This is an All-Ears English Podcast episode 2187.
Learn this low-key, amazing English slang.
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Low-key, this will be an enlightening episode.
Today, learn about the hottest new English slang trend
that you should consider adding to your repertoire.
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Hey there, Aubrey. How's it going today?
I'm great. How are you Lindsay?
Good, but I do have a question for you
before we get into today's episode.
All right. Here we go.
So do you think that any modern inventions
have actually caused more harm than good?
What would you say?
Yes, cell phones, especially for kids, for teenagers,
even my daughter who's 10, a lot of her friends have cell phones.
And with social apps being so addictive,
I low key wish no one had cell phones.
You want to go back to the 90s when we just come.
Wow, I'm wondering what you just said.
You low key wish no one had cell phones.
Interesting.
OK, you've got my interest here.
I wonder if the issue is more social media or cell phones
are both together at the same time.
It's like smartphones, right?
Because a regular phone where you're just calling
maybe texting that's sure or fine, no problem.
But with smartphones where their email is there
and all these different social apps,
we try to not have them be on social media,
but the problem is that's the way all of their friends communicate.
And I don't want them to miss out on being invited to things.
So we had to let them have social media
so that they communicate with friends.
Of course.
And it's really difficult to regulate
and to help them not just be glued to their phones.
That's really hard.
That's really hard.
I'm glad I didn't have that technology as a teenager
and as a kid, to be honest.
I know it's easier to be outside, be active,
doing lots of things.
And then if you've got your cell phone, I'm good.
I'll just hang out in my room on my phone.
Yeah, we were just outside all the time
playing football in the yard, making forts,
running up and down the street,
riding our bikes.
I mean, simpler times.
simpler times.
Yeah.
Well, this is what we're getting into today.
I want to know what you said.
When you answered, I low-key wish no one had cell phones.
I'm super interested here to get into this.
But guys, first.
There's a great question about this.
Yep, before we go into the question,
hit the follow button right here in all our English.
We now do how many episodes a week on all our English, Aubrey?
Five.
Yes, this is amazing, right?
The most we've ever done.
This is historic.
It's amazing.
And it's easy because if you want to make all our English
part of your habit, the best way to do that
is hit the follow button.
So it just drops right into your listening cue.
You don't have to go search for us again and again.
Listen, we will come into your daily habit.
So that is the reason to hit follow.
All right.
Yes, love it.
So, Aubrey, could you read the question?
Yes, here we go.
It's pay from Taiwan.
Shout out, pay.
There's one question I found myself desiring to know.
I heard people would use low-key,
this trendy word in casual conversations.
Can you explain what it means and how to use it?
You guys heard me use that when I said,
I low-key wish no one had cell phones.
This is trendy.
I've shared it all the time on podcasts.
I'm hearing it everywhere.
I've started using it.
It's really being adopted into our common speech.
Interesting.
I guess the problem for me is I listen to podcasts
like The New York Times, The Daily and the Journal.
So they use it as much.
Oh, Michael Barron says, I low-key would love to know more
about the economic fall of XYZ country.
No, because it is definitely slaying.
It's very informal, right?
I'm hearing it on True Crime podcasts.
We're going to pop culture podcasts where it makes
more sense in the context.
Interesting.
All right, we're going to get all into this today.
So tell us where to start today, Aubrey.
Tell us about this.
Yeah, so this is really fun new slang.
There are two ways that low-key is being used as slang,
sort of two different related sort of meanings.
And it's often spelled just as one word, L-O-W-K-Y,
because it's internet slang, right?
If you're going to write it in a text,
you're not going to bother to hyphenate it.
But we're also going to share the way
that's been in the dictionary forever
that we've always used, which is hyphenated.
Interesting.
So do we have one example that we can throw out there
and see how this works?
Yeah, we have a couple here.
So it's first used as an adverb to soften a statement
or confession.
It means a lot.
It's very similar to kind of, right?
So like I said, I low-key wish no one had cell phones.
I'm saying kind of, right?
I'm saying, OK, I don't really wish no one had cell phones.
This is a statement.
It's hyperbolic.
I'm exaggerating.
So I say low-key.
So I mean, I kind of mean this.
I'm mostly exaggerating.
I see.
So a synonym for kind of maybe sort of, I sort of wish.
I kind of wish.
OK, so it's a good alternative to that.
Here's another example.
I'm low-key terrible at tennis.
Interesting.
I love that you had to say that when it's not true for you.
It's more true for me.
I am low-key terrible at tennis.
You're good at pickleball, right?
So I bet you're low-key terrible at pickleball.
I bet.
I could guarantee it.
I probably am that frustrated pickleball player
because I play tennis and it should be easier,
but it's not, right?
Probably that person.
Yeah.
This is the way I hear this slang used the most
when someone's wanting to say something a little self-deprecating,
a little bit negative, but to soften it.
Like we recently talked about kind of sort of,
this is slang for doing that as well, to say low-key,
where you're soft like, yes, but it is, right?
Interesting.
OK, good to know about this.
Number two, what would be another way we use it as slang,
Aubrey?
Yeah, we also use it to suggest secrecy or confidentiality.
You might hear someone say low-key when they're
telling you something that maybe not everybody
knows or they don't want you to share.
So for example, I'm low-key seeing someone right now,
but I haven't told my family yet.
Wow.
Yes.
This is, I also here use this way, especially on podcasts.
But I hear my teenagers use this a lot, but Lindsay
and I sort of had a conversation.
Is it just teenagers?
I've started using it.
I hear adults using it now.
It really is being adopted.
You're going to hear it a lot, just like pay did.
And you guys will start using it, too.
It's not just for teenagers anymore.
And you said, at the top of the show,
Aubrey, maybe you're hearing it up to around 30s, mid-30s,
something like that.
Yeah, though I've started using it, too.
So when I think about the podcast, it's like,
host in their late 20s, 30s have absolutely started using it.
But I think because I'm hearing it all the time,
I use it sometimes by neighbors.
So it's sort of infiltrating our company.
Wow, very cool.
And then, so the example I just gave, let me say it again,
I'm low-key seeing someone right now,
but I haven't told my family yet.
That's one.
And then could we also say low-key?
I'm seeing someone right now.
Yes, right.
We switch it up and we use both of these structures.
Because it's slang, we often will just say it more quickly.
We're dropping things.
So you might just say low-key.
I'm seeing someone right now.
And what you're really saying is,
it's like the phrase on the down low,
like keep something on the down low right now.
So they low-key instead, right?
Okay, keep this on the down low,
seeing someone, but I don't want my whole family to know.
Right.
So don't be telling them.
You don't want to get too excited about it, right?
You don't want to make it a huge deal.
You want to under-understate.
It's kind of a way of understating what you're trying to say.
Or you might say, we're low-key looking for a new house.
And it's that stage of looking for a house where like,
you don't want everyone to know,
because maybe you're not ready yet to really make a decision.
You're just starting to go to open houses.
You don't want everyone you meet to be saying,
did you find a house yet?
So you tell someone to like, keep it on the down low.
Low-key.
We're looking.
I could see people using this now
because interest rates are so high, right?
It's a hard time to be looking for a house at this moment
in the US.
And so you might not want to announce it to everyone.
Right.
It might take longer.
Right.
You don't want to be inundated with questions about it
when you know it might take a while
before you find the right house.
Interesting.
OK, I like this.
So in a minute, we're going to get into the third one,
which I'm really used to.
Yes.
All right.
Here we go.
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All right, Aubrey.
What is number three?
The one that comes from the dictionary, the actual dictionary,
not the slang dictionary.
Yes, this one's an adjective.
We describe something as low-key to indicate
that it's like relaxed or calm, and it's written with a hyphen.
So low-hyphen-key, one word.
This has been in the dictionary forever.
Both Lindsay and I are very familiar with this.
We've used this a long time, and it's also
used very commonly in speech.
Yeah, I feel like I'm just kind of catching onto this one, though.
So I might be really behind.
And so this one, just to distinguish between the two,
this one has a dash and the other one that's
slang version doesn't have a dash.
Is that right?
And because it's slang, there is no right or wrong.
So someone texting, they might or maybe auto-correct
will add a dash, but they're not stressed about it because it's slang.
You're not usually not including this in formal writing.
It's something that would be texted.
Yeah, we don't, we only text and say slang.
We really don't write slang.
Exactly.
Because it can feel weird.
So the party was low-key since we just invited a few close friends.
Yeah.
Not clear you might say, though it was a low-key affair,
the wedding was still really fun.
So often you'll hear an event like this described as low-key.
If it's a little more calm, relaxed, not quite such a to-do,
not quite such a not as extravagant.
Right.
And we're going to see this in the role plan, sure.
But often people might just use it as a one-word response.
How was your weekend?
Not pretty low-key.
How about yours?
Yes.
That's a good point, right?
If someone asks about your weekend or asks what's coming up,
yeah, you might just use it to respond.
Low-key.
And what do we, what exactly do we mean to say low-key?
We're saying it was relaxed.
Are we saying we didn't do a whole lot?
It wasn't super busy.
Yes.
Is that OK?
Exactly.
Like pretty calm, calm, pretty relaxed.
If you went hiking and you went to and did a bar crawl,
that would not be a low-key weekend.
OK.
It would be like, it was pretty busy.
Yeah.
You stay home, free, do you want to be clean?
That's a low-key weekend.
I see.
OK.
Perfect.
Let's do a roleplay, Aubrey.
Shall we?
Yes.
You and I are chatting about our plans for the weekend.
And this roleplay, I'll start us out.
All right.
What are you up to this weekend?
I think I need a low-key weekend since it's
been crazy at work this week.
Low-key, same.
Crazy work week?
Yes.
I'm low-key going to go take a nap right now.
We used all of them here.
This is fun.
That's funny.
OK.
Good stuff.
So you said, hey, what are you up to this weekend?
And I said, I think I need a low-key weekend.
So this is that third meaning that's been around forever.
It's in the dictionary.
When you write it, write it with a hyphen.
It just means calm, relaxed.
I'm not going to do a ton.
Yeah.
And then because it's been crazy at work this week,
and then Aubrey, you said low-key, same.
Yes.
And this is that first meaning, actually, that we talked.
Oh, OK.
OK.
That if you are wanting to agree,
but you're saying sort of like kind of, right?
Low-key, same.
So this is interesting.
This is where there are a few different ways
where we can respond with just this word.
And this one, like, I'm agreeing,
but I'm saying like, yeah, me too, kind of.
Interesting.
OK.
Good stuff.
I'm learning a lot today here.
And then you say, I say, crazy work week.
And that's what I said.
Yeah.
Low-key, you're going to go take a nap right now.
And this would be like, I'm telling you this,
but you don't need to go and tell, you know, maybe I don't
want my kids to know, or I don't want co-workers to know.
Right, right, right.
It's a little bit.
I'm letting you in on a secret.
Yeah.
Well, there are lots of fun memes on Instagram about work
from home, you know, how people do their work from home.
It's like up at nine for the meeting
and then nap from 11 to one.
And then I wish I could not take a nap in the middle of the day.
Can you, Lindsay?
No, I don't nap in the middle of the day at all.
No.
It's been like on the weekend.
If I'm up really late on a weekend night, then the next day,
I'll try and catch a nap in the middle of the day.
And I just can't.
I just lie there wishing I could sleep.
And it doesn't happen for me.
Yeah.
I think I left naps and call it, John asleep.
But yeah, I'd rather just go to bed early.
What would you say, Aubrey, as a close out question,
is the night of the weekend for you
that's most likely to be low-key Friday night
or Saturday night?
Probably Sunday night, actually.
Can I choose Sunday night?
Sure.
Friday and Saturday is we try to do something
we're pretty busy.
And then Sunday, like we know we have work tomorrow.
All of the kids have school.
OK.
So we don't really plan anything.
It's a much more low-key night, maybe we'll have dinner.
Just kind of really everyone's going to bed pretty early.
That's nice.
I love that.
Yeah, we like to keep Friday night's low-key
if we can control it.
If we're invited to a party, we'll go.
But if we can control our schedule Friday night, Thursday night
maybe go out Friday night, low-key, Saturday night,
maybe have people over do something social.
Gotcha.
Because Friday is the end of the week
and you're tired.
I just don't feel social on Friday night most of the time.
I can see that.
It's like this role play, right?
I need a low-key night.
It's been a busy work weekend.
I could kind of.
You just want to order pizza and watch TV.
You know?
It's not playing.
It's not playing.
Well, this is really fun slang, guys.
You are going to hear it if you haven't yet.
It's fun, trendy.
But I'm starting to hear it used more and more.
So I'm excited for you guys to be able to use it, understand it,
and it does make you sound more native and natural
when you can throw in some good slang.
Yeah, and listen for it.
Now that you are aware of it, listen for it on podcasts,
and then try to introduce it gradually.
However, you feel comfortable.
Interesting.
Thanks for the topic, Aubrey.
Good stuff.
Thanks, Lindsay.
See you next time.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye.
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