This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2069.
Can mean ever be nice?
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What is your signature dish?
Is there something you like to make for parties that you think tastes great?
Today, find out how to use the word mean when you refer to your signature dish and more for work or social parties.
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Hello, Michelle.
What's shaking?
Not too much.
Lindsay, how are you?
I'm fantastic.
What's going on today?
What are we talking about?
I have a question.
Can mean ever be nice or can mean ever be a good thing?
I would say it can in a very special way. right?
It sounds weird what we're talking about, but you guys will get it once we get into it today.
It can be used actually as a slang, which doesn't mean bad or evil at all.
It just means the opposite.
Yes.
It's so funny to have a different, totally different meaning to this, because normally you hear the word mean and it's not good thing, right?
You wouldn't want to be called mean, um.
So today we are going to talk about a new way to use the word mean to actually say something good.
Yeah, and these are the things that you don't get in a textbook.
You don't get them, you know, in a standard dictionary.
You know, this is right.
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So you know, our focus is connection, not perfection.
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Now is the time, right, Michelle?
Yeah.
Go for it.
And also listen, guys, we'll direct you to a past episode, which is a great one to listen to.
We recently did episode 2058 was Five Years Down the Road, Future Plans in English.
Love that.
All right.
So let's get into an example so our listeners know exactly what we're talking about.
Yeah, all right.
So if i say to you lindsay, i make a mean apple pie, so does that mean the apple pie is rude or nasty or bites people?
Or you mean like dropping insult, and yeah, bites people yeah um no, i hope not right, it means it's actually really really good.
So that's yes yeah yes, exactly guys.
So recently i heard this and i was like this is a good one to do so.
Yeah, it basically means amazing um, And you would only use it before something.
I think, like the construction would be a mean something, right.
Yeah, totally.
I mean, and it's often used.
I mean we're going to see examples today, but often used around like I make something, like I Yeah, it's definitely like I create something.
I make a mean like make.
It's often paired with make too, isn't it?
Yeah, I think so.
I think so.
Yeah.
Some sort of creation process.
And you wouldn't just like you can't just.
Switch the meaning.
Like I said, it would be that construction.
Ah, mean something.
You wouldn't say like, oh, that's mean instead of that's amazing.
That's an important point, right?
Because sometimes we might use it for other examples, like the word cool or right awesome right, i make us right, that's a good point, right?
You can say i make a sick something right like uh, sick apple pie.
I guess you could say that it's not as good as mean, but then someone would say oh, that is sick.
You can say that, but with this, in this case, you can't.
You can't say that as mean.
Yeah, that's mean.
Yeah, i don't think so.
Yeah, not really, that's me nah um so, so anyway.
So, but saying mean kind of has a confidence about it.
I mean, this is when you're almost like bragging a little bit, having a little fun with it.
What do you think?
Yeah, especially and it's definitely for kind of the arts, i would say, a little bit like cooking again, creating something.
It does drop some confidence, like you show some confidence when you say that i make a mean xyz meat and tomato soup or something right.
Yes, yes, yes, exactly.
So would you say this?
Like, would you express that confidence?
Well, not about my kitchen skills, Michelle.
Come on, you know I don't cook, that's true.
I definitely don't bake, that's for sure, because baking is even harder than cooking.
So not really, i don't think i can say this about anything.
We make a mean podcast episode michelle yeah, that's right.
That's right.
Um yeah, i mean, i think.
But i do think that it can be most frequently also like used with just a talent in general.
So, like we talked about cooking, of course creating, playing something, so you might say like oh, i play a mean game of checkers yeah Yeah, you could say that.
Do you like checkers?
I like checkers.
I'm not against checkers.
You're not against it?
That's good.
I actually recently tried to teach my son checkers.
Oh, cute.
He was good.
It was kind of tricky to teach him the jumping part.
But actually he was like he was catching on more.
It's like he's at the age where now i'm like, oh whoa, you're like a person and you can start to do things.
It's very cool, that's fine.
Um, and now let's get back to tomato soup.
Since we both thought of it lindsey, what's the next example?
If you say charlie makes a mean tomato soup completely from scratch oh, there's nothing better than a good grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup any time of the year michelle, not just winter.
Anytime exactly, exactly.
I do love um, That's good.
And the next one is he plays a mean guitar solo.
So that's like a talent, right?
I like that.
I like that.
I like that.
Yeah, exactly.
So that's and that's kind of going to creating something.
It's within the realm of the arts, music, food, maybe like a work of art, a physical work of art.
Trying to think of what other examples.
We'll get into it here.
Yeah okay michelle, so you're gonna ask me a question here, but i have no, i am like you already.
Are that okay?
What are the?
Do you have any hidden talents or things that you might not have shared with us that you might use mean with, even if it just i don't know, not really.
I mean, i like to think i make a good grilled cheese, but it's really not a mean one, because if i compare it just like i like to put um mustard on a grilled cheese and pickles, recently i learned if you take pickles, like dill pickles, you know like what you'd put on a hamburger and load it up in a grilled cheese with some kind of a mustard um, like a dijon, and then really good cheese, it's nice because the pickles are salty against the cheese.
Yeah okay, now you're making me hungry.
That sounds like like sorry, say it again.
So pickle, so what dill pickles and dijon and mustard.
And some people might think that's crazy, but I don't know.
I like it.
No, no, no.
That's totally – that's my speed.
That's your speed.
Yeah, there used to be this place, guys, because, you know, I'm in New York.
There used to be – you know Chelsea Market, of course.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
They used to have this amazing grilled cheese place and it was my favorite because they would put on the one I would get.
I would get it like with like a fig – spread like a jam.
That's good.
Oh my god, those are.
Yeah, i love a grilled, a good grilled cheeses.
Maybe i'm gonna make that for lunch and michelle i know you've shared with us on the podcast, before you make a mean peanut butter and cheese sandwich.
Don't you?
Did you say that?
Good memory.
I do like a peanut butter cheese.
Yes.
That's all thanks to my very strange brother who comes up with these things.
That's very strange.
Peanut butter and cheese.
But the cool thing is you can also use this for like exaggerating or making fun of yourself.
Maybe it's just something you think is good, but no one else does.
Like, that's totally a great way to use this, isn't it, Michelle?
Right, right.
I could be like, oh, hey, anybody want lunch?
I make a mean peanut butter and cheese sandwich.
And people say, I think we'll order out.
Yes, yes, exactly.
But yeah, I was thinking it's funny because I wrote, guys, I wrote, I make a mean sandwich.
And I wasn't even thinking of that.
But I was thinking, like, what do I cook?
Well, and the best thing I could come up with is a sandwich.
And it's funny because you also said grilled cheese.
So, Lindsay...
We got to have a sandwich making contest on the show.
That would be fun.
Oh, rating our sandwiches, a contest.
That'd be fun.
So is it formal or informal?
I mean, would you use it at work, in the business world?
What do we think?
I think that it's a little bit informal, like a little bit just like with a personality, but I don't think that it's like it wouldn't use it at work.
Again, we always talk about that company culture, whatever it is, but it does have like a personality to it.
I make a mean you know apple pie.
I make a mean uh, smoothie.
Totally, we always come back to you know guys, check out our other podcast, business english, because over there we say we're all human beings at work.
We don't become robots as soon as we enter the building and scan our little tag and go through the security right.
If you work for a big corporation, you're a human being.
So it's totally legitimate to come in and, and someone asked you, what'd you do over the weekend?
Oh, you know, we, you know, I made a meet, just, you can bring this into a conversation.
Maybe it's not in the middle of the meeting.
Sure.
Sure.
Yes, exactly.
I mean it just gives some variety and it kind of gives you a way to show off some talent, sound super confident or maybe even compliment someone.
I'm like, oh, yeah, you make a wow.
Like, even if you're at a dinner like oh my God Lindsay, you make a mean spinach artichoke dip for sure.
A dinner or if you're at work, if you're talking about a company barbecue, you volunteer and say I'll bring you know the ambrosia.
That's the first thing that came to my head, because I grew up in the Northeast, where they eat a lot of ambrosia.
Weird food.
By the way out, here in the West people don't like mayo based foods.
Like they think it's very weird.
But on the East Coast and the Midwest, like like ambrosia, like anything that has white stuff in it, people tend to like they prefer spicy things like a green chili base right, like a chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad these are all things i grew up eating on the east coast yeah, and are super common, but out here you don't see these things as much.
Really, chicken salad you can get it in some places, but i think they make it for the people from the east, like i don't think it's a comment, like it's not something that people tend to order out here broadly so, of course.
So i actually literally just had to look up what is ambrosia, because it's weird.
I did, i didn't, i've never had it.
Is it good?
I mean it's yeah, it's something we used to have at barbecues when i was a kid.
I think it's good.
It's more of a dessert.
It has like marshmallows, coconut i guess, sour cream, but like sweet sour yeah, sugar It's good.
OK, maybe it's just my upbringing.
That was interesting.
No, I mean, I mean, I like marshmallows.
So I mean, so anyway, the pictures look good.
But anyway, side point.
Side point.
Yeah, guys.
So let's it just it's just kind of fun and spunky shows your personality.
So let's totally let's do a role play.
All right.
Here we go, Michelle.
We are friends at a party.
Here we go.
OK.
Hey, Michelle.
So glad you could make it.
Oh, thanks for inviting me, man.
You throw a mean party.
Thank you.
The spread over there looks incredible.
What can I say, Michelle?
I make a mean spinach artichoke dip.
Go try it.
I will.
Okay.
That's so weird because I didn't even read the spinach artichoke.
I just pulled it as an example a few minutes ago when we were talking and then I'm like reading it and it's like, it's just, funny to watch my train of thought because I guess that's what I went to first then and now anyway yeah no no totally this is a really realistic role play I think yeah yeah right yeah even though we used it twice like I think I think you know it's just kind of fun so first I said yeah first I said man you throw a mean party I don't mean the party is rude no this is great I'm glad that we went outside of cooking a little bit here with this example because it's not just cooking or art or some form of creation it could also be an event right you throw a mean dinner party uh mean yeah yeah i like it you throw a mean party so but you have to really mean it too mean it you have to look at the party and say oh my gosh there's so many people here everyone looks like they're having fun michelle you throw a mean party right thank you yeah and then what did you say all right so what can i say michelle i make a mean spinach artichoke dip go try it right good example it's usually just yes and also i wouldn't say i make a mean xyz for everything i make it's like a signature dish dish right it's your signature thing whether it's good or not yeah it reminds me of um we did an episode we'd have to find guys uh uh did like oh my go-to my go-to yeah like yeah of that yeah and you've kind of honed it over the years you make a mean xyz i love it so good yeah all right how is this a connection skill how does this come back to human connection let's talk about well this is it's just so much fun um it's a great way to like in this role play i complimented you with it and you also shared your talent with me so it's it's you can use it about someone else you can use it about yourself you can have a little bit of fun with it and i think it's just a fun way to use a word that typically has a very different meaning right it also sounds it also sounds cool like it sounds like cool and fun yeah so i think it's it just it shows some it's a different way to compliment someone or talk about your talents rather than like oh this salad is great like Yeah.
You don't want to use it all the time.
Like you'll go into the party and like, Hey, this is a mean salad.
Oh my gosh, Lindsay, you made a mean brownie.
Like, you know, you don't want to use it that much, but from time to time, that'd be weird.
I think just throwing in these fun, really modern, cool sounding phrases make it shows people that you're alive, like you, you have enthusiasm for something and you especially when you're talking about your creation, the signature dish, the artichoke dip or the grilled cheese, you're just showing a sense of energy and that's something that people want to connect to right.
People want to be around that, so that's why it's a connection skill.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh, i love it all right.
Well, this is fun, lindsay.
Thanks for talking about this with me today.
Good stuff, Michelle.
I'll talk to you very soon.
You have a good day.
And guys hit, follow on all ears English.
If you believe in our slogan, our motto, which is connection, not perfection.
All right.
Awesome.
All right, Lindsay, have a good one.
Take care.
Bye.
Bye.
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