This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2171.
Take your English up a notch with this episode.
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In today's episode, a listener asks us about the word notch.
While it's not useful alone, there are tons of fun ways to put it into expressions, to communicate, leveling up or down.
Find out what they are today.
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Hello, Michelle.
What's shaking?
Hey, not too much.
Lindsay, should we take it down a notch?
Do you think we're a little too loud?
Do you think we're I don't know.
Should we take it down a notch?
Never, Michelle.
We have our own style and energy.
Usually we're pretty high energy on this show and I think our listeners love it.
So we're not going to take it down a notch.
Not taking it down a notch.
Not today.
Not any day.
Yeah.
Well, I'm excited for today's episode because we have a great question about a very specific word.
Maybe our listeners can guess based on what I just said to you.
And I love when we get listener questions.
So send us your questions, guys.
And here is the question.
I'm going to go ahead and read this.
This is from DMNG4255.
They say hey Lindsay Michelle, Jessica and Aubrey, thank you so much for bringing this amazing podcast to our lives.
This is Mira from Boston.
I've been listening to Allers English for two and a half years when I commute to work and I never thought learning English could be so much fun.
Michelle, that's amazing.
It is so good to hear that.
Thank you.
Definitely.
We want to be fun.
We want to be fun.
We love your compliments.
Keep listening.
Share the show.
I have a question about the word notch.
I've listened too many times, but I'm still not sure how to use it in an informal way.
Can you guys help me understand it?
Thanks in advance and hope you all have a wonderful day.
This is great.
Thank you.
Yep.
All right.
We got this.
Let's get into it.
Yeah, it's interesting.
And I like that our listener is living in Boston.
I feel like this is such a it's not a rare word, but it's kind of a specific word that I feel like it's nice.
You know, this listener picked up on this living in Boston.
It's not something you would see in a textbook, right?
From an English course somewhere.
So I like that.
I love that.
Yes, this is great.
So we're going to talk about this in a second.
Guys, we also want to let you know, if you don't already know, about the IELTS Energy Podcast.
That's over with Aubrey and Jessica.
And they have a lot of fun over there.
If you're studying for the IELTS, this is the place to be.
Guys, we have episode 1348.
Check it out.
Follow each and every grammar rule.
Yes, go over and check that one out.
So let's get right into the word notch.
Michelle, tell us about this word.
Let me tell you about the word notch.
Okay.
The word notch can be used in many ways, but I think of it as being physically, some sort of indentation or a hole like a notch on a belt right.
Or even a level of something to take it down a notch, to take it up a notch.
Right.
So is that what you think of when you hear this word?
Yeah.
It's a way of leveling down or leveling up.
I agree.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But what we're going to do here is teach you different idioms and how it's used, because I don't know that the word notch by itself is that common.
I mean, what do you think?
Totally agree.
Totally agree.
In isolation, it's not super useful to us.
Right.
Yeah.
But when we put it into idioms, expressions, then it becomes real and very native and natural.
Very common.
Yes, exactly.
So we're going to start with this one which we threw out in the beginning, to take it down a notch or to take it up a notch.
So, Lindsay, we were saying as we were starting the episode about taking it down a notch.
It's almost like you're too loud, too enthusiastic, just too much.
Yeah, too intense.
And in this new example that we're going to give you right now, it's a little different.
It's about humility, about...
So in the case of this, it might be too proud or bragging too much, or thinking you are above everyone else.
So here's the example of a different way to use take it down a notch.
His mistake really took him down a notch.
Now he's actually much more pleasant.
Interesting.
Yeah.
Yes.
If somebody who thinks they're the greatest, and then they come to reality and maybe they'll realize that they need to change their attitude.
Yeah.
We all have these moments, these humbling moments, and it's good.
It's part of life, right?
Yeah.
You become humbled by certain things.
I would say the more common usage for me is about what we talked about at the top of the show volume, intensity.
Yeah.
Take it down a notch.
That's how that's how I feel.
That's how I feel is the best way to describe it.
So I also just increasing or decreasing how much something is being done.
Like intensity.
So volume.
So, for example, we need to take or not volume intensity.
We need to take things down a notch.
We need a break.
Yeah.
Do you ever feel that way at work?
Maybe we're creating a new course here at All Ears English, and then we have our regular recording and things just get intense.
We definitely go through very intensive content creation periods and then we need a little bit of a break and we try to schedule those in as much as we can.
We need to take it down a notch.
Yeah.
Yes.
Yes.
Yeah.
So it's important to know it's a level of emotional intelligence.
I think when you know to take something down a notch, I think that's a self-awareness thing.
Yes.
Yeah.
And we need that.
We need that, right?
Because working online we all work online in one capacity or another, whether we're in an office or not.
The work could just never stop.
You can always find more things to do, but making sure you regulate yourself and how you're doing is really important.
I think.
Yes, I agree.
I agree.
So let's go to the next one.
So the next one is a notch above.
Usually we say a notch above the rest.
Yeah.
So this is basically saying something is a little bit better than something else.
Yeah, I like this one.
A notch above the rest.
Just like a level above.
I think we should pull out her resume again.
I think she's a notch above the rest, so there's something that puts her on a different level.
Yeah okay, what else, michelle?
What else do we have here?
All right, so this is a notch on someone's belt.
Okay, so this is something someone did well, like an achievement.
So like when you think of notches in a belt, maybe there's many in a row um, So you could say, the success of the latest campaign is just another example of a notch on this company's belt.
So this is a positive thing, right?
Would you say?
Yes.
Accolades.
It's kind of accolades.
Yeah.
Like, for example, I think the Grammys was on last night.
We're recording here in early February.
Did you watch the Grammys?
I did not.
No.
I guess they had a lot of really interesting singers like Joni Mitchell on stage, Tracy Chapman.
But I think Taylor Swift won another Grammy for like the third time or something.
I think she won like 13 Grammys or something.
Oh my gosh.
A lot of times on the Grammys, there's one artist that takes most of the awards.
This is definitely Taylor Swift's year.
So this is kind of another notch on her belt.
She's just incredibly successful.
Just unbelievable.
That's, you know, that's an accolade.
That's where you might talk about that.
Yes.
But not just for famous stars, right?
It could be for anyone you work with or a family member gets an award or something.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
So let's, Lindsay, do you have an example of a recent notch on your belt?
Oh, you put me on the spot, Michelle.
You put me on the spot.
Let's see.
Well, just a few years ago, we hit the episode 2000.
That was a big one, right?
I know it's been about a year, but we love to publish new episodes here on All Ears English.
And I think hitting episode 2000 for us was a big deal.
Yeah, it was a notch on our belt.
It was a notch on our belt.
I'd say it was a milestone.
Yes, a milestone.
Yes.
And Lindsay, one more question.
Is there a coffee shop in your neighborhood you think is a notch above the rest?
No, there's nothing that stands out.
We do have coffee shops in my neighborhood, but nothing is standout, right?
Nothing is standout.
Actually, the old place, Pablo's, that's been around forever is the one I like.
And it's nothing new and fancy.
It's just affordable coffee, and it's kind of a community atmosphere.
So that's my favorite.
Yeah.
Nice.
Hmm.
Yeah.
All right.
So should we do a role play?
We learned a lot today.
Yeah, let's do it.
Here we go.
So we are friends looking at restaurant websites here.
All right.
So here we go.
Hey, this place looks great.
Oh, I've been there.
I mean, it's definitely a notch above the rest.
Hmm.
Should we go there?
There might be something better.
I want another notch on my belt for good restaurant recommendations.
OK, OK.
I think it took you down a notch, though, when none of us liked the last place.
That's true.
Oh, she was humbled by that.
No one liked the recommendation.
OK, interesting.
So here you said, Michelle, well, I said this place looks great.
What did you say?
Right.
I said it's definitely a notch above the rest.
Yeah, so it's again on that different level.
Maybe they use better ingredients we talked about 11 madison park in another episode.
Maybe they do something very special with the food right um, and then you said there might be something better.
I want another notch on my belt for good restaurant recommendations right, yeah.
So this is not, i'm not a celebrity, i'm just saying that basically, i want it like you feel.
Do you ever make a recommendation and then somebody loves that thing?
It feels like a, it, it feels good.
It feels like you did something right.
Oh, that's huge.
I think that's why, you know, a lot of our listeners like to recommend dollars English to their friends, for example.
There is something very satisfying about saying Hey, I've found something kind of awesome.
And it actually like puts us kind of in a good light if we recommend it to someone else.
Right.
In a way it's interesting.
Are you ever hesitant to give recommendations because you're worried somebody won't like something?
I give caveats when I give recommendations.
I let them know, this is amazing because I like this kind of thing.
If this is your taste, but you might not like it because of it.
I do give a lot of caveats because I don't want someone to go and spend all this money on something and then they don't like it.
It's my fault.
The worst is when you are really, really excited and you think somebody's just going to love something.
And then it's just a lukewarm... You just feel like, what?
How could you not feel the same way I do?
I know that feeling.
It's like you're all alone in the world, right?
They don't get you.
Yeah, that's definitely a thing.
And then you said, I think...
It took you down a notch when none of us liked the last place.
So maybe I feel really confident.
I make the best recommendations.
I'm the socialite, the restaurateur.
I know everything.
And then everybody hated something.
So they put me back in my place.
I mean, it's true.
I think people do build an identity, especially in a city like New York, where you're based, Michelle.
I mean, people would build an identity based on knowing what is the new cool place.
What are the great, you know age-old restaurants that people keep going back to.
That is definitely a status marker, right?
Yeah, that's really interesting, all right.
So, and i also think that's kind of cool the way you use that right, it took you down a notch right, telling a friend that you obviously would have to be kind of close to this friend, right?
Yeah um yeah, but it's kind of interesting to say that to the person, just to play around with them.
It took you down a notch, didn't it down a notch?
Yep yeah, it's definitely playful teasing, very playful, All right.
What's the takeaway today, Michelle?
All right.
Well, this is a great specific question.
You can see we talked about in isolation.
The word notch is not so exciting, but it's much more usable once you put it into expressions, into idioms, and then you can just really have fun with it.
All right.
Good stuff today, Michelle.
And listeners, hit follow on this podcast so you don't miss a single episode of All Ears English.
All right.
Good stuff, Michelle.
I'll talk to you very soon.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye.
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