This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2149.
Have you been practicing English left and right?
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection.
With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
To get real-time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app.
When you have been trying to achieve something but it's just not working.
What can you say to describe this?
Today, get a simple but common phrase so that people can meet you where you're at.
This Black Friday, stop piecing together random TikToks and YouTube videos that don't lead anywhere.
Join our 2026 English Mastery Bundle, a complete nine to 12 month curriculum designed for goal oriented learners like you.
You'll follow a clear, structured path from intermediate to high intermediate and even to advanced fluency, with every course flowing naturally into the next.
No gaps, no guesswork, no searching for extra resources.
Plus you'll get live speaking practice, community and teacher support.
It's a done for you plan.
Everything you need in one place, all unlocked with a single one-time investment.
This Black Friday only.
Build your English for the long term.
Start today.
Go to allersenglish.com slash blackfriday to save 50% off the normal price.
Expires at midnight on Friday. allersenglish.com slash b-l-a-c-k-f-r-i-d-a-y.
Lindsay, how are you?
Hey, Michelle, feeling good today.
How are you feeling today?
I'm good.
I'm good.
Lindsay, I guess we've never, I don't know if we've ever really talked about this.
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
I'm a righty.
You're a righty.
I'm a righty.
What about you?
Are you a righty or a lefty?
I'm a lefty.
Oh, interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay. you can kind of see it, right?
Like, let me see it in the video here.
No, no, no, no.
I don't mean, no, no, no.
I don't mean actually see it.
I mean like you can, like, I feel like I seem like a lefty.
I don't know.
Okay.
Interesting.
What do lefties seem like?
Just kind of what, what, what, what are you, what comes to mind?
Well, I don't know.
Well, you know what?
Nevermind.
Now it sounds like I'm just giving myself compliments compliments, but like um no, I think.
Well, I think, cause lefties use the right side of the brain, which is maybe the more create is like creative and righties are more but but
Is that true?
I don't know.
I don't know.
Never mind.
But I think, what is it?
Only 10% of the population is left-handed?
Something like that.
I know.
Yeah.
Not very much.
Not very many people are.
I always wonder, how did that work in school?
Because most of the desks are right-handed.
How did that work?
You were yeah well, you know you adapt.
I mean, there's always a smudgy.
You know the this part of the hand is always smudgy.
Um, like there's always like pencil all over interesting interesting yeah, and the yeah, um and the words that you kind of just smudge over everything and everything doesn't look so good um, scissors.
I feel like I may have told this story that I was in ninth grade.
I was taking a science class and on the first day we had to cut something and I couldn't use the lefty scissors.
I mean, there were no lefty scissors.
Did I tell this?
Probably.
And my teacher said Oh.
And I asked my teacher for scissors and he said if you can't figure out how to use the right scissors, you're never going to pass this class.
Oh my gosh.
That is such a mean thing to say.
Yeah.
And I was so upset because I'm, yeah i play guitar righty but most people do there are some things that a lot of lefties just adapt to like i couldn't imagine using a computer mouse with my right hand yeah yeah that's true there are certain things so anyway um today we're gonna talk about uh an expression dealing with the words left and right and the expression is left and right nice yeah but and and so we're yeah this is an interesting conversation around lefties righties I know in tennis lefties have an advantage for sure because it's I guess it's easier as a tennis player to disguise what you're going to hit as a lefty um so there are a lot of places where lefties have advantages but this is not even talking today about lefties and righties but it's talking about this idea of completion like everything is happening it's something is thorough in a way right?
This was your idea, Lindsay.
And this is a good one.
So I'm excited.
Guys, before we get into it, make sure you hit follow wherever you are listening to All Ears English.
Yeah.
And if you haven't listened to the episode 2091, where I interviewed Steve Kaufman, a linguist he speaks multiple languages.
Go and check that one out.
Trust your brain for better language learning with Steve Kaufman.
Okay.
So left and right.
Let's do it. today's expression, right, Michelle?
Yes.
Left and right.
Left and right.
Yes.
Okay.
So this basically means from or to everywhere.
Now that probably sounded confusing, but it can also mean something is happening a lot, maybe too much or without much logic or thought.
So let's give examples because that's going to make it clear.
Okay.
Don't worry.
Here's an example.
I've been applying for jobs left and right, but I haven't gotten any interviews.
So does that mean I'm just applying to a ton of jobs, Michelle?
Basically yeah yeah, maybe.
Yeah, you're just everywhere.
Everywhere you're looking for jobs, you're applying for them.
Uh, online.
You're going to network events, whatever it is, but yeah.
Or maybe you are applying online, but you're also like passing stores and you're seeing help wanted.
You're going in.
It's just every Avenue you are using.
Yes,
Every Avenue.
Yes.
Um, so another could be, she has been asking me about the party every day.
She brings it up left and right.
Yeah.
So constantly it's just constant, right?
All the time.
Uh or, let's see.
I've been searching for a house left and right, but none match what I'm looking for.
Yeah.
That's a huge one.
I mean, I have so many.
I I have friends and family members who are in the housing market and they're just looking and looking and it's just so tough to find something and people can take years to find their house.
Yeah, it's a hard time right now to buy a house.
For sure, there's not a lot of inventory right, because what's happened in our housing market is that you know, interest rates have gone up and buyers owners just want to make sure They just they want to be in that bidding war that they had before, when they sold in 2020, where they'd have buyers like Oh I'll give you a hundred thousand dollars over asking price.
They want that again, but they're not going to get that.
So they're waiting and they're not selling.
Right.
It's a big mess right now.
Yeah, exactly.
Or here's one more.
She's been buying shoes left and right.
And now she has no money for Christmas gifts.
Oh my gosh.
Some people love their shoes for sure.
Do you have a lot of shoes?
No, not really.
I don't have a ton of shoes, i have just the right amount.
I'm not a shoe person, yeah for sure.
Yeah yeah, um.
So but here you see in these examples that the idea is something is happening a lot everywhere constantly, um lizzie, what kind of vibe do you feel this expression gives off?
I feel like you're right what you said earlier, michelle a little bit out of control, Like OK, it's playful, but it's also like well, this is happening a lot left and right everywhere.
Everywhere I turn, this thing is happening.
Yeah, right.
It can.
Exactly.
And I think it depends on the context that can show it.
It shows some sort of emotion.
I think it just is very emphatic.
It kind of strengthens what you're talking about.
So it could make something even a little bit more silly or funny. show a little more frustration.
I mean, for example, like with the shoes, you know, she won't stop buying shoes.
I'm like, I'm a little annoyed.
And now she doesn't have money for Christmas gifts.
And but it's just this expression makes something like she's been buying too many shoes.
Yeah, I've been applying everywhere for jobs.
She brings it up all the time.
All of these get a little bit more interesting when you use left and right.
Oh, for sure.
Yeah.
Instead of saying so much, it's happening so much.
She's buying so many shoes.
As you said, Michelle, let's use something more interesting.
Let's speak in an interesting way.
It makes me think of the word sneakerhead.
Sneakerhead.
Do you know anyone who is a sneakerhead, a sneaker enthusiast?
Yes, I do.
I do.
My brother-in-law and future sister-in-law.
Yes, they are on the Nikes.
Interesting.
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
Oh, that's kind of cool.
Actually, my mother-in-law, my mother-in-law.
Wow.
It sounds like it runs in the family on that side.
Yes, it certainly does.
I yeah.
And I think it's I think maybe it's it's starting to happen to Dan.
Not quite.
But start.
Yeah.
OK.
All right.
Well, very interesting.
Some people, they consider sneakers like collectibles and they.
Yes, like as soon as the sneaker is released this version, that version they're on top of it.
They wait in lines.
I mean it gets pretty crazy.
I don't think they're.
They're not like that, okay.
Okay, i actually never heard that a sneaker head.
Yeah, that's what i'm saying.
I've heard it before and i just checked up the term on the dictionary.
Yeah.
Sneakerhead is a sneaker enthusiast, right?
Someone who just basically collects sneakers and just really um, a person who collects and trade sneakers as a hobby and who's typically very knowledgeable about the history of sneakers as well.
So maybe, maybe they're wearing some of them, but maybe they're trading and collecting them as well.
Like you would stamp collection or coin collection.
Yeah.
Okay.
I take it back then.
I thought it was just someone who really has a lot of sneakers.
So, um, Um, but this is okay.
Good.
Thank you for sharing.
I'm not sure what the line is exactly.
I mean, maybe they can be trending in that direction.
I don't know.
There's some sort of initiation process if you pass a test about sneakers.
Um, okay.
Lindsay, but do you think you can use left and right at work?
Yeah, I do for sure.
I mean when you're saying, when you want to report that something is happening a lot.
You know it's not the most formal, it's not specifically formal for work, but you could use it.
It all depends on the context that you're using it.
But there are some other things, Michelle, that we could say, right?
Like constantly.
I've been constantly applying for jobs.
Right.
Or you could say all the time.
I've been applying for jobs all the time.
Yeah.
Or everywhere.
I've been applying for jobs everywhere.
And that means in every different location.
So that meaning is just slightly different.
As opposed to left, and right could mean every location, but it could also mean every opportunity, every day, all the time, everywhere is very specific, like at every shop on the block.
I've applied for a job right yes yes yeah, okay.
So context michelle, how much does that matter here?
Well, like we already talked about this a little bit, dealing with the shoe example, i mean, i mean i don't know that this expression has one connotation, either positive or negative.
I think it really just depends.
Um, I mean, like positive could be something like oh, she's been knitting socks for charity left and right.
She's such a good person, right?
So it could be for something good, but it could also be for something negative.
Yeah.
It's all about context.
It just depends on what exactly you're saying, right?
Yes.
So let's show our listeners a role play here.
So here I am your personal trainer.
Oh, okay.
New personal trainer.
Yes.
Okay.
Yeah.
Here we go.
Okay.
So what do you feel you need the most help with, Michelle?
Well, I've been working out left and right, but I haven't seen any results.
Oh, really?
What's your diet like?
Well, I'll be honest.
I snack constantly.
Oh, I mean, snacking is good.
We definitely want to take nutrition into consideration as well as what you do in the gym.
That makes sense.
Yeah.
So you may be looking everywhere for new workout routines, but I also want to focus on what goes on in the kitchen.
This can really help you grow muscle.
Great.
Yeah.
I do cardio all the time.
I think we should get some weights in there as well.
Yes.
And that is true.
They say there's a lot of research that says that women in their 30s should be lifting weight.
30s and 40s, you want to be lifting weights more, right?
To build up that bone density.
That's what I'm trying to do these days.
Yeah.
Me too.
I love that.
You know.
You shared that on another episode that you, you and Dan are in the living room, you know, and doing the free weights.
Love it doing the free weights.
Um okay, so here we go, let's go through it.
So I said I've been working out left and right but I haven't seen any results.
So here I'm just saying like all the time I feel like I'm always working out, it's nothing is happening.
Yeah, all the time, right.
Maybe weekends, weekdays, evenings, mornings, whatever it is, you're doing a lot.
You're spending a lot of time.
And then you said well, I'll be honest, I snack constantly.
Um, yeah.
And then you said you may be looking everywhere for new workout routines, but I also want to focus on what goes on in the kitchen.
And then you said great yes, I do cardio all the time.
So these are like we've shown you three or four ways to say something is happening frequently.
Right, it's a big part of your life.
Yeah, exactly.
So, yeah, well, this is good.
We have a lot of these expressions here that can be useful.
Lindsay, anything you want to leave our listeners with?
Oh, my gosh, this is great.
You know, it's a good, it's good to have this resource guys to say, cause there are things that we're doing left and right.
And maybe we're trying to achieve something, but it's not quite coming to us.
Um, that's when we go, we seek out help and we explain how much we've been doing the thing or trying to lift weights.
I'm not gaining muscle or I'm lifting weights left and right, but I'm just not gaining that muscle.
Yeah.
Right.
We need to explain what we've tried as we go to find our resources.
Yeah, that's a good point.
That's a really good point.
All right.
So should we leave it at that?
Yeah, let's leave it at that guys hit that follow button.
We believe in connection, not perfection.
This again is a connection skill because you're describing what you've tried.
So you're kind of letting people have a sense of empathy for you.
I'm just, I'm applying for jobs left and right, but nothing's working out.
Then they see where you're at, right?
Right.
Yeah.
It's a good way to express that, to really let people in on what's been going on with your life.
On what's been going on.
I actually like that angle.
That's really good.
Good stuff, Michelle.
All right.
All right.
This was fun.
See you back on the show soon, Michelle.
Have a good day.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to all ears English.
Would you like to know your English level?
Take our two minute quiz.
Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash fluency score.
And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything.
See you next time.
