This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2077.
What makes you happy?
How to tease someone in English for connection.
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Is Michelle comma happy?
On today's episode we talk about a unique way to use the word happy to talk about overdoing something.
Learn how to use this in your conversations today.
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Hello, Michelle.
How's it going?
Hi, Lindsay.
Good.
How are you?
I'm feeling solid today.
Everything's good.
It's a sunny day here in Denver.
What about in New York?
Are you feeling happy?
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah, I'm generally a pretty happy person.
Well, especially when I'm on the mic.
I mean...
We love podcasting.
So yeah.
Yeah.
Good.
Good.
Good.
Well, today, guys, we are going to talk about a different way to use the word happy.
And it's just a different way that it is used in conversation.
It's more of a slang way.
So this is going to be fun.
Oh, I love it.
I think our listeners really want to hear that insider English, right?
The real English, the English that...
You might not see in a textbook, but this is what native speakers use.
So let's get into it.
What is another way that we might use happy?
All right.
Well, I'm going to take you guys back to when I was in fourth grade, fourth grade, Michelle.
And I remember my teacher, Mrs. Weston.
I remember that she used to joke that I was comma happy.
I guess we were learning punctuation and all this stuff.
So Lindsay, when you hear punctuation, if I, when I'm telling you oh, I was comma happy, does that mean I'm happy about commas?
Like, what does that mean to you?
To me, it says that you used commas a lot.
Like you were dropping commas like crazy.
Boom, boom.
There's a comma, another comma around the corner.
Oprah giving out a comma for you.
Comma for you.
Yeah.
She's like, you get this, you get that.
You get a car, you get a car, you get a comma.
Um, yeah.
So it that I loved to use them.
I would use them a lot.
And this was true in fourth grade.
And I never forgot her saying that.
It's funny how things stick with you.
I never forgot that.
And it is true.
For a while, I was very comma happy.
And even sometimes now I'll want to... Now I think I've gone the other way.
Okay.
So now nothing?
No punctuation whatsoever?
No, I think... Stream of consciousness?
Just...
No, I think I'm better now, but I feel I finally understand commas, but commas are tricky.
But yeah, sometimes I think we tend to want to just put in more, just in case, but then sometimes it's just not necessary.
So I think I've since gotten a better handle on my comma use.
But yeah, comma happy.
So that's what we're talking about.
So using happy in this way, it's pretty common.
Do you ever hear this?
I do.
And know i've used it before, but i can't quite think of an example of when i've used it, but i definitely have heard it.
It's when someone uses something a lot or really enjoys something, but they're just very heavy in one area, right.
So you're x happy, right.
Structure is x happy blank happy, right.
And the blank is what form of speech michelle?
Yeah, it's a noun.
Generally i can't.
Yeah yeah, i would.
I would say generally it's a noun.
You might be able to play with it a little bit, but usually a noun.
But yeah, I mean, this isn't super common, but this is a fun way to say that someone does something too much or overuses something.
So it has that kind of teasing... thing about it you know it's like a little teasing my teacher was oh you're comma happy it's it's a joke you're making a joke about it so sometimes that's what we have to do to build the connection right we don't want to come out and say you do this too much it's too direct it's too it could be rude instead we can play around with language and still have connection and call someone out maybe tease them like you said michelle about something but just yeah bring it out into the open right right right right exactly so guys we also want to direct you to a recent episode speaking of when you were kids right when i was in fourth grade uh about travel this is episode 2062 was international travel with your kids in tow tell us what you think so listen to that one as well yeah that was fun hearing about your trip you're traveling abroad so fun oh my gosh yeah yeah good stuff um All right.
So like I said, you can use it to tease someone or to tease yourself.
Like I could say, oh, I'm totally comma happy.
I might say I'm exclamation point happy.
I'm sure we've talked about that.
Right.
That's worse than being comma happy, I think.
Yeah.
Exclamation points yeah yeah, well.
So let's do some other examples that are not about punctuation.
So, all right.
So here's an example for the working world their boss was meeting happy, so they had a meeting every other day.
Oh, that could, could get pretty annoying for team members, employees.
Right, that's a lot.
That's a lot of meetings.
Yeah yeah, some companies do, though.
They have like a stand-up.
They call them every, you know, end of day stand up, beginning of day, stand up.
Um, pretty intense, i think.
Yeah yeah, that's a lot.
You have to think about how productive are those meetings.
Right right, what else?
Okay so um uh, i just lost my spot.
Oh okay, here we go.
I'm a little salt happy when it comes to cooking, so let me know if you don't want too much salt.
That's a great example when you're cooking right, because you're adding.
It's not, you know, when you say oh, you were a little uh, sugar happy on these cookies, that's cool, because that's not going to be rude or come off as an attack of character, that's just.
Hey, you kind of went crazy, you went overboard a little bit here.
Yeah right yes exactly, a little high level.
Do you cook with a lot of salt?
Uh, i don't really cook in general michelle, that's true.
Why did i ask?
All right, what else?
So here's the next one.
You're really water bottle happy.
Maybe you should just buy yourself a good one.
That's everyone out here in Colorado.
Everyone out here carries a water bottle.
You could find memes on YouTube about a typical Coloradan and I guarantee you they'll have a water bottle with stickers in their hand.
It's just Colorado culture.
It is so funny.
Actually, I'm going to send you something on YouTube that's really funny, making fun of Coloradans.
I love it.
And I am one, so I can do that.
Yes, that's right.
That's right.
So do you find that you like fall into the typical Coloradan?
I try to not fall into the cliche as much.
But yes, I'm the one who says when people come here to visit, you have to drink more water.
Right.
So all right, this is good.
This is super high level.
I think our listeners are ready for another example.
All right.
So here we go.
Wow.
This channel is too commercial happy.
I'll just fast forward through them.
Nice.
All right, Michelle.
So can this be used with everything in every situation at work?
Where would we use this?
Yeah, I don't think it can be used all the time.
Like you don't want to use it all the time.
It can sound a little awkward.
So this is like an example of when you should listen and get the feel of something, because this is kind of creating your own word um, And sometimes it works.
And sometimes it might sound a little awkward, but it's okay, because we all do it.
We all experiment with language.
And but but do realize that that has a little teasing.
It's not it has a little undertone of being teasing or even in a way like a little critical.
So just consider that think about that before you use it.
Yeah, I think when it comes to real English, it's about context, guys.
It's always, it always English about maintaining the human connection.
And so you need to already have a nice connection, relationship built, a rapport with that person before you start saying oh, you were a little salt happy with this meal, but it's great.
You need to be in a place where you can tease someone.
And for some people that builds a stronger rapport when you can get there, right?
So this is the English to do it.
Yeah, Michelle.
Definitely.
Yeah.
So Michelle, speaking of being happy, what is one thing I miss living in New York?
But what's one thing that that makes you happy about life in New York?
Oh, Lindsay, so many things.
But I would say one of my favorite things about living in New York is that it's extremely international.
You know, oh my god, i loved that when i was living there back in the 2010s and then in the 2000s.
Uh, there's just, you walk out your door or you go on the subway and there are people from all over the world.
It's incredible, isn't it?
Yeah yeah oh yeah, for sure, i mean, you can walk the streets and just hear so much variety.
Fact, you know what it always inspires me to want to learn another language.
Yeah, being in that kind of place, you really do.
You hear these languages.
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I totally get it.
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That's what we can do with this kind of app with Rosetta Stone right right, exactly.
And i also love how it starts out small, with basic words, and then you move on to more challenging parts of the language, because that's to me such a natural way to learn.
Yeah, i mean, that is how learning happens right, in applied linguistics.
They know that that's what, what is needed to learn this language.
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So good.
Love it.
Yeah.
Michelle, let's get back to what we were talking about being happy, salt happy, sugar happy.
What are some other ways?
What are we essentially saying here when we say you were salt happy on this fish today?
Right.
Yeah well, to overdo something.
Yeah right, so you could say so.
She really overdoes the, the decorations.
Don't you think something is overdone to overdo something?
Or i like this one to go overboard.
Right, don't go overboard with corrections.
Just focus on grammar, and that's something teachers have to learn how to do.
Right, when you're a teacher of english, you can't correct every mistake.
Yeah, for the student, that's a big discussion.
That's a big discussion.
Like when I was getting my master's in TESOL.
That's a big discussion topic about you know.
Corrective feedback.
Like how should you... When should you... How should you... There's all sorts of discussion on that.
I bet it was.
That's interesting.
Yeah, because we can't overwhelm students, right?
With tons of corrections, we have to focus.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So...
But Lindsay, do you ever do things in excess?
Like I was comma happy.
Do you like, lately I've been a little bit coffee shop happy.
Are you anything happy, Lindsay?
Okay.
Yeah.
I've been a little bit this summer, a little olive oil happy.
And so I pulled back a little.
I know olive oil is so good for you.
It's always on the list of the best superfoods for you.
So I want to have olive oil, but I eat a lot of salads.
And so if I go heavy on the olive oil, I have like 10 salads a week.
That's my diet.
I eat a ton of salad and lettuce and kale.
And so that is a lot of extra calories, to be honest, of olive oil.
Good calories, healthy food, but a little too much.
So I've pulled it back this summer and I'm looking for lower calorie alternatives that don't have so many preservatives.
It's hard to find a good salad dressing actually in the US that's not packed with preservatives but is low calorie.
So-
Yes.
I've been olive oil happy lately.
That's funny.
Okay.
But that's a great example, guys.
So you can Lindsay's kind of teasing herself and you know it also helps connect to talk about this.
Like we all have something that we do a little bit too much.
Oh, for sure.
For sure.
I can be a little lemon juice happy when I cross.
Interesting interesting okay, and what kind of food, like when you're cooking fish or what kind of anything?
Well, just like on an avocado toast, like i'll put it okay, i put recently i have like popcorn every day with my lunch, every single day, and i'll like put like lemon juice all over the popcorn.
That's weird.
That's weird, michelle.
Another weird to make it soggy, it's strange yeah, but not over everything.
It's just kind of like how butter makes it a little soggy, you know.
But it's just like We all, we're all happy about something.
We all have our vices.
Especially when it comes to food, especially when it comes to food.
I can be peanut butter happy.
I can go into that, get scoops a couple of times a day.
I go for it.
I'm going to go work out.
I need a little protein.
So good.
All right, Michelle, let's get a role.
But, as you can see, like this is a fun thing, just want to say this is a fun thing to talk about right, like we just like got into it, like you can start a whole conversation.
Yes, really get into something, like i enjoyed i.
I feel like lindsay, we could have just kept on going for five minutes like talking about our habits and things we've been doing recently so, and we're just a really good one and it's so much better than saying well, how would you even say this?
What do you go overboard on you, wouldn't?
It wouldn't be a conversation starter, Yeah.
Right.
Otherwise.
So this is why this is a moment where real English really matters, guys.
Yeah.
You can build connection with the real English.
OK, that's right.
That's right.
All right.
So let's do a role play.
All right.
So here we're planning our friend's birthday party.
Here we go.
Oh, this is probably a good context for this.
So I think there should be an open bar.
Lindsay, I don't want to overdo it.
That's expensive.
Yeah, but it will be fun.
I promise I won't go overboard on everything else.
Fine.
Try not to be decoration happy this time either.
I won't.
I won't.
This is a great example.
I feel like weddings are a place where people get very happy on certain things, right?
Weddings are so weird.
Decoration happy.
Oh, we could do a whole other episode about how people go overboard when it comes to wedding planning or parties, any kind of presentation or celebration or event.
You will have people that will be happy on certain things.
So yes, yes, that would be that's a fun.
That's a fun topic.
We'll do that.
All right.
So here we go.
Let's break it down.
And then we'll finish up for today's episode.
So you said, Oh, Lindsay, I don't want to overdo it.
Right?
I don't want to over that's just another way to say, don't just don't do too much of that thing.
Yeah.
And then you said, I promise I won't go overboard on anything else or on everything else. yeah and then you said fine try not to be decoration happy this time either so it sounds like you're referring back to the last time we hosted you have a little problem and i have a little party went a little overboard oh it makes me think of at christmas time you see people that cover their houses and christmas lights like they go crazy right completely covered it's so fun i love that yeah yeah all right what's the takeaway for today for today's episode well this is a good slang way to make a new word a good thing to experiment with and just so much fun to talk about but again be aware that it does have a teasing quality to it so lots of things to think about with this one exactly and guys i just want to remind you to go over and support our sponsor and check out the special deal from rosetta stone 40 off lifetime of learning 25 language courses to choose from it's not just english go to rosettastone.com slash A-E-E and type that in your URL bar.
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All right, Michelle, good stuff.
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Yes, good stuff.
Thanks, Michelle, for hanging out.
I'll talk to you soon.
All right, bye.
Take care, bye.
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