This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2011.
What a blowout, the most versatile word in the English language.
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There's a word in English that means four completely different things.
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Hello, Michelle.
How's it going?
Hey, Lindsay.
You know something?
You have great hair.
Oh, thank you.
I appreciate that compliment.
Have you ever had a blowout at a salon?
A blowout?
No, because blowouts don't really.
If i understand what a blowout is, it doesn't really work for curly hair.
I don't think so.
Do you ever have your hair straight?
Have you ever done it straight?
No, oh yeah, i accidentally had it straight for half my life when i was brushing my hair, when i shouldn't have been brushing my hair.
You're not.
When you have curly hair, you shouldn't brush it.
You should comb it in the shower but not brush it.
I was like, you know, because my mom would always say brush your hair yeah, right.
And so i take a brush and curl out all the beautiful curls, just straighten them.
So you know, it's funny that you say that because yeah, my kids well, my son has curly hair and you know, and my and my niece i remember when she was a baby, she had really curly hair and my dad would always be like, oh they're, you know the hair needs to be brushed and i'm like no, it doesn't like.
So curls should get combed but definitely not brushed.
Right right, right.
Well, we're learning new things every day here about your hair.
But yeah, I so so yeah, today we are going to talk about this word blowout, though.
So I was actually going to have blowout be one of many different words on a topic.
But it's very versatile.
So I figured we're just going to focus on this word.
You know, sometimes we're realize you can just keep one word in and do a whole episode.
So we're going to do that today.
But Lindsay, what do we want to remind our listeners to do?
Guys, hit follow right here on All Ears English where you are listening.
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We publish four days a week and we are now past 2,000.
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That's a lot of episodes.
Okay, Lindsay, so we got a lot to get through here.
We could even do a whole follow up on this.
So let's see how it goes.
But the word blowout.
Okay, so what's the first thing you think of when you hear this word?
Be honest, like which what there's a lot of different meanings.
To be honest, the first thing I think about if I'm around a mom I think about when a kid just totally destroys their diaper yeah, well that's.
I was gonna say the same thing.
That's the first thing that i think of too.
I've dealt with many a blowout in my day.
Um so yeah, that's when uh, You need a whole outfit change for the kid, maybe even yourself.
It's hilarious.
Yes, exactly.
So that's funny.
That's the first thing I think about as well.
But there's tons of other meanings.
So a blowout to like... Let's talk about... We'll get back to that other one, I think.
It can mean somebody won by a lot.
So that's one use of the word, right?
If it wasn't close.
So for example, like...
The game was a total blowout.
They didn't stand a chance.
Have you heard it like this, Lindsay?
Yeah, a blowout.
Yeah, you could say that.
I guess I hear that a little bit less often, but it depends on who you're around, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
The game was a total blowout.
They didn't stand a chance.
Okay.
What are some other definitions, Michelle, that you would say?
The first one is the competition.
They just killed the competition.
Yes yes, and now we're getting back to the hair one.
So i asked you if uh, if you've had a blowout, but we didn't really talk about what that means.
Um so, a blowout with hair, it's usually with a hair dryer and usually um, like a big round brush, and you know, someone makes it really nice with a lot of volume um, and they're usually kind of expensive.
Um so um wait, do you blow dry your hair, lindsey?
No uh, not really.
I kind of just let it air dry most of the time.
So you put product in it or what.
I'm now just interested.
Nowadays yes nowadays, i put some product in it sometimes.
Yeah yeah yeah yeah so um so anyway, but this can mean, you know, you go to a salon or you do it at home um, and you just do it with a special brush and then it has a lot of volume, like i had it done, i've had it done for weddings, i had it done for my engagement photos okay um And, and now that like, after you get a haircut, a lot of times they'll ask if you want to, you know, to have it blown out.
That's OK.
Yeah.
And and yeah.
So like that's that they'll dry it for you and do kind of a little blowout blowout.
But it's become very popular for people to get this done.
Like there's there's specific salons just for getting your hair, you know, for getting a blowout.
Interesting.
And for men?
No.
No, I don't think that's... I mean, well, for long hair.
It doesn't make any sense.
I think it's for long hair or whatever.
Okay, good to know.
So this is really like a salon vocabulary.
You know, if you have long hair, right, you're going to mostly use this in that way.
Okay?
Yeah.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And then now we get to the baby one.
So we already talked about that.
But you could say something like, I'm sure I've said this many times.
Sorry, I got to call you back.
The baby just had a blowout.
Yeah, I know.
That one's hilarious.
Right.
Yeah.
It is.
All right.
What's another one?
Okay.
This is the last one we're going to do.
I love how versatile this word is, Michelle.
I know, right?
That's what I was originally going to just do like a whole different kind of episode.
And I'm like, no, this word is like so strange because it means everything from poop to parties.
Poop to parties.
I love it.
That might be our title.
Yes.
Oh, my gosh.
Yes.
It's so good.
Guys, this might be the most versatile word in the English language.
Yes.
So the next one, this is our fourth.
And the thing about this is that these definitions are completely different.
It's not like they're related, like a phrasal verb.
They're completely opposite.
So this next one is a huge party, right?
So for example, she's worked so hard planning this party, it's gonna be a blowout.
Yes.
Lindsay, do you like to throw blowout parties or do you like to attend them?
Wow.
Yeah, I do.
Sure.
That's fun.
You know, once in a while.
Absolutely.
I like to throw parties.
I like to throw dinner parties these days, which I wouldn't call a blowout, but it's more my speed, you know.
Yeah.
Oh, that's a good bonus for today.
When you say something is my speed.
Yeah, that is good.
My vibe.
It's what I like to do.
It's in line with my personality, so that's to say my speed.
So yeah guys, we also want to direct you.
Speaking of parties, we have all ears English.
Episode 1334 was how to organize a birthday party in American culture, so that's a good one.
To listen to Lindsay, which one, I mean, would you use?
Like we went over a bunch of different definitions of this word like, so you think of the poop thing first, but like how do you think you most frequently use these?
I mean, would you use it for a party?
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, I think the party one would probably be the most common one that I would use.
Maybe it depends on your stage in life.
Like if you're a mom, it's the diaper thing.
If you're a teenager, it's the blowout.
If you're an athlete, it's the other blowout.
It's the game, winning the competition.
So maybe it just depends on what you're exposed to the most.
That's right.
All right, Michelle.
Are there some other definitions here?
We're going to cut it.
We're going to cut it for today.
But we wanted to choose a couple.
Yes, I think we got them.
But we could do a whole blowout episode on more things with blowout.
But today we are going to now just get into some role plays.
And then we'll give our listeners a second to see if they can think of which definition this is by the contest.
Oh, good.
So a little game?
Fun.
A little game.
All right, here we go.
Here we go.
I don't think you can beat me at basketball.
Oh, yeah.
You'll see.
It'll be a total blowout.
All right.
So for our listeners, can you guys think of what this is?
Well, Michelle, I think this is probably the competition one.
This is.
You got it.
You got it.
So you're saying you're going to crush me.
You're going to crush me at basketball.
Yes.
Exactly.
All right.
Here's the next one.
What's wrong?
I got a blowout, but it got ruined in the rain.
Okay.
So what do you guys think this is?
I bet our listeners can tell that this is the salon example.
I've gone to the salon.
I've spent two hundred dollars on a blowout and now it's totally ruined in the right.
Yeah.
Yes.
Oh, man, that would that's that's no fun.
No, I hate I hate when I like.
Do my hair and then I realize it's going to be raining.
That's awful.
Because my hair just frizzes up like the second I'm in humidity or in rain.
It's not a pretty picture.
Not a pretty picture.
Okay.
Yeah.
No, that's tough.
Also depends on the climate you're living in.
The West is very dry air and the East Coast has humidity.
So we got lots of things going on with hair here, Michelle.
Lots of things.
Lots of things.
All right.
The next one please, rsvp.
I'm not sure if i can go, but it's gonna be a blowout, michelle.
Seriously, it will be amazing.
Okay, all right.
So this is a big party.
That's the definition of that one.
Yes again, it's really just.
No, i would just say michelle, reserve this for the big parties, truly big parties right Like, for example, Y2K.
I don't know why we were just talking about episode 2000.
I remember going to a big blowout party in 1999 for New Year's Eve, right?
A big blowout.
Like, what's going to happen?
We don't know.
I remember.
I remember where I was, too.
Yep.
Exactly.
Exactly.
It was a blowout.
A big party.
A big party.
Not like a couple friends over drinking wine.
Like, that's not a blowout.
Not a blowout.
Yes.
Okay.
All right.
Last one.
Let's clean the car.
Oh, no.
Another blowout.
Yes.
So that's in the world of parenting.
If our listeners are parents, which I know many of them are, they're going to know this experience.
Yes, I certainly do.
So good.
Um Michelle, I'm excited about blowout because again guys, there's no way you could find this in a textbook.
There's no way you're going to find a textbook that is going to explain these four different ways of using this word that are opposites.
Right, right, right.
It is just so funny.
That's why I just wanted to take this episode and devote it to this word, because I was just like what?
What is this word?
It's like so, so strange how it just has totally different meanings.
And oh my gosh, it's a fun.
It's a funny one.
I love it.
All right, Michelle, this is a great takeaway.
I mean, to think for our listeners, guys.
Sometimes you can infer the meaning of certain words, but this is a good example where you can try, but there's also another meaning that, like I said, means the opposite.
So you just need to open your mind to vocabulary.
It's possible that a word like this could have four different meanings and open your mind to that.
That is moving to that next level of English connection.
Yes, absolutely.
I'm glad you said that, Lindsay.
Well said.
And I will see you on the next episode.
And let's guys hope... across your fingers that I don't have to deal with any blowouts.
No blowouts.
That's what I'm hoping for for you, Michelle.
Thank you.
Thank you.
You have a good day.
Bye.
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