This is an All Ears English podcast episode 1899.
Don't knock it till you try it.
How to get people to experiment in English.
Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become Fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection.
With your American hosts Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York radio girl.
Coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android.
Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward slash app.
Do you like to try new things?
If you have someone in your life who refuses to try something new, what can you say to them in English?
Learn one key vocabulary phrase today.
Do you ever feel like your English is good but not quite where you want it to be?
Maybe you can have conversations, but you still hesitate when expressing complex ideas.
Maybe you know what you want to say. but you can't always say it naturally.
If that sounds familiar, our B2 English fluency course was designed for you.
You'll learn how to speak more naturally, express yourself with confidence and finally stop feeling stuck at the intermediate level.
This week, you can save $50 on our basic plan or save $100 on our personal coach plan.
Go to allearsenglish.com slash B2.
That's allearsenglish.com slash letter B number two.
Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
Hey, Michelle.
I'm doing great.
What's shaking on your end?
Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing.
Have you tried anything new lately, like a new food or a new experience?
Anything different?
Yes.
You know, what I tried the other night which I regretted actually, because my mouth was on fire was buffalo sauce.
Wait, you never tried it?
I really had never tried buffalo sauce.
Really?
Because I was always confused what it meant.
Like, is this buffalo wings, buffalo sauce?
I think we've talked about this before, actually, on the show.
But I really had never tried buffalo sauce.
But the problem is I ate it in a bowl.
So I took a bowl of white rice, like sushi rice.
And then I added this weird mixture of celery and jalapenos that I had gotten from Whole Foods.
And then I put buffalo sauce on that.
And I think I ate at the same time a potent jalapeno along with the buffalo sauce.
This sounds like a crazy timeline.
My mouth was on fire, Michelle.
It was insane.
I was like, I cannot breathe.
So yeah, stay away from buffalo sauce.
Well, wait, but do you think it was just because you added the jalapeno?
Like, you think it was just too much or like, like, like, will you try it again if it was just.
That's the problem.
I don't know if it was the buffalo sauce or the jalapeno or both, but it was really.
My mouth was on fire.
It was crazy.
Oh, no.
Well, I like buffalo sauce but um, that's pretty funny.
So I mean, are you, would you say you're really open to trying new things, like like?
There are some people who like, will not try a certain type of food, or you know yeah, you know, you know, Yeah.
Yeah.
I would say, you know, for me, I like trying new things.
But sometimes like, for example, a couple of weekends ago, we were in Santa Barbara with some family California.
And, you know, Santa Barbara is a town with a lot of good wine.
Right.
It's famous for wine.
And they we went to two different wineries or kind of not wineries or just shops in town.
It's not like we're going out to the vineyard.
They wanted to do tastings, but sometimes like flights, like a little little tiny bit of this that that, that.
But for me, it's not super satisfying.
I just want to choose a wine and have a glass.
I want to fully enjoy it and just relax.
I don't want to try all these different kinds of wine.
But by the time I've had a tasting, I can't have any more wine.
So it's like I want the experience of sometimes trying something new.
I could waste an opportunity to enjoy the thing if I don't like it.
Right, right, right, right.
Interesting.
Interesting.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I mean, like for me, I hate olives.
I'm sure I've said that.
I know.
That's so crazy.
I can't even believe that.
So if there's like an olive spread, you know, like something that has olives in it.
Right, exactly.
Like I probably wouldn't try it, but I could actually be missing out on something good, right?
You could be.
Right?
Like or I may.
I think that we also like as people in general, I think there's a tendency to think that you might not like something.
Not like a movie.
Not like a... Like, I think... Okay, like, I don't particularly love running, but I've also...
You know I've run, you know a little bit in my life, you know, but like, if I actually like, tried and was motivated with a pair of running shoes, went out there.
Right.
Like and I was training.
You know like, you never know what you could get into.
Like, or My son with food.
I mean, it's a it's a crazy game out there.
Like constant battle.
Is it a constant battle trying to get him to try new things?
Yeah, it used to not.
He used to be like a great eater.
And now he became interesting.
Like, yeah, he's in like kind of a pickier stage, but he's not too bad.
But yeah, like so anyway, but let's get to this expression because.
Okay.
There's a, there's an expression that someone can use to encourage, you know, someone else to try something new and stop like, just kind of like it's basically trying to tell someone to be open minded.
Right.
Yes.
So let's see.
What is that expression?
Okay, guys, write this one down.
This is gonna be a great takeaway for today.
Don't knock it till you try it.
I love this.
Let's break this down for our listeners.
You know, what does it mean exactly?
So it means don't say something bad or think something bad about something, because you don't know if it will actually be good.
So it's basically like you don't even know if you like something you know, like you haven't opened yourself up to the chance that you might like and you might actually like something a little bit different.
Yeah.
And the expression to knock something.
What exactly does that mean on its own, Michelle?
I think knock would just be like more like being critical in some way.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Right.
And do we use that in any other like times, any other situations?
I don't really like I don't think we like, you know, you might just really.
Right.
Yeah.
I don't think I would say like oh, she was knocking the.
You know like I wouldn't say like oh, she was knocking the restaurant.
I don't know.
Yeah.
I guess I think I actually would.
Yeah, I think I would say that.
Right.
Oh, you know, well, you know, maybe don't knock that restaurant.
I would use it more in the negative form.
So I just want to make sure our listeners are clear Michelle, the difference between knock like criticize and knock like knock.
Right.
Knock on the door.
Right.
Exactly.
So that's different meanings.
Right.
I mean, but Lindsay, so do you say don't knock until you try it?
I do.
I do.
I like that.
Absolutely.
I can try to get someone to try something new.
Like, I think there are still people out there who don't want to try sushi.
They're afraid to try sushi.
I feel like as a world culture, we have started to eat sushi.
I feel like in the 80s, no one really ate sushi in American culture.
You know, I think people didn't really know what it was.
They're afraid of it.
So this might have been a good one to use back in the 80s.
Don't knock it till you try it.
Raw fish.
It's actually great.
Right.
Don't be afraid.
Right, right, right.
Exactly, exactly.
But do you think if somebody says this to you, could you find it irritating or a little annoying?
I don't know.
It depends, I guess.
No, I think it wouldn't bother me.
I think it's good to have people in your life that always remind you that you should try something new, get out of your comfort zone.
That's kind of you know.
My dad used to do that for me.
He would encourage i would always go.
I share the story about the mcdonald's happy meal.
But also when I was a kid I always at restaurants not McDonald's but just restaurants I would always order a hamburger and he would challenge me every time he'd say order something other than a hamburger.
You know, don't always order the same thing.
So it's good to have these people in our lives.
I think it's okay as long as you're not being like calling someone out or embarrassing them in any way.
What do you think, Michelle?
Yeah yeah, I think it's true, like if you're yeah, exactly as long as you're not like calling them out and you know a way, and yeah, if your intention is good like we've talked about that, you know if you have like a sincere, kind of like fun intention, I think that's fine, but if you're just like I don't know.
Sometimes, you know, people don't want to be bothered all the time.
Like if you use it like every single time with somebody who is like you know that they only like you know that they're kind of picky and they're eating or something.
And you're like constantly, you know, it just can be like bugging them.
Right.
Or sometimes people have very serious allergies.
Right.
And you may not know that.
So that may be the reason they're not going to try that thing.
Like I know two people and actually at my wedding this past summer, we could not serve fish for this reason.
We had two good friends who are deadly allergic to fish.
Really anywhere around fish.
If they get the tiniest bit on their fork, or even if they kind of like smell it, they can.
Their throats can close.
It's bad, it's bad bad, bad.
So you know, that could be a reason someone might not be trying sushi.
It's not that they're closed-minded.
It means that they have some kind of allergy or stomach issue or something that could be dangerous, Right.
That's true.
So that's a very good point.
Like, you don't know why, you know.
Yeah, you have to be careful of that.
For sure.
Yeah.
So, Michelle, this concept of till, let's just let our listeners know about that, too.
What do we need to know there?
Right, right.
We didn't say don't knock it until you try it.
Right.
We just say till, like which is short for until.
Right.
So why do you think we don't say until?
I think we like to take the easy way out when it comes to English.
You know what I mean?
We like to just say what's easy to say.
And we don't shorten till just in this phrase, right, Michelle?
There are other times we would shorten until and say till.
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Tons of times.
Right.
We were out till midnight, you know, having drinks and dancing right out till midnight all the time.
We would use it not just in specific phrases.
Exactly.
Exactly.
Till is very, very common.
Mm hmm.
Don't you hate it when you're trying to buy something online and when you finally make all of your selections and get ready to checkout, your credit card is nowhere to be found.
When this happens, I love seeing the purple pay button at the top of the checkout, because I know I won't have to dig for my card.
This simple purple button is one of the best features in all of the online shopping world and can make a huge difference in sales for your online business.
Shopify is the e-commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world and 10 of all e-commerce in the US.
From household names like Skims and Thrive Cosmetics to brands just getting started.
Get the word out like you have a marketing team behind you.
Easily create email and social media campaigns wherever your customers are scrolling or strolling.
Best yet.
Shopify is your e-commerce expert, with world-class expertise in everything from managing inventory to international shipping, to processing returns and beyond.
See fewer carts go abandoned and more sales go... with Shopify and their Shop Pay button.
Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash A-E-E.
Go to Shopify.com slash A-E-E.
That's S-H-O-P-I-F-Y.com slash A-E-E.
Okay, Michelle.
So where do we go from here?
Should we show our listeners a couple of role plays?
Let's do it.
All right, here we go.
So, oh, wow.
Look at that delicious olive spread.
Ew, Lindsay, I hate olives.
That spread must be gross.
Hey, don't knock until you try it.
Oh, Michelle, I can't believe you hate olives.
You'll never get over it.
Now I'm going to play that role now.
That's funny.
When did you first realize that you hated olives when you were a kid?
Yeah, I think so.
And I mean I can't have an olive touch, anything that I was going to like.
You know, it's just like such a strong taste.
Like if it was like on a pizza or like in a salad and I just like even know.
But but olive oil, I like.
Olive oil.
Have you tried all kinds of olive?
Is it all like if you go to Whole Foods, they always have those bars, the Mediterranean bar.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like, is it all of the olives or just certain ones?
I haven't sampled all the olives.
Michelle, don't knock until you try.
Yeah, exactly.
It might be.
I mean, maybe there would be one olive out of the bunch.
Maybe I would like.
I mean, that's true because I like pickles.
So I feel like.
Oh, OK.
Yeah.
Like it's not like I don't like that kind of like a strong taste, but I don't know.
You might be able to find a kind of all of you like.
You know, like there's a very different taste between the what are they called?
The black ones, the brown, black ones and like the more meaty green ones.
I think they're very different in taste.
So give it a try.
Give it a try.
Yeah.
Well, you never there.
Maybe there's an olive out for me.
So there might be an olive out there for you.
All right, let's do another role play.
All right, here we go.
Lindsay, you're doing hot yoga again?
Yeah, you should come with me.
I can't.
I think it would be too hard.
Come on, don't knock until you try it.
So guys, you're just seeing a lot of examples of where this would fit in, right?
Where this would make sense.
Exactly.
All right.
And let's do one more.
Okay.
I'm going skydiving with my cat.
What?
It's the latest craze.
I did it once before and it was so much fun.
That's wild.
I would never do that.
Don't knock until you try it.
I hope that's not a thing.
Oh my god.
Yeah, just the other day, Dan asked me if I would ever go skydiving and I was like no, with a cat, or just in general, any skydiving, would you?
Would you say no, would you?
Um, I'm on the fence about that.
I think I would have a hard time stepping, like taking that step off the off the helicopter or the plane or whatever you go.
I think I think I would struggle.
I'd probably waste my money.
Yeah, I come down.
Yeah, exactly.
So, yeah.
But guys, also, I wanted to highlight something.
We like we usually say it like this.
Don't knock until you try it.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's all about the intonation, guys.
Make sure you use that intonation.
Don't knock until you try it.
All right.
Very clear, clearly challenging the person a little bit.
And it's kind of a positive feeling to it.
Right, right, right, right.
Exactly.
Don't lock till you try it.
Should we go over a few more?
Do we have time or?
I think I think let's save those for another episode for our listeners.
All right.
Stay tuned.
All right.
Stay tuned, guys.
So what's the takeaway for today?
Well, first of all guys, go ahead and hit follow on All Ears English right now, so you don't miss these next episodes where we're going to follow up.
And if you have a question about today's episode, send your question to Lindsay at AllEarsEnglishcom.
We got a lot of good student questions that we're going to be answering in the next couple of episodes.
Michelle, where should we leave our listeners, though, about today's topic?
Okay.
Well, yeah.
I mean, don't knock it till you try it.
That's a really commonly used expression.
It's a way to try and get someone to get out of their comfort zone Lindsay, which is what you mentioned.
Yes.
And to you know, just like, because I think that it can be easy when you're in that moment to just feel like no, I'm not doing that.
And when someone says, don't knock it till you try it, it kind of like snaps you out of that for a second.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly.
So Michelle, what you have to do now is go to Whole Foods immediately and take a sample of every olive at the Olive Bar.
And tell us on the next episode if you found an olive that you like.
The perfect olive for me.
The perfect olive.
The olive search.
I love it.
I love it.
So good.
All right.
Well, this was fun, Lindsay.
And let's time to go skydiving with a cat.
Yeah, good luck.
Good luck with that.
I'll talk to you soon.
Bye.
Thanks for listening to all ears English.
Would you like to know your English level?
Take our two minute quiz.
Go to allearsenglish.com forward slash fluency score.
And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything.
See you next time.
