our parents and our siblings.
So this is our immediate family.
We typically say, aside from mom, dad, mommy, daddy, mama, dada, as kids get older, one common thing for some older kids to say is they call their parents old man and old lady.
For example, they'll say Oh, my old man bought me a car when I turned 18.
Or, yeah, my old lady, she gave me money to go shopping for new clothes.
This is not considered rude in American society, but we don't call our parents old man, old lady.
This is typically something that men, some guys will use to refer to their parents.
Like, I would never say this.
I would never call my parents my old man, my old lady.
But it is very common to do so.
For brother and sister, we say bro and sis.
Hey bro, hey sis.
Now, you may have heard these terms between friends, and that is correct.
These are casual terms for our siblings, but also for our close friends.
So some of my friends, I may see them say, hey sis, what's up?
Or this is my sis, this is my bro.
It's for friends that you see as family.
On the same note, we also use the word fam.
Fam is a casual term for family.
Hey, fam.
What up, fam?
But again, just like bro and sis, it's also used for close friends.
Another expression that we use for our parents is my folks.
I'm going to visit my folks this weekend.
This is more common than old man and old lady.
I don't know why this started, because folks usually just means people.
But it is very, very common for Americans to refer to their parents as their folks.
So again, what are you doing for the holidays?
Oh, I'm going to go stay with my folks for two weeks.
Also, some people say pops and moms.
So mom with an S and pops.
My mom and pops or my mom's, my pop's.
These are very informal terms for mom and dad.
Now for grandparents in American culture, there are a variety of names.
Firstly, grandparents.
Most people in the United States call their grandparents grandma and grandpa.
However, it really depends on the culture that you're from.
So typically someone from Latino culture, like a Colombian American, would call their grandparents abuelito abuelita, abuelo abuela.
My Italian-American friends, they call their grandparents nono and nona.
Other cultures say yaya, babcha.
There are so many different titles.
But for Americans, we typically say grandma, grandpa, and even gramps for my grandpa, right?
Like, hey, gramps.
And then gram, oh, my gram.
We also say nana, meemaw.
This is a southern thing.
There are a lot of different names for grandma and grandpa.
We also have a phrase called glamour, grandma.
A grandma who's young and hip and glamorous, a fashionista.
So they might say, I'm a glamour, G-L-A-M-M-A.
Next up, we have a nickname for your cousins.
This is extremely popular.
I actually use this where we call our cousins cuz or cuzzo, cuzza.
So, for example, when I see one of my cousins, hey, cuz, I missed you.
How are you?
Or hey, cuzzo, hey, cuzza.
We don't really say cousin.
We can, but it's very, very common to say cuz, cuzzo, cuzza as greetings for our cousins.
If people don't use these short names, you could just call your cousin by their name.
Hey, Beth.
Hey, Sam.
Hey, Tim.
These are some of my cousins' real names.
Now, next, we have two nicknames for your mother-in-law.
We have mother-in-love for mother's-in-law that you love and monster-in-law for those that you do not get along with.
So mother-in-law, mother-in-love, monster-in-law, which one do you have?
There's really no equivalent for your father-in-law.
Now I'm gonna give you some terms to describe your family, okay?
So first of all, I already mentioned immediate family.
Your immediate family is your parents and your siblings.
That's it.
Then we have extended family.
This extends to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
In English we have something called a nuclear family, which is a family unit that has two parents and their children living together in one household.
So that does not include families where there was divorce or or mixes.
I currently have a nuclear family.
My husband, my kids and I grew up with a nuclear family, with my parents and my sister.
But then we also have a blended family.
A blended family is a family of That forms when one or both parents have children from previous relationships.
If parents get divorced and they marry into other families where the people also have kids.
It's a blended family.
So you might have a mom and a daughter who marries a man who also has a daughter.
Then they come together and they become a blended family.
Three other terms I want you to know.
Number one, helicopter parents.
Maybe some of you listening had helicopter parents or a helicopter mom, helicopter dad.
But these are parents who are overly involved in their children's life.
Maybe they control, maybe they micromanage everything that their child does.
So a helicopter parent, basically a parent who is always like flying a helicopter around their child.
Their child does not have too much freedom.
A lot of American parents are helicopter parents.
Then we have another expression, and that is empty nesters.
An empty nester, like a nest that's empty.
These are parents who live alone again for the first time since they had children.
When children go away to college, when children get married, those families are called empty nesters.
My parents became empty nesters a few years ago once everybody moved out of the house.
And so this is usually retirement age where people travel.
And then the last expression that I want to teach you is a dysfunctional family.
A dysfunctional family is a family that had a lot of issues, a lot of toxic tendencies.
A dysfunctional family is a family with unhealthy relationships, unhealthy behaviors.
There was a lot of conflict, a lot of neglect, poor communication.
It was a very unhealthy atmosphere for people to grow up in.
So you'll notice, even though family is an extremely common topic here, for some people it's very painful.
So just letting you know that it's still okay to ask about family.
But that's why the word close-knit is very important to know, because you might ask someone do you have a close-knit family?
Are you close to your family?
And you can tell by their response whether or not they want to continue talking about their family.
So they might say, oh yeah, my family were very close-knit, blah, blah, blah.
They talk about their family, they light up.
And then other people, oh no, my family was kind of dysfunctional.
We weren't close-knit.
You notice they really don't want to talk about it.
So I hope you enjoyed learning some of these extra words.
And in regular conversation with Americans, this will also be a very common topic.
Now you know over 30 words for family, family relationships, and love.
So go practice a study guide and use these words this week.
Well, that's a wrap for today's episode of the Real Life English with Gabby podcast.
Be sure to download today's study guide so that you can learn how to use this vocabulary confidently.
If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe for more weekly adventures in English learning.
Also I'd love to hear from you so please leave me a review.
Thanks so much for tuning in.
