This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 761 your golden opportunity to avoid red flags and learn color idioms in English.
Welcome to the all ears english podcast, downloaded more than 34 million times.
We believe in connection, not perfection, with your american hosts, lindsay mcmahon, the english adventurer, and michelle caplan, the new york radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.
And to instantly download your transcript from today's episode, go to allearsenglish.com forward slash transcripts, allearsenglish.com forward slash T-R-A-N-S-C-R-I-P-T-S. today find out about a big red flag on the internet that you should watch out for plus learn four handy color idioms that you can throw into your language to sound more alive and more interesting Do you ever feel like your English is good but not quite where you want it to be?
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Hey, Michelle, how you doing today?
Hey, Lindsay, I'm doing okay.
How are you?
I'm good.
I'm sorry to hear you're feeling a little bit sick.
You guys have like a sore throat going on there on your end.
Yeah, yeah.
I don't know.
I like my voice.
I don't know.
I better not leave me again.
But you guys probably can't hear too much now, but I'll get back to you.
Yeah, it's quite a feeling when you feel like there's a cold coming on.
You're like, No, give me the emergency.
I know.
I'm gonna run out.
Yeah, I'm gonna run out and get some of that after.
I wonder if those things work.
You know, those like products, you can buy a little powders when you feel a cold coming on.
Do they work in general?
Do you think?
I think that they must do some.
I mean, it is a huge bump of vitamin C.
I mean it's not like so, but but I don't know.
I don't know.
You know, it's worth a shot, isn't it?
It's worth a shot.
Anything's worth a shot.
It's like a last ditch effort, right?
A last chance.
So, Michelle, I have a question for you today on a different topic.
Okay.
So, Michelle, would you say that your apartment is green?
Yeah.
My particular unit or the whole building?
Let's say the whole building.
I think it's green, but not like super green.
I mean, we recycle and things like that, but it's not like we have solar panels or anything.
Right.
So it's somewhere in between, right?
Yeah.
I think some places are super modern and getting a lot of things done.
What about you?
Oh, gosh, no.
My building, I live in a house and it's from the 1800s and it's pretty much not green.
Yeah.
Yeah, no.
But I bet some of our listeners were expecting you to answer the color of your walls, right?
Like they thought you were going to say, no, the walls are white.
Oh, right.
So what does it mean when I ask you, is your apartment green?
What are we talking about?
You mean, is it environmentally friendly?
Exactly.
And this is such a native phrase, such a kind of an insider phrase.
This is so good for our listeners to understand.
And I guess some states are greener than others in general in terms of their policies, right?
Like I was telling you last time I was sort of complaining about this new change, that we don't get plastic bags anymore
Right.
Um, like whole foods won't give you plastic bags in Massachusetts.
They're like, they're illegal or something.
It's the war on bags that we say.
Can you get them if you pay for them?
Most places, many places you can't even get them.
They no longer have them on hand.
Like oh my gosh not, it's still like convenience stores.
You know you can get them, but you still have to pay for any bag.
As far as i've seen um and has that, i thought that rule was going to go into effect in new york.
I haven't seen it yet, but I mean unless I haven't really gone grocery shopping in New York in a while but like no, I've gotten plastic bags at the pharmacy and things like that.
Oh, I see.
How are you getting your food?
Are you going out and hunting for your food or what are you doing?
I go, I do most of my shopping in Jersey.
Okay.
Got it.
Got it.
All right.
So yeah, so the idea is that plastic bags are harmful for the environment, guys.
So I think Massachusetts, my state, is a relatively green state.
We're pretty progressive politically, and we tend to pass these green laws before other states do.
So today, Michelle, what are we talking about?
Why did I bring up this question?
Because we got a really good question from a listener.
And we're going to teach you guys some idioms that are related to colors.
Yeah, that's right.
Exactly.
And we're going to go into that in just a second, guys.
But first, we want to give you a quick warnings.
So we've been getting emails from students who have found a site out there on the web, on the interwebs, that is pretending to be all ears English.
Can you believe that, Michelle?
No.
Wow.
That's...
Wow, that's very interesting.
That's kind of scary, actually.
That's kind of scary because there is no other All Ears English.
We know it's not replicable.
No one else can repeat All Ears English.
So...
I'm not going to give you guys the website, the URL, because I don't want to draw attention to that site.
But the site is written entirely in Chinese, so we can't really read the full site, what's going on.
I know that they are taking applications for translators and I know they're also taking people's credit card details.
So big red flag.
Ding, ding, ding.
Red flag.
Right, Michelle?
Yeah, so I mean, so what are they, so they're taking people's credit card details, anything else?
Yeah.
And I know they're selling things and they're basically pretending to be us and they're charging students a lot of money.
So we have our legal team working on this, guys, to get this site taken down.
But I want to warn you guys, because this is our best way to speak to you guys directly.
Make sure that when you're buying courses and products from us, you're buying them from us, that it's not a company that's pretending to be us.
And if you aren't sure if it's the real thing, just email me at lindsay, at allearsenglishcom, before you make your purchase.
Just send me a quick email.
I get back to you guys usually the same day if it's not the weekend.
And we can be in direct contact, guys.
OK, so just be careful.
I don't want anybody out there losing money or getting scammed from someone who's pretending to be us, because our brand we are all about integrity and having fun and learning English and having a positive experience.
OK, guys.
So we want to protect you guys and make sure that you're not getting into trouble out there.
Right, right.
Exactly.
All right.
Good to know.
Thanks, Lindsay.
Good to know.
Good to know.
So let's move on to better things, more positive things, Michelle.
So we got a good question from a listener here.
So Michelle, would you read the question for us?
Sure.
Okay.
Okay, here we go.
Hello, Lindsay.
First of all, I want to tell you that All Ears English podcast is the best tool for learning English I've ever come across.
I was blown away the first time I heard it, and now I can't imagine my day without it.
You guys are just amazing.
Thank you.
Well, that's nice.
Thank you.
That's awesome.
That's so cool.
I know what he's talking about.
You know that, Lindsay?
Yeah.
I don't know that one, actually.
Oh, okay.
I mean, it's not the name of a song.
It's a line in one of her songs.
Oh, cool.
Yeah, good song.
If you hear Sometimes You Make Me Blue, an Alicia Keys song, and you don't know what that is.
Is it common to use color-related idioms in real conversation?
I would jump for joy if I heard an episode on that.
Thank you for your awesome job.
Take care, David.
Thank you so much, David.
I know.
What a cool question.
And David's English is so natural.
I mean, I love how he says, I reckon it must be an Australian background, Australian English, right?
He must have learned English in Australia.
Could be, could be.
Yeah.
And he's quoting, you know, real lines and songs.
I don't know that song.
Is that a good song?
Yeah, it's a very good song.
Yeah.
Do you think it's common to say like I guess with that particular idiom you make me blue, like the idea of being blue, feeling blue.
Do you think that's common in spoken English for us normally in everyday conversations?
I don't think it would say you make me feel blue.
You might say like, oh, I feel a little blue today.
Maybe, but probably not that much.
I think it's more because in a song, you know, things are more poetic.
So I think it would be more common to hear these types of things in songs.
But I agree with you.
Yeah, but but you may hear it.
You may come across somebody saying it once in a while.
Yeah, I agree with you.
So that one in particular that's more related to like kind of a symbolism and something that's ingrained in our language and our culture, maybe not in our everyday conversation, more in our songs and our drama maybe, or something.
But there are some that are super common and that we do use often, or at least I do.
Yeah.
When we're speaking.
So we're going to give you guys four of those today.
Okay, so should we jump into it, Michelle?
Sure.
Wait, did we say what you make me blue means?
Oh, I guess we didn't.
We just implied it.
What does it mean?
Good, good point.
Put the brakes on, go back.
It means you make me feel sad, kind of melancholy.
Melancholy.
Good word.
I love that.
Yeah, exactly.
And does the weather make you feel blue?
Like when lately it's been so rainy and dark?
Yeah, I think it does.
What about you?
Yeah, I was kind of struggling a bit in the last couple of weeks because it was just yeah, it's been dark and rainy around here.
Yeah, I've been a little blue.
I'm feeling better now.
Yeah, I know.
It's been a little bit crazy, but that's okay.
Yeah.
Well, you know, things come and go.
And, you know, now we're moving into June.
So hopefully we'll have a nice hot summer.
Let's see.
Right.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
And guys, I just want to direct you.
We've done, we love talking about colors.
And if you go to episode 558, you can hear some extra ones.
So go ahead on over to that.
But we got some different ones for you here today.
Good.
Yeah.
So exactly, Michelle.
So that's a good point.
So you had recognized that we did an episode before already on this.
And so guys, now we're going to just create a bunch of episodes on colors, making your language more colorful.
Well, there's so many.
There's so many.
Yeah, I know.
Even choosing...
Yeah.
You can't just do like a one episode and say, oh, we did all of the color idioms.
Right.
I think that.
Yeah.
Right.
So I think that this is a good question.
But just to add on to it.
If you wanted to, if you wanted to find out some more, you can head on over to episode 558.
You got it.
Exactly.
Okay, so let's dive into those idioms because I bet our listeners are wanting to know.
You know, we've said that we don't really use.
I'm feeling blue that much.
But what are the ones that we do use?
And there's one with the color blue that I think we use sometimes.
What is that, Michelle?
Okay, we have until you're blue in the face.
Yeah.
Okay.
So this means to do something until you are exhausted.
I like this one because it's descriptive.
You know, I think it's fun.
I think at your level guys, you should be using descriptive language that conveys an emotion in a way that, just like simply using an intensifier like really or extremely, wouldn't work as well.
OK, so what does this mean in general, Michelle?
It means to do something until you're exhausted.
Right.
So and it usually means that you you're not successful with it.
Yeah.
And these are expressions that I don't always think about using, but I definitely use when I have the opportunity, like when it occurs to me.
I think it's kind of fun.
I mean, what about you?
Do you use this one, Michelle?
I don't think I use it, but it's...
I mean, yeah, it is kind of fun.
And I kind of how you said about.
I wouldn't think to use it, but it might pop out every once in a while.
Exactly.
And so let's just throw out an example here.
Could you give us the example sentence, Michelle?
What would that one be?
Okay, the example is you can try to convince me until you're blue in the face, but I will never believe you.
OK, so that's our blue idiom.
So I like that one.
So trying to do something until you're tired and it's kind of an impossible task.
OK, I love that.
What?
Yeah.
What about the color gray?
Is that even a color?
Maybe it's more like a shade.
I don't know.
I think.
Yeah, I think it's a color.
Yeah.
So here we go.
A gray area.
Yeah yeah, a great.
And this one I think is used pretty commonly, especially maybe in like kind of are not arguments maybe, like you know, debates or informal debates, or just in regular discussions.
So what is a gray area?
Yeah.
So it's kind of a space that's not clear or it's not well-defined, right?
Something that could go either way.
It's just not black.
Oh, it's not black and white.
That's another one.
That's really common, right?
Yeah.
So when we say it's not black and white, there's a gray area, super common expression.
Right, right, right.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So it's not black or white.
It's gray.
So meaning that you know if you say something is a gray area.
There's really no clear right or wrong.
Yeah, this makes me think of politics, right?
Because... Yeah, that's what I was thinking of.
Yeah.
I mean, even though we want to think that the issues are so black and white.
And again when we stay in our own communities, where everyone has the same political beliefs, we do see it as black and white.
But that's why we have to get out there and talk to people from another perspective.
To make it more gray, like make it more nuanced and more gray.
Find the gray area.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Like I just find it mind blowing when I watch the news and I see what's going on.
But there are people that see things from the other perspective.
And the only way I can get what they're thinking is by going to where they are, or meeting with them, or sitting down and having a coffee with them.
You know, I think that's the only way our country is going to get through this mess that we're in.
Yeah, yeah, no.
So I mean, I think it's important to be able to talk about things, or else we'll never get things done.
Yeah, that's true.
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What's an example?
Do we have any example sentences that we can share with our listeners on this?
Sure.
So we have, it's not clear whose fault the accident was.
There's kind of a gray area when it comes to the damages to both cars.
Yeah.
I don't know if this is the best example, but I was really struggling to come up with.
I think the politics is actually a better example, what we just talked about.
Yeah, because there's so many things.
I mean I'm trying to think of any other specific examples, but there are just so many things where it's just not necessarily everyone is right or everyone is wrong, or one point is right and one point is completely wrong.
So try and think guys, of those situations in your life when you're like hmm, I don't know right.
It's a gray area.
That's probably what's happening.
You got it.
Exactly.
And so we have another one where we go to the color red.
I love the color red.
It's so loud and bold and intense, you know?
And what is that idiom, Michelle?
A red flag.
And this is a very common one.
Yeah.
Well, we actually used it in the beginning of the episode, when we said that this website that's pretending to be us.
Oh, we did.
Yeah.
We said that they're taking credit card details when people apply for translation jobs, which is a big red flag.
Right.
When you apply for a job, people don't take your money.
It doesn't make any sense.
Right.
Right.
I mean, that's a red flag to me.
If someone asked me to apply for a job and enter my credit card details, that's very weird.
That's a red flag.
So what is a red flag, Michelle?
A warning.
Someone's waving a red flag and it's like, watch out.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.
A sign that what you're about to do is probably a bad choice.
Right.
What you're about to do or just like what you're thinking about doing even.
Exactly.
And this comes up for me a lot in dating.
Yeah, right, right, right.
Maybe it's because I'm reading stuff about dating more often than other things.
But well, here's an example.
On our first date I asked the guy if he was close to his family and he said he hadn't talked to them in 10 years.
That was a red flag for me.
Yeah.
Would that be a red flag for you?
Yes.
Well, I mean, you don't know the situation.
You don't know what was right or wrong.
I mean, it would be something to think about, but you'd want to find out more if you really like the person.
Yeah, it'd be like a yellow flag.
Yeah, like slow down, ask more questions, get to know it.
But, you know, often, yeah, I feel like I'd want to dig into that more.
Maybe not a full-on red flag like run the other way, stop the date, go right, stop seeing the person.
Maybe just you want to know more about them.
So Michelle, did you have any specific red flags that came up in your dating life before you met your husband?
Any examples that you can remember?
Oh, geez.
Back in the day.
Yeah.
Let's see.
Yeah, I think...
Oh, I have to think about this one.
I mean, sure, but yeah.
What about you?
Do you have any red flags?
Well, I think when people tried to get too serious too fast, that was kind of a red flag.
When it was kind of out of proportion with the timing, it just didn't make any sense.
I felt like that was a red flag, because why, like things should progress naturally and slowly, not so fast?
You know, that for me was always a red flag.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh, I know.
Like if somebody, if someone canceled on you too close to the time and like there was like not really good I mean, that sounds that makes me sound bad if I was canceled on.
But
You know, these things happen.
But like if someone changed, if someone like, maybe if somebody doesn't respect your time, like if they either cancel or show up too late, or you know things like that.
Yeah, no, totally.
That's irresponsible and flaky, right?
We've taught the phrase flaky on this show before.
I think you know when they cancel 10 minutes before they stand you up right.
That's also very flaky.
And that's definitely a red flag.
Absolutely.
Okay, what's one more that we can teach our listeners here, Michelle?
The last one is a golden opportunity.
Yeah.
Another one that I feel.
I feel like my parents generation use this expression more, but it's kind of nice because it's descriptive, you know.
So it's really an amazing chance to do something that you might never get again.
Right, right, right.
Yeah, that's good.
So, for example, like getting a chance to go on that business trip to Paris was a golden opportunity because I met a ton of people in my field.
Yeah, so something that you don't get to do every day.
Yeah.
So have you had any golden opportunities lately that you can think of, Michelle?
Any golden opportunities?
I mean, I guess you know thinking about the Paris thing.
I guess when I got to go to Japan that was a golden opportunity.
Oh, that was so cool.
Yeah, that was amazing.
I'm still thinking about it all the time.
It was the best.
Oh, absolutely.
I mean, usually a golden opportunity.
So I was thinking about my road trip.
It was kind of a golden opportunity, but I created that opportunity.
No one offered it to me.
Usually a golden opportunity is used more when someone offers you something.
Would you agree with that, Michelle?
It's like someone offers you a job or a chance to do this or a chance to do that.
But at the same time, I would agree.
But at the same time like okay, so for my Japan trip.
So then I'm thinking oh, that doesn't work because I created it.
But life offers you something.
Like, I don't know that, like, I think it could still be used in that way.
But overall, I don't really hear this phrase much anymore.
Yeah.
I feel like I hear it from my parents sometimes.
So again, older generations, right?
So teaching, yeah.
Not so much from our generation, but I think it's still out there and you guys will see it written.
Yeah, sure.
But yeah.
OK, so that's what that is.
So let's dive into a role play then, Michelle, shall we?
Shall we do it?
So in this in this role play, we are two roommates and we're talking after work.
OK, great.
All right.
Go for it.
Okay.
Lindsay, you'll never believe what happened to me today.
What happened?
I got offered a job at that amazing travel company.
It will be a $20,000 increase in my salary.
Plus, I will get to travel once a month.
No way.
That sounds like a golden opportunity.
Yeah.
In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't take that other job I was thinking about.
Yeah, I remember they offered you a great salary, but there were some serious red flags.
Yeah, and it seemed like the boss would never listen.
I bet I would have ended up trying to communicate with her until I was blue in the face, with no results.
Anyways, you held out for this job.
Nice way to go.
Oh, thank you.
You held out.
I like that expression.
You held out for this job.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
What did I mean by that?
It's like I waited for it.
I didn't just settle on something that wasn't going to be good.
I waited for the right thing.
Yeah, you had the patience to not jump on the first offer, right?
Even though it wasn't ideal, you held out for it.
Good.
And I also like another bonus phrase that we had here, which is in hindsight.
In hindsight, I think that's supernatural.
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah.
Looking back when you look back.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Looking back.
So I said, yeah, in hindsight, I'm glad I didn't take that other job I was thinking about.
Okay.
So love those two phrases to hold out in hindsight.
So then we threw in a couple of these color idioms.
Where did we use them?
Michelle, the first one.
Okay, so the first one is a golden opportunity.
You said, no way, that sounds like a golden opportunity.
Yeah, exactly.
And then I said yeah, I remember they offered you a great salary, but there were some serious red flags.
Okay, yeah.
Serious signs I shouldn't do it.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And then I said I bet I would have ended up trying to communicate with her until I was blue in the face, with no results.
So until I was exhausted and wasn't successful, basically.
Exactly.
So here you're imagining a hypothetical situation, right guys, where what would have happened if you had taken that job?
OK, so don't get freaked out about the tenses, guys.
That's not the point.
That's not important.
Just kind of listen to what we're saying.
Replay this episode again and imagine that hypothetical situation in the past.
OK, cool.
Perfect.
All right.
Awesome, Michelle.
Any closing thoughts on colorful language and colorful idioms?
Anything?
Don't be blue.
Take this golden opportunity to learn English.
And try and be a little bit more green in your life so that you can save the environment.
Go green, go green, right?
Okay.
All right.
Very cool, guys.
Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.
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Okay, we're out of here.
We went a little bit over the time today.
But Michelle, I will talk to you next time.
Thanks for hanging out today.
All right.
Bye, Lindsay.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
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