This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2584.
Don't let your English stoop to this level.
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Today we answer a question from a listener.
What does it mean when someone uses the verb to stoop?
Today.
Find out how to use this when you're in conflict with someone, or how to talk about your own standards of behavior for yourself in English.
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Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
I'm doing great, Michelle.
How are you?
How's it going?
Happy Wednesday.
We're recording today on a Wednesday at least.
Yes, exactly.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Yeah, everything's going over well over here.
Lindsay, when you lived in New York, did you have a stoop or a stoop part of city life?
Yeah.
So we did in in Brooklyn.
My place in Brooklyn had a stoop and there were always people on the stoop and they were always very friendly.
So it was kind of cool to come home and you know people, they know you, of course, your neighbors, and they say Hey, how's it going?
Right.
What about you?
Did you have a stoop in your building?
I mean, I have, I was in a, I always think of a stoop being for a smaller building.
I was kind of in a big building, but technically I suppose there was a stoop.
Um um, and one of the places I lived there was a stoop, but did you?
Did you sit out there or did you people watch, or was it mostly just going in and out?
I personally didn't, but other people did.
And then there's some I don't know if it was college or somewhere where my I think my friends had a house and there was a lot of stoop sitting like hanging out in the stoop.
Uh, maybe senior year in college.
So my friends had a house and I think there was a lot of stoop.
There was a porch swing.
It was like a way of life, right?
College life sitting on the porch swing.
That's nice.
What is a stoop?
I know.
What is a stoop?
Well, the way I see it is, it's basically just it's the front stairs building, usually an apartment building, sometimes a house, I guess maybe.
And it's just some space where people tend to hang out sometimes, especially in new york because, because a lot of buildings don't have air conditioning and those fourth floor walk-ups you know, four or five floor walk-ups can get real hot summer nights in new york, so people do hang out on the stoop sometimes.
Yep yep, exactly.
So today we are answering a question about this word from the lovely sophia.
Sophia, you are amazing and we adore you.
And this question is from Sophia on YouTube.
Lindsay, would you like to read it?
I will.
So Sophia says, hi, All Ears English team.
I'm Sophia.
I love your podcast.
It's helped my English so much.
In your recent episode about teasing and context on January 13th, I caught this interesting line.
And someone said, yeah, so a similar expression would be to stoop to a new level or a new low.
I'd love to hear a deep dive into how to use stoop naturally in different situations.
Could you please teach us more about this word?
Thank you for the amazing content.
Well, thank you, Sophia, for the amazing questions.
This is like one of maybe six or seven questions we've answered from this amazing listener, because the questions are so good.
Yeah, we just eat them up.
They're so good.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sophia.
And thank you for your kind words and for listening.
Guys, make sure you hit follow wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast.
Don't miss any of our episodes.
Yeah, guys go and check out episode.
The episode that this came from that Sophia is quoting, by the way, is 2547, teasing direct how to know, based on context.
So if you're interested in knowing more exactly about how this came up in real natural conversation, go check out that episode.
Love it.
All right.
So let's get into it.
So, okay.
Yeah, in in this context that we were using it.
I asked you about living in New York city and Boston.
I think stoops are kind of, when you think of stoop, you think of a city.
Um, you do.
Yeah.
Right.
Um, and so, yeah, it's a small step or an area outside of your building where you can sit.
Um, but we're not going to use it like that in today's episode, but we did want to let you know what a stoop is in another context.
Um.
So today we're going to talk about stoop, as in stoop to a new low or new level, which is what we had touched on in that other episode.
Yeah, we're going taking a total right turn 180.
Right.
And going in another direction now.
So now you have a little context about the other meaning of stoop.
But now let's focus on something totally different, guys.
OK, right.
So what does stoop mean in this context?
So this means as a verb, right?
It's a verb and that's an important difference, right?
To stoop is to lower oneself in a certain way.
For example, maybe values, standards, expectations, behavior, right?
Yeah.
So to stoop to a new level is to lower yourself.
Yeah.
Um so, but let's talk about some other expressions that um would be used with stoop in in this type of a way.
Yeah.
So for example, you could say, um, stoop to a noun or stoop to plus a verb plus ING.
Right.
So I wouldn't stoop to name calling if I were you.
So it's like you bring yourself down to the level of doing the thing.
That's not good.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
It's like, oh, I wouldn't stoop to eating ketchup with my fingers.
Right.
Oh, come on.
Are you above that?
I'm not.
No, just kidding.
I'm above the ketchup.
Yes.
Other things.
That's fine.
Or here's another one here.
Don't stoop to acting like somebody else.
High school is hard, but be yourself.
Yeah.
Giving some advice to a high school kid, maybe.
Right.
Or I won't stoop to eating anything that isn't homemade.
Well, I don't mind a good takeout sometimes, you know.
So what else?
So we could also say what right with stoop uh so low or stoop that low, so this is the same meeting, just a different structure.
So, for example, i didn't mean to stoop so low, i was just upset and took it out on you.
So that means you, you kind of i mean another word would be like a cheap shot, like you kind of shot.
Yeah, maybe you said something that was really nasty and just uncalled for right.
So you're just saying I lowered myself.
I lowered my standards of myself and how you think of me.
So I didn't mean to stoop so low.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Or for example, I knew she was going to be competitive, but I didn't think she would stoop that low.
That actually makes me think of, do you remember the whole scandal with Nancy Kerrigan?
I knew that's what you were going to say.
How did you know that?
I don't know.
Just when you said, do you remember the whole scandal?
I was like, ah, yeah, I scan it.
Yeah.
I don't know how much of it is true or exactly what happened.
I know there was a movie, I, Tanya, that came out a few years ago that was interesting.
I saw it.
It sort of told her perspective.
But it's an interesting glimpse back into the 90s if our listeners feel like checking it out.
But the accusation was that someone did some damage.
Tanya Harding, like – beat her up, right?
Or had someone.
Oh yeah.
Somebody.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Why can't I not?
Did some damage to Nancy Kerrigan's knee.
And again, I'm not saying it's true necessarily.
I don't know what happened, but that was the story.
That was the scandal.
Um, so for some reason, this example sort of makes me think of that.
Yep.
Yep.
I can do that.
And they were, there were arch rivals in, in figure skating, just to give a little bit more context.
And, you know, it's like, this is your rival.
And like, what are you going to do to beat your rival?
So supposedly she stooped so low.
I stooped low and this is what happened, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
So are there similar ideas?
I mean, there are other ways we might articulate this, Michelle.
Like sink to X, right?
So yeah, sinking to a new level.
So for example, her insults were so childish.
She sank so low.
Right.
Or to a new low.
She sank to a new low.
She sank so low.
Yeah.
It's the same idea.
Exactly.
Exactly.
It's like, do you fight fair when you fight?
You know what I mean?
Right.
Exactly.
Or do you just kind of resort to childish things and you kind of just lose the way that you normally would act?
Exactly.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Then there's also just lower oneself.
So I lowered myself in her eyes when I showed up late for the fifth time.
Oh, man.
So it's like, you know, you're you damage your reputation.
Exactly.
It's not worth it.
Right.
Why are these good for connection?
Would you say, Michelle?
I think it shows a little bit about who you are and how and like what's important to you.
So showing, oh, that you can acknowledge when you've done something wrong.
And when you say I stooped to a new low, it's like, well, where did you start?
Right.
So where did you start?
Yeah, it's it just it.
Tells it's a little window into who you are.
What do you think?
Yeah.
So we can use it to refer to ourselves, because we get to explain our like moral code or values based on this.
Exactly.
It's kind of what you're saying.
So like showing the world who we are a little bit, or showing someone we're talking to what our expectations are of that person.
Right.
Like of your partner, you know, this is really stoop to a new low.
I don't expect this.
Right.
That kind of thing.
Yeah.
It is a connect.
It's an advanced phrase for connection, I think for sure.
Oh, I totally agree.
It's just.
It's a lot about standards what you expect from others, what do you expect from yourself um, and how you're meeting that or not meeting.
Yes, and also roommate standards matter right um, you know, we we've all had roommates in our lives probably, and it's always an interesting experience.
So here in this role play, we are talking about our roommates, so it looks like we have a triple uh, what was that?
Like a triple, like a, uh, a quad, not a quad, a tri.
Well, I used to live in a triplex.
Okay.
But that's, but that's if it's actually, I think three floors.
Uh, okay.
I don't know what it's called if it's just a three floors.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
Cause I remember in, in college, some kids just shared three kids would share one big bedroom.
Um, yeah.
Not three floors.
Oh my gosh.
Oh, I did that once.
For five months, I was in one big room with two girls.
Yeah.
Oh man, hard.
All right, let's see how this goes.
I wish we weren't having trouble with her.
Maybe we should confront her.
I think we need to talk to her, but I don't want to stoop to her level.
I want to keep things amicable.
No, we shouldn't lower ourselves to how she behaves.
Definitely don't want to sink to the things she's been pulling with us.
Oh my gosh.
We are having problems.
Did you have drama like this when you lived in a room with three people?
A little bit, but like, I'm actually still friends with both of them.
And this was, I mean, like this is like over 15 years ago.
So, um, it was okay.
But I did have that kind of drama in the triplex in New York.
Yeah.
Wow.
Oh man.
That was a stinky one.
And it was really hard having roommates.
I mean, you know, you're around them all the time.
You're not necessarily friends with them.
You could be, but not necessarily.
Right.
So personality can clash.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All right.
So how did we use the phrases here, Michelle?
OK, you said, I think we need to talk to her, but I don't want to stoop to her level.
So you're saying I'm saying, you know.
We don't want to like, we're better than that, basically.
Right.
And sometimes some people have this like weird effect where once you get into an argument, you feel like it feels like they bring you down a little bit to their level.
Do you feel like certain personalities can do that?
Yeah, it can be hard.
You know, if somebody starts, it's like if somebody's setting you know the stage for how some sort of confrontation is going to look or is it going to be, you know, emotional.
Is it going to be that you can just talk it out?
Is it going to be?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And like whatever their resources are or skills in terms of conflict resolution.
I can't really get any better than that.
The, the conflict, right?
Like, even if you have all these resources and you know how to calm down and speak logically or whatever be, I have empathy like if they don't have those skills too, it's going to kind of bring it down.
So, and I, and I'm also thinking of the people who never get, uh, who never lose it.
Like my brother, you know, sometimes you want somebody to stoop to your level, right?
When you're, you're ready for a fight.
I'm talking about when I was like a teenager.
Um, and I, you know, I would get you know, really mad about something.
And he's so calm and, and just, you know, just a logical and calm.
And that drives people crazy.
Right.
Because you were like, come down to my level.
I'm ready to go.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I can see that with a sibling.
He's like Teflon, like nothing sticks to it.
Right.
Nothing.
Yeah.
He's always been like that.
Yeah.
That's interesting.
Yeah.
My brother's kind of like that too.
It might be like a male thing.
I don't know what it is, but yeah, that's interesting, all right.
And then.
So then we said i said no, we shouldn't lower ourselves to how she behaves right, and this is just another way of saying we don't want to bring our behavior down.
So we, we act like her right right, so we're really, we're really not not enjoying her right now.
Um, and then i said definitely don't want to sink to the things she's been pulling with us.
So yeah she's, She's causing trouble.
We're not impressed, but we're not going to sink to that level.
Yeah, this is really good.
Michelle, any final takeaway?
I mean, I think what mentioned earlier makes sense.
It's about showing what you expect from other people, showing what you expect for yourself, expect from yourself.
And also conflict is part of life.
Sometimes we do feature these phrases that come up in more negative context, because it's part of life, right?
I think there's always that moment when you know there is some sort of conflict with someone where you have to make that decision of like.
How is this going to be handled?
Am I going to keep myself to the standard that I want for myself, or am I going to start to stoop a little bit right?
And there's that moment where you kind of have to make that decision.
No, that's a really good point, Michelle.
And so now we do have some vocabulary to articulate it.
And if this happens at work, it adds a whole new layer of complications, right?
Yeah.
Really interesting.
Guys, if you have any follow-up questions from today's episode, be sure to send them over to support at allersenglishcom.
We love getting your question.
Just make it very specific.
Pull a question from an episode like Sophia did.
That's a great way to do it.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah.
If you just hear us talking and you're like, what is, what is that?
What did she just say?
Ask us and we'll do a whole episode about it.
Exactly.
We'd love to see that.
Good stuff.
Michelle, you have a good rest of your day and we'll talk very soon.
You too.
Have a good one, Lindsay.
Bye guys.
Bye.
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