This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2547, teasing direct how to know based on context.
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Today, learn a new phrase that can be used in multiple ways to mean different things.
Build the skill to tease someone and be sarcastic or to be direct.
Listen in to make your vocabulary more robust today.
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Hey, Michelle, how's it going today?
Hey, Lindsay.
I ate four bagels yesterday.
Oh, wow, Michelle, you've reached a new low.
Just kidding.
I didn't.
I didn't eat.
I didn't eat four bagels.
But like, sometimes I would like to.
I know.
I know you're a fan of bagels.
People love bagels.
I'm kind of neutral about bagels.
I just sometimes.
Really?
I'd rather have a donut.
You're not putting the right stuff on it.
What are you doing?
What should I put on my bagel?
Like what, what would be the best?
Oh, well you gotta do, uh, well I like, like, okay.
And I like an everything bagel and I like it.
Oh my gosh.
Have you ever had, uh, like, have you ever had whitefish?
Oh, that's such a famous, yeah.
I think that's, it's pretty famous in New York, right?
The whitefish salad with lox on top.
Okay.
Yeah.
Like tomato, onion.
Oh my gosh.
Okay.
When I go to New York, I'll get like a lox, like just lox, a bagel with lox and cream cheese.
Yeah.
That is so, that's really good, but it's not so much for the bagel.
It could be on a piece of bread.
I know I should never say that in front of you Michelle, but it's more the salmon and the cream cheese together.
But Anyways, bagels are famous in New York.
People love them.
So if you guys are in New York, get yourself a New York bagel.
Right, Michelle?
That's right.
Exactly.
So why did you say you've reached a new low?
Well, I'm sort of being a little bit sarcastic here, because I know that you love bagels and I've heard about them a lot.
But then you're saying yesterday you ate four of them, which is a lot of food.
They're giant.
I mean, especially the New York ones.
They are giant.
They really are.
They're very blown up.
Right.
And so I'm kind of saying you went really far with your addiction to bagels.
A little too far.
Yes.
Exactly.
Because I can't imagine anybody going through four of them.
So that's just a lot to eat.
So yeah, I mean, this is an expression about actually being worse than before.
So like you said, Lindsay, it can be humorous.
It can also be serious depending on the context.
So again, the expression is reach a new low.
So we're going to get into that more in just a second here.
But first, we want to say a huge, huge, huge thank you to our reviewers.
Oh, my gosh.
It's all about our listeners on this show, Michelle.
And So a huge thank you to Jason Sidhu, Myria Wormlinger-Lemes, Gabrielle Spaghiari, Madi Torabi.
Thank you to David Rodriguez Lorenzo and Mohana Mozaffari.
Most of these are five star reviews, Michelle.
And it's just it's amazing to hear from our listeners over here.
Yes.
Thank you so much, guys.
You make our days really.
It's so meaningful and we really appreciate it.
Yeah.
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All right.
Love it.
All right.
Thank you again, everyone.
So let's get back into reach a new low.
So yes, Okay.
So this basically means like we were saying, you've become worse than in the past.
So something's happened, generally something, an event where you made me work, you made that made you worse in some way.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And it doesn't have to be a person.
Even it could be a situation.
Um, and I thought of this episode because my kids um.
One of them has finished off the Halloween candy, but my son still has a bag of his and he
He dropped some on the floor and started to want to just eat it off the floor or like lick it off the floor.
And even though he has more candy and I said, OK, we've reached a new low.
Yeah.
Yeah.
When you're licking candy off the floor.
No matter how old you are, you've reached a new low of like kind of being addicted to something, in a sense.
Right.
Yes.
Yes, exactly.
So, you know, this was used in a humorous or teasing way.
But what about in the role play from the beginning?
Like we again, I'd overeaten and you're teasing me about it.
I'm teasing you about it.
It's lighthearted, right?
This is quite light and fun and sarcastic.
And I'm poking fun at your addiction to bagels here, right?
Yes.
Yes.
But you know you want to be careful with like that, with like eating and that kind of conversation, because that could be a sensitive topic.
So.
You know, like if somebody maybe somebody does have a large appetite and if you don't know them that well and you're not teasing them and you say wow, you've reached a new low, like they could get pretty offended.
So I would say that.
Yeah.
Right.
A hundred percent.
That's really important.
Yeah.
So I know that you don't have issues with eating and so it's okay for me to tease you.
I know you have an obsession with bagels and it's kind of a fun back and forth.
Right.
But if anyone is struggling with eating issues, I would steer clear of this. right?
Because it would be taken literally, right?
It would be taken seriously, not facetiously or sarcastically, right?
Right.
So that person might be insecure about it and they're binge eating or have some sort of disorder or whatever it is.
And if you just go wow, you reached a new low, it's not going to be taken the same way as if Lindsay, who knows me well, who knows about the bagels, I know my son.
Well, we're just joking around.
We Like there has to be a certain level of familiarity to be able to use that in that context.
Super important.
So that's where the nuances in today's episode is.
It's the same phrase, but if you use it in the wrong situation right, it could be taken literally and directly and really harm someone, right?
Really hurt someone.
Whereas if it's used in the right way with the right person at the right time, it's fun.
It's playful. it's teasing.
There's a line, a fine line.
Yeah, very interesting here.
Well, let's do some more examples that don't deal with bagels or candy.
So the first one is I always thought he was rude, but he reached a new low when he asked me to drive him to the airport when I had the flu.
And so this is a little more straightforward and direct.
You're actually saying he's a pretty bad guy.
Right.
Like you thought he was rude, but then it became worse.
Right.
Yeah.
Or not thought the very least not thoughtful.
Right.
Yes.
Yes.
Not thinking about you.
He's a little self-centered.
Yeah.
Or I can't believe we stayed up binging that show until 4 a.m.
Seriously, we've reached a new low.
So this is us just kind of making fun of ourselves.
Right.
We're a little addicted to Netflix or something.
Yes, exactly.
Exactly.
And I'm sure everybody can relate to that moment of even if Maybe it's not watching TV but even reading.
I just finished a book and I would stay up late reading it.
And my friend just finished a book and she did say that she stayed up till 4 am reading it because she was so addicted to it.
And I can't read that book because I can't stay up till 4 a.m.
I mean, I can, but like I should not.
It would not be good.
Yes, exactly.
Or here's another one.
This restaurant was going downhill, but their atmosphere has reached a new low.
I don't think I'll be coming back.
Are we teasing the restaurant, Michelle, here?
No, not really.
No, this is the more straightforward one.
It's getting worse.
It's getting even worse.
Exactly.
And here's the next one.
Okay, your outfits have reached a new low.
This is supposed to be formal night, right?
So maybe...
For many, many times in a row, you were showing up too casual.
And again, this time you showed up really casual, but you were supposed to be formal.
So it's reached a new low.
Right.
Well, that reminds me of Dan, because we've gone on cruises and he kind of they always have like a formal night on cruises and he's decided that he's not packing a suit on a cruise.
So his formal night is like a Hawaiian shirt and shorts.
And it's like, no, no, no.
Is Dan one of those guys that wears shorts in the wintertime?
Because there was an article.
I didn't read it, but there was a headline I saw somewhere about dudes in the US who won't wear pants, like they'll wear shorts and sandals in the winter.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no.
That's just for like on vacation when it's warm.
No, he wears pants.
So, but yeah, you can see it's used with the truth or sarcastically.
It could be self-deprecating.
But again, you have to be very careful if you're teasing someone with this, if you're using it in a teasing way.
And what else is interesting, I thought, What I said to my son was... I realized this.
I actually said, we've reached a new low.
I don't think I said you've reached a new low.
So I guess I meant it as a family, as a whole, and not to single him out.
So kind of more humorous way that we say you know this, but like, if you want to back off a little bit, you could say we've reached a new low.
Well, that would be a whole other episode.
Michelle, guys hit the follow button on the show.
We're gonna have to cover this topic.
We haven't covered this yet.
This is a great one how we, instead of um, when we want to say something directly to someone, Instead of saying you, we say we, but we actually mean you.
And it may be possible that it was a little bit of that too at the same time.
I'm not sure.
Yeah.
But I know I do this.
Instead of saying you, I'll say, oh, we, because I'm trying to soften it a little bit.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's interesting.
You're trying to shift it a little bit so it's not so direct.
So very interesting there.
We'll definitely have to cover that.
Yeah.
Guys, hit follow.
Yeah, it's going to be a great year, guys.
So make sure you're following the show and we'll follow up with that episode pretty soon.
Yep.
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All right, Michelle.
So where to for here, from here, what else would?
If you want to convey this idea, what else could you say?
Yeah.
So in a similar expression would be to stoop to a new level or a new low.
OK.
Yeah.
Stoop.
All right.
So go down.
So, for example, when she started personal insults, she really stooped to a new level, or you could say to a new level.
Right.
So you kind of cross a line and now things get really bad, right?
Yep.
And this isn't really about playing with someone or being sarcastic.
This is just directly like you've gotten really bad.
Yes, yes, yes.
Or I stooped to a new low when I spilled wine all over my boss.
Now, this is tricky because you didn't do it on purpose, right?
Yeah, yeah.
But you're just kind of saying like, I got even more accident prone, maybe.
You're very clumsy, right?
Right.
So this might be in more of a you're self-deprecating, you know.
Oh my gosh, I really stooped to a new low.
Yeah, it's a little bit playful.
It is the way it's being used. um, is kind of playing around with the words, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's interesting.
Um, here's another one to have outdone oneself.
Um, so this is, you know, a really kind of in this sarcastic way.
So it's like to, to have done even more than in the past year, like you've gone really far.
So for example, um, I think this place has hit a downwards.
Oh, wait.
Nope.
I'm in the wrong one.
I didn't think I could be any more irritated at him, but he's outdone himself this time.
Yeah.
He's gone further than you thought he could even go.
Right?
Yes.
Yeah.
Or, oh, no, I burnt the cookies.
I've outdone myself.
Although I think I've heard this used though in a genuine way.
Like if someone makes a really good dessert, Oh, you've outdone yourself.
This is the best dessert I've ever tasted from you.
Right.
Right.
So it could be used in more of a genuine positive way.
And depending on the tone and the context, it could also be used in kind of a teasing way.
So you're, you're being self-deprecating.
I've outdone myself.
Like I've outdone myself this time.
Like, Oh, last time I dropped it on the floor.
This time I burnt them.
Oh gosh.
You know?
Wow.
This is a very high level episode.
I love it.
It's because we're trying to figure out which deliveries are genuine, sarcastic, teasing, or direct.
Right.
And there's so much nuance here because there's context, there's vocabulary, there's personal history between you and the person.
Wow.
There's a lot here.
There is a lot.
What's another one, Michelle?
One more.
Last one we'll do is to hit a downward spiral.
This is about, you know, think of an actual spiral.
You're going down.
I think this place has hit a downward spiral.
It's probably going to close.
Yeah.
So this is a more serious context.
But what about the next example?
Okay.
Okay.
Here's the next one.
Okay, my shoe choice has hit a downward spiral.
Will you go shopping with me this weekend?
So here I'm making fun of myself, right?
I am just saying I have just lost my taste in shoes.
I don't know what to do.
It's okay to make fun of yourself pretty much any time, right?
Especially if you're asking for help.
Exactly.
And you could have said, okay, my shoe choice has reached a new low, right?
So, so you could use that as well.
Um, but yeah, it's, uh, I would say that's true for my shoes actually.
Oh yeah.
Are things getting worse when it comes to shoes for you, Michelle?
It's not getting worse.
It's just that there's not.
I realized, I only realized in certain, certain situations like oh, I don't have shoes for this occasion.
I don't have anything.
And, um, you know, so, but I don't realize it until it's that moment.
It's the moment before you got to leave.
Yeah.
Walk out the door.
I get it.
I get it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Shoe shopping is hard.
I mean, if your feet don't fit most shoes, it can be really challenging for sure.
I've been trying to buy a pair of boots for the last like three winters and I just give up.
Every time I just say I'll just wear shoes in the snow.
That's so me.
Like I would totally do the same.
I just give up.
All right.
We have a great role play planned for our listeners today.
Let's do it.
So what's our scenario here?
All right.
So here we are best friends and we are looking at Instagram together.
Okay.
All right.
Here we go.
Okay.
Here we go.
Oh, geez.
My time limit came up, meaning we've been doing this for two hours.
Yikes.
Okay.
We've hit a new low.
Definitely.
But...
I actually think we hit a downward spiral back when we started looking up fashion pictures.
Oh, yes.
Also, that's when I realized my fashion sense has stooped to a new level.
We should go shopping.
Yes, but not at the mall.
It's not nice anymore.
You're right.
It was getting bad, but now that terrible store that opened has outdone itself.
Definitely yeah, that's a good example.
Um, because and everyone on this podcast can probably relate to this feeling of, as you get sucked into social media, you there's always a moment where you realize what's happening and you've hit a new.
Sometimes you've hit a new low right, because you've been there for a couple hours and you're just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling.
It's terrible and yeah sometimes like, for example, i have an alert come up on my phone when i've been on, but every yeah, it would be good if I paid attention to it, but it's just oh, I just turned it away.
Okay.
I usually I just fill my feed with uh like dog videos, like border collies and Huskies and things.
And those are less harmful for me, I guess.
But uh, but it's still really it just it feels icky, just the scrolling, you know, and everyone knows exactly what we're talking about.
That is a new, that's a great example of this.
So It's a great way to encapsulate this phrase.
So basically I said, yikes, we've hit a new low when I realized, when you said we had been on for two hours scrolling.
And then I said definitely, but I actually think we hit a downward spiral back when we started looking up fashion pictures.
So like the downward spiral, it's like it got worse and worse and worse.
So I'm saying the start of that was awful.
Now that we've reached two hours.
Yeah, it's bad, but it was an hour ago when we started looking at fashion pictures that we couldn't stop.
And it's funny how the technology just facilitates that, because if you click on one thing, the algorithm learns that you want that and it gives you more of that.
So you go down that rabbit hole, right?
So it really becomes a downward spiral, literally created by technology.
Interesting, right?
And then I said, oh, yes.
Also, that's when I realized my fashion sense has stooped to a new low, right?
So meaning it's never been this bad.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
And then you said we should go shopping.
And then we were talking about the mall, but it's not nice at the mall.
So as you said, it was getting it was getting bad.
But now that terrible store that opened has outdone itself.
So it's even worse.
Even worse.
Oh, my gosh, Michelle.
This has been an interesting episode.
I think our listeners are really going to want to gain the skill of sensing.
When is it okay to say something sarcastic?
To whom?
And when do we need to be more direct?
Right?
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
There are a lot of layers to this episode.
There's more than just, oh, here are the expressions, right?
There's really a lot here.
Personal relationships, using it seriously or in more of a comical way.
Um, a lot, a lot of layers that you have to think about when you're using these expressions.
So I would say that's the takeaway for today.
You know, really consider who to like, to whom you're talking to and, um, what you're trying to say.
And then, um, yeah.
And give it a go.
Um, also head on over to episode 2530.
That was given versus give up in English.
Like Lindsay gives up every year on her boots.
Exactly, Michelle.
All right, guys.
And don't forget to leave us a review wherever you're listening, whether it's in the app or in the podcast.
Leave us a review and rating.
Let us know what you think about the show.
All right, Michelle.
Good stuff today.
I will talk to you very soon back here on the podcast.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye, guys.
Okay.
Bye.
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