This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 84.
Do you know how to be happy?
Learn six idioms in English.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast where you'll finally get real native English conversation and fluency for business and life.
We believe in connection, not perfection when it comes to learning English.
Now here are your hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl, coming to you from Boston and New York City, USA.
Hey.
In this episode, you'll get six ways to use the word happy in American English idioms.
Listen in today.
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Hey, Aubrey, are you feeling happy today?
I am feeling happy today.
What about you?
I'm feeling happy because I'm on the microphone.
Guys, we love podcasting.
It makes us happy.
You can probably hear the smiles on our faces.
And just to let our listeners know what's going on.
Guys, on our team we have Aubrey Michelle, Jessica and me, Lindsay.
Aubrey's in today.
Sometimes you'll hear Michelle on these episodes and sometimes you'll hear Jessica, but we always have good conversation.
Right, Aubrey?
Yes, exactly.
It's so fun to be here.
I'm also over on our other podcast, IELTS Energy.
So if you happen to be studying for IELTS, make sure you're subscribed to that one as well.
So subscribe to both of our podcasts, IELTS Energy and All Ears English.
Alright, awesome.
And today we're talking about exactly that being happy, the concept of being happy and how we can add the word happy into different idioms to sound relevant.
But what about happy in the media? right?
It's everywhere.
I feel like some of my favorite movies and TV shows have had the word happy.
There's a great series.
It only was two seasons.
It's called happy endings, but it's back on streaming.
So I've been recommending it to everyone.
It's so funny.
It has one of the way in brothers um, kids.
I can't think of his name, but he's hilarious.
It's a fun kind of a rom-com.
I love that that's so good and there's so many.
I mean, they're not just the word happy in songs or names, but there's so many songs about happiness because i feel like this is what everyone wants.
I know right, there's more than anything.
Happiness is a worm gun.
Happy by pharrell williams Yeah,
There's the movie Happy Feet, right?
Isn't that a movie?
Yes, about a penguin.
It's so cute.
Have you seen it?
I haven't.
I've only heard of it, but I would like to see it.
I've seen it because I have kids multiple times.
It's really cute.
And then Happy Gilmore.
There are so many movies, songs, TVs, series.
There's so many because like I said before, it's what we all want.
And more than anything else, I really think that that's kind of the reason that we're here is just really to be happy.
It sounds like a cliche, but it's what we all want.
So guys, that's why the word happy is really baked into the English language.
Yes, and you're going to see it in idioms all the time.
So we're going to share six of the most popular idioms today that are related to happiness.
We want to make sure you guys understand these and are able to use them.
Yeah, this is so good.
So guys, write these down.
Get ready.
These are gold for connection.
You got to use idioms to connect with a native speaker in English.
So the first one is to be a happy camper.
Now, Aubrey, are we talking about camping and tents and stoves and...
No, right?
It's not really related to actual camping, which is funny, because the average person that goes camping I know this does not apply to you or I because we both love camping, but I think the average person that goes goes one time and hates it.
And they're not happy when they're camping.
Yes.
Yeah, that's a good point.
This idiom doesn't refer to actual camping.
It just is talking about someone who's in a good mood, who's content, right?
So you'd say that kid has ice cream.
He's a happy camper.
Exactly.
To be a hey, you look like a happy camper.
What's going on?
Guys, really good, really useful.
Just to say someone is feeling comfortable.
They're feeling good in the world.
Yeah, I love saying you sort of say it silly to say someone's a happy camper.
If someone comes into the room just in a really good mood.
Oh, that gives me an idea for a future episode.
We could do a whole episode about using that someone.
Someone's this, someone's that.
I do that all the time.
Someone's grumpy.
Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Not going to name names, but it's you.
But I'm talking to you.
That's so good.
I love it, guys.
Guys, stay tuned for that episode.
We're always making new episodes here.
So make sure you hit follow on your podcast player so you don't miss All Ears English.
So this one I love, happy hour, right?
Because you guys know I love craft beer.
And this is when drinks are usually a little bit cheaper between about 5 and 7 p.m.
Exactly.
And we've talked about this in one of our group conversations for conversations and coffee, because it's not a thing everywhere, right?
But in the United States this is a big part of our culture that almost every bar restaurant, eatery has a happy hour sometimes half-priced appetizers, cheaper drinks, and it's a very social thing, fun thing to do.
So definitely if you're living in the states, you got to meet some friends for a happy hour.
Go to happy.
It's just, it's nice, it's easy, it's low commitment or it's just a few hours.
You're not committing to an entire evening or an entire day of socializing.
You're just out there, have a quick bite to eat, a quick drink and then go home.
It's great.
Yes, it's so fun, It's so good.
All right.
What's the next one for our listeners?
To be happy as a clam.
This is fun.
So a clam is a shellfish, right?
The one that you can sometimes find a pearl in.
Or is that an oyster?
I think that's an oyster.
But anyways, I don't know why we say happy as a clam, because maybe they look like they're smiling when they're closed.
Maybe.
Are they happier than, for example, a shrimp?
I don't know.
But yeah, we just say, you know, happy as a clam just as a fun way to say you're happy.
Maybe if you just had a good meal with friends or you're spending time with family, you say I'm just happy as a clam right now.
Yeah, that's so good.
That's so good.
You know, ways that you can articulate.
I mean, I remember one time you shared with us a story Aubrey, that you were just, you were camping with your family and you realized that all of a sudden you were just happy, like you were just content.
Things were good.
And I have those moments a lot, too.
What could we say in those moments?
Right.
This kind of thing we could say.
Yeah, because this sort of expresses like a general contentedness with the world, too.
Right.
If you say like, oh, I'm happy as a clam, you're sort of saying overall, I'm happy with life.
Yeah, exactly.
We want the tools because if you can articulate that moment, maybe your friend next to you is sharing that feeling.
That's kind of a moment of you think about in Buddhism, we talk about a moment of enlightenment, right?
You feel that like pureness in the world and you're just happy.
Yes.
And what a shame would that be to keep it to yourself, right?
You should definitely share that sentiment with those around you.
It's going to build everyone up.
Whenever someone shares with me that they're feeling happy, I leave that conversation feeling better.
I love it.
That is so good.
So good.
All right.
What's the next one, Aubrey?
To be happy, go lucky.
This is fun.
This is like someone who's always looking on the bright side.
They're easily happy.
They seem really positive and happy all the time.
I feel like every member of our team is pretty happy, go lucky.
Pretty much.
Pretty much.
I think we have a very positive vibe going on our team.
And I think we all feed into each other in that way.
So it's a really, really nice combination.
Yes, this is a fun one.
You guys will have to come back to the blog to see how it's written.
It's three words with hyphens.
It looks kind of funny written.
It seems so... informal, right?
And it is a little more informal.
You'd sort of you know you wouldn't include this in an essay or, you know, maybe in a job interview.
So much, but it's a fun informal sort of slang idiom.
Yeah, it's a good way to describe someone too.
Oh, what's your friend like?
Oh, she's pretty happy-go-lucky.
You know, she's relaxed.
She likes to have a good time, you know, that kind of thing, right?
Yeah, it definitely implies someone being pretty laid back as well.
Hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Totally.
All right.
And we have one more for our listeners here.
And this is kind of about negotiating, right?
Yes.
We say to strike a happy medium.
So this is when someone's compromising.
If you're finding a balance between two things or between two points of view, you'd say okay, I think we have struck a happy medium here.
Yeah, this is all relationships.
This is what they're about.
Relationships, families, right?
You have to find that balance.
You have to compromise, give concessions, that kind of thing.
Exactly right.
If there's something that's not a deal breaker, then you can find that happy medium and figure out a way to make it work.
Yeah.
Do you find this comes naturally for you, Aubrey?
Or are you kind of a little more obstinate and want to just kind of have your way?
What do you think?
This does come easily to me.
I'm definitely a peacemaker by nature.
There are five of us siblings and I'm definitely the one who's always helping people compromise and negotiate and Iron out any troubles people are having.
I'm like OK, I can be the one to find a happy medium between my brother and my sister, so that there's peace for everyone.
That's good.
We need that person in the room for sure.
What about you?
Let's see.
Yeah, I would say, I am pretty, I'm pretty convincible, because I also this might also be a gender thing.
I'm not sure.
I don't know what the research is, but I would guess that society has taught us as women to kind of tend towards that or try to find that more.
That's very deep, Lindsay.
It's true.
I would say the average woman I know is a little more willing to compromise their opinion.
Sometimes they just don't have...
They can't be stubborn, because if they're trying to keep the peace with everyone else, maybe the men in the room are being stubborn.
And it might be a cultural thing.
I would say this definitely is the case often in the United States, but it might be different elsewhere.
Let's hope.
Oh, my gosh.
There are layers to language, right?
We love to talk about that, guys, on this show.
Gender, culture, all these different things, you know, income, sociological position in society.
We talk about all this good stuff on this show.
So make sure you follow All Ears English.
Yes, exactly.
Four new episodes every week.
So follow or subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.
All right.
Good stuff.
I'll see you soon, Aubrey.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
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