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Do phrasal verbs wind you up?
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Today we show you one of the toughest phrasal verbs in the English language and the five meanings you should know to use it.
Listen in for a high level connection skill today.
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We're all out of the ordinary.
Hey there, Aubrey.
How you doing today?
I'm great.
How are you, Lindsay?
Feeling good.
Aubrey, have you recently experienced something that didn't quite wind up the way you expected?
Any examples?
Yes.
We were watching an ASU football game and it was right at the end of the game and ASU should have won.
They were at the one yard line about to score a touchdown and they couldn't do it.
They had four tries, first down, second down, third down.
They just kept getting stopped.
The other team's defense was too good, I guess, and we were shocked.
Everyone was shocked.
We couldn't believe we lost the game.
It was nuts.
Wow, that's horrible.
Yeah, it did not wind up like we thought it was going to.
Did not wind up.
I like what you said there.
It did not wind up the way we thought it would, right?
Right.
Yeah, this phrasal verb is interesting.
Today we're sharing about all of the meanings of this phrasal verb.
We use it several different ways.
And this is actually inspired by a recent episode.
You and Michelle recorded part of your laundry series when Michelle said all her laundry winds up on the floor.
Yes, yes, that was a great series.
If you missed it, go back and check out our series on laundry.
And we'll let you know how to find it at the end of the episode.
But Aubrey, let's get into this a little bit deeper, shall we?
Yes.
And guys, be sure to hit follow if you did miss that series.
It's amazing how much you can connect over laundry.
We all have to do it.
It's actually something really great to connect about the drudgeries of life.
It's so true.
That's what we explored this summer.
A lot of the episodes that we did you and I and Michelle and I a lot of them were about those everyday moments that we all encounter and how we can make them connection moments.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So follow Allers English so you don't miss any of these amazing connection moments.
But yeah, let's dive in with this first meaning to wind up, meaning to end up in a situation that's usually unexpected.
Yes.
Okay.
So to end up in a situation.
So for example, here is a sample sentence.
If you keep skipping classes, you'll wind up failing the course. right?
Yeah.
So this is very similar to end up.
We say end up and wind up.
This will be the result of an action.
We're going to say you'll wind up regretting it.
If you do that, you'll wind up failing.
Yeah.
I bet a lot of pain point for our listeners here might be the past tense.
How do we even say the past tense to wind up?
Yeah, this is tricky.
So in past tense, it's wound up.
So for example, you might say he wound up in Paris after taking the wrong train.
So he ended up in Paris after Maybe he was meant to go to Rome, but he was on the wrong train.
So he wound up in Paris.
Yeah.
I think something like that happened to my mother-in-law in Italy, actually.
There's a story, family lore, but I think it's true.
I think she somehow forgot to get off a train in Italy and ended up out on the countryside or something, just like eight hours away, or something.
I've been there.
I'll fall asleep on a train and not get off on my stop.
Well, I guess this is where we're going to be today.
Yeah.
These things happen.
It's perfectly human.
And what's another meeting, Aubrey?
Yeah.
So the next one is to conclude something, right?
To bring something to an end.
Yes.
So for example, a meeting, right?
Let's wind up the meeting.
We've covered everything on the agenda.
It means like, let's conclude the meeting, but a more informal way of saying that.
And to go along with this, I've heard wind up.
I've heard this phrase being used to uh, to like um, close down a company.
It's ironic because closed down means the same thing.
But to close down a company in the sense of do your final accounting for a given year, to wind up the records for that company and that'll be the last filing you'll do for a company, i've heard this is very specific.
Some of our listeners who are in accounting will probably know it are familiar yeah, but anyways okay, what else aubrey?
Yeah, this is interesting.
So not just meetings, right?
You could also say like by midnight, the party was winding up.
It means it was concluding.
Everyone's leaving.
We can tell like it's almost over.
It's winding up.
Oh my gosh.
This phrasal verb is fascinating because it makes no sense between this one and the next one.
Oh, but there's an example here.
That's exactly what you were talking about.
I think the company plans to wind up its operations by the end of the year.
Okay, that meaning, right?
That's it right there.
But then that totally makes it weird.
The next meaning to irritate or annoy someone because in a way you're starting them up.
For the next meaning.
The next bucket is to irritate or annoy someone.
Aubrey, can you give us some examples?
So tricky.
So, for example, she really knows how to wind up her little brother.
I say this all the time because my twins, she knows how to wind up her brother.
It means she knows how to push his buttons, how to irritate him.
And we all know this about our siblings, right?
Exactly.
But it's so counterintuitive because we just talked about winding up, meaning finishing something.
But now we're talking about like starting up someone's energy and getting them riled up.
Exactly.
That is what's really crazy about this phrasal verb that its meanings seem so opposite.
Right.
We've shared all of these that mean like more finishing something, concluding something.
And then this means to get someone going, get someone started, as well as the next meaning, which is like winding up a toy or a clock.
In this case as well, it means to tighten something or prepare something by winding it or turning it.
So for example, I need to wind up the old clock every week.
So you're preparing it to go, to go like to, yeah, to run.
Or he wound up the toy and let it go.
So there used to be a lot of toys with more like a crank that you would turn and wind it up and then it would go for a while instead of using battery power.
Mm hmm.
Yep.
I know exactly what you're talking about.
And then the last one, just one more, guys, we promise there are so many.
And then this is to cause someone to feel tense or nervous.
So kind of related to like irritating or annoying someone, but not exactly the same thing.
Yeah, it's interesting.
It's sort of a different feeling.
For example, don't wind yourself up about things you can't control.
Or we'll hear this more often.
We'll say, don't get wound up.
We'll sort of use it in the passive.
Don't get wound up by what he says.
He's trying to get your goat.
He's trying to irritate you.
Don't let him wind you up.
Yeah.
So don't let your emotions get up to here.
Just relax.
Don't let it get to you.
Wow.
Those are five very different meanings there, Aubrey.
So we're going to take a quick break and then we'll break it down into a role play.
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We're all out of the ordinary.
Okay, Aubrey, we're back from break.
And now, in this roleplay, we are friends playing a board game, maybe Monopoly or something like that.
This is right up my alley.
I love a board game.
All right, I'll start us out.
I can't believe I wound up at the wrong cafe this morning.
I was supposed to meet Sarah, but somehow I ended up on the wrong side of town.
That could happen to anyone.
Don't get wound up about it.
Easier said than done.
My little brother won't stop trying to wind me up about it.
He keeps saying I have no sense of direction.
That's totally something my brother would do.
Okay, we need to wind up this game so we can get ready for the party.
Otherwise, we'll wind up being late.
Good idea.
I also need to wind up that old clock before we leave.
Otherwise, it'll stop while we're gone.
Oh my gosh.
I had to squeeze them all into this.
Yeah.
We probably wouldn't say obviously this much wind up in a conversation.
But just for the sake of examples, we've got them here.
Where do we start?
If you did, it would almost be like intentional by the end.
Be like, speaking of winding up, I need to wind up this clock.
And I think we've actually done an episode on that.
Sometimes native speakers riff on each other and they go back and forth.
And they banter by actually coming up with different uses that mean something different, right?
Exactly.
Intentionally doing that play on words, the double meanings of things.
And so this potentially could happen when you realize like, we've used wind up three different ways.
I'm going to intentionally say something else that I need to wind up.
Totally.
And that's when you know you are like C2 level or higher, in my opinion, right, Aubrey?
Because in your mind, all of the meanings of wind up that you could throw into the conversation.
That's huge.
So let's break it down for our listeners.
And guys, again, don't worry.
This is kind of a challenging episode today.
I have to say that.
So don't worry if you're not getting all these meanings.
Just aim to get one or two of them and dip a toe in the water, and then we'll add more later, okay?
Yes.
Absolutely.
All right.
So I first said, I can't believe I wound up at the wrong cafe.
So that means I found myself there.
I ended up at the wrong cafe.
I was supposed to meet Sarah, but I took maybe the wrong bus or train and I ended up, or wound up, in the wrong place.
Yes.
And then I said, that could happen to anyone.
Don't get wound up about it.
So I'm trying to calm you down because you were nervous about it.
And I'm saying it's okay.
Right?
Exactly.
And this one's really interesting as far as connection, right?
I would say this to a friend, like okay, don't get wound up about it, but sparingly, because it is sort of giving someone the message that like they shouldn't be feeling their feelings right.
We're allowed to be irritated or annoyed with ourselves.
And if you say, don't get wound up about it, you're kind of telling someone they're overreacting.
So this is one to sort of be careful with, wouldn't you say, Lindsay?
Yeah, I agree.
You got to be careful there for sure.
So tread lightly.
But if you feel like it's appropriate in that moment and it could help them, you know, especially if The person's done something that you know like they feel guilty about, like they feel it's going to affect you and you want to make it clear to them it's okay, shouldn't be upset.
Yeah, definitely not something to get wound up over.
Yeah yeah, though it's interesting.
In that case, I think I would say like, don't worry about it, not something to be upset about.
Yeah yeah, wound up, i do feel i would.
I don't know that i would use it that way as much, because i would be worried that that they would think i'm discounting their emotions.
Right, that makes sense.
Yeah, i love it, i love it okay.
The next one.
Um, then you said easier said than done, my little brother won't stop trying to wind me up about it.
Now, this means he's pushing your buttons right, he's right saying all the wrong things.
I had ended up at the wrong cafe.
I told my brother about it and he's teasing me.
He's making fun of me for whatever happened.
If I missed the train, whatever it was, he's trying to wind me up.
This really is the sibling dynamic.
It's rare that friends do this, but siblings do it all the time, intentionally trying to irritate you.
Yes, that totally is.
100%.
Then what did I say, Aubrey?
Next, you said, okay, we need to wind up this game so we can get ready for the party.
So we're playing a board game.
You're saying we need to conclude the game.
We need to finish up or we're going to be or we're going to wind up being late.
And this is the meaning of end up.
This will be the final results, right?
So we're using two different meanings, even just in this one sentence.
Exactly.
Right.
Which we do because these are such different meanings.
A native speaker wouldn't even realize they're using the phrasal verb, necessarily the same phrasal verb, because the meanings are so different.
It's so true.
And then you said, good idea.
Oh, I also need to wind up the clock.
So you need to crank.
Another word would be to crank it, right?
To crank the clock a little bit.
Exactly.
Right.
This is low-tech clock where you have to wind it, there's no battery, there's no electric power and once you wind it and that runs out, that's going to not tell time correctly anymore.
It's a pretty old school clock.
Yeah, i think our gen z listeners might have no idea what we're like what, what.
Why would anyone ever want a wind-up clock?
Oh, gosh.
All right.
So Aubrey, where is that other episode about laundry that we could check out if we missed that series?
This was All Ears English.
2487 Laundry in English.
Part 3 Overwhelmed by Laundry.
Make it a Connection Moment.
And this really was great with advice, strategies to connect over those things that we all have to deal with.
Nobody loves.
Might as well talk about it.
Right.
Might as well talk about it.
Love it.
And what's our takeaway for today?
I mean, we this like I said, this is a challenging episode.
So don't you know, don't feel bad if you're not getting all five of these meanings.
Right.
Right.
If phrasal verbs wind you up, you are not alone.
Right.
They are frustrating, especially when one phrasal verb. can have so many different meanings.
This can be very confusing.
It does help now that you're aware of all of these different meanings.
So if you see wind up and you've learned one meaning, you're not going to make the mistake of assuming it's that.
You know, oh, there's actually a bunch of meanings for this phrasal verb.
So you'll recognize and not make that mistake.
You got it.
Guys, hit the follow button if you don't want to miss a single episode of All Ears English.
And Aubrey, I'll see you next time.
Thanks for being on the show today.
Yes.
Awesome.
See you next time.
All right.
Take care.
Bye.
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