This is an All Ears English podcast episode 2139.
Take a stab at these English phrases.
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Hey, Michelle, I have a question for you today.
Hey, Lindsay, what's up?
What's your question?
So do you like to try new things?
Yes, I do.
All right.
I feel like trying new things.
Yeah.
What's something new that you've tried recently?
Anything, any kind of food or activity or anything?
Well, I am starting to do some more like weight training.
It's not that I've never done that before, but I'm trying to do more of like a whole routine.
Dan is into it too.
We're both working on it together.
And you know what's funny about it is we used to say, oh, well, we don't have any time to work out.
Like we just don't have time.
And then now what we've been doing is just working out while we watch a show that we would have been watching anyway.
And so, instead of sitting at the TV, you know, now we're like well, all those nights that we were just sitting on the couch, we could have been watching it and lifting weights.
I love that, i love it.
Yeah, i can imagine you on the on the ground in front of the tv like lifting lifting yes yes yes good exactly, so i'm giving it a try.
So today um, what about you?
Anything new recently?
Yeah, not anything that comes to mind, but i am hoping to, in the new year, start learning uh, doing like a dance class, because i remember in 2017 2018, i did a zumba class for my workout and it was super fun.
It was super fun, And I want to get back into that like kind of working out in a way that doesn't feel so much like working out.
Right.
A new way involving music and things like that.
So that's what I'm on the lookout for.
Yeah.
That's actually my favorite kind of workout is a dance workout.
Oh, my gosh.
It's the best.
Yes.
It's so much fun.
So today we are going to talk about an expression that deals with trying out. something.
So whether it's trying something new, trying to fix something, whatever it may be because we have a great listener question.
But before we get to it guys, just quickly, if you haven't hit follow on the podcast wherever you're listening, hit that follow button so that you get everything All Ears English has to offer.
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Okay?
For sure.
Michelle, today's episode is based on a student question.
We love student questions.
So I'm going to read the question.
All right.
All right.
Here we go.
Hi, Lindsay.
I'm really enjoying your podcast and have already improved my English by listening to you.
Thank you for putting so much effort into the episodes over and over again.
Oh, thank you to this listener.
Yeah.
Don't you love that, Michelle?
Love it.
Of course.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I have one question.
I once listened to a tech talk and there was a question from the audience and one of the speakers said I can take a quick.
I can take a quick stab at that.
Is that a good way to jump in to answer a question?
Are there other ways?
Thank you in advance for answering this question.
All the best, Belgen Mutlu, one of our amazing listeners.
Thank you so much.
That is a great question.
And today we're going to really focus just on that expression.
I can take a quick stab at that.
And in another episode we will talk about answering questions and other ways to jump in to answer a question.
So we're going to kind of divide this up a little bit.
I like that idea.
Maybe even over on our Business English podcast, right, Michelle?
So we'll see.
Guys, you should also be following Business English in Spotify or Apple Podcasts, because we have lots of good business content over there.
So what does it mean, first of all, Michelle?
Take a stab at something.
Okay.
All right.
Guys, just quickly, listen to the end of the show because we will have a Spotify key poll coming up.
So to interact with you.
Yeah, that'll be fun.
To take a stab at something means to try it out.
I think it generally has the idea of being gutsy and going for something, but it could also be used, as the listener said, to answer a question that might be difficult or to solve a problem.
But the key word is try here.
It's also Lindsay, would you say.
When you say, let me take a stab at that, would you say it's for something super easy for you to do or something a little tricky.
It should be something that might present a little bit of a challenge, because what you said Michelle, is totally right.
Keyword is try.
So if it's something easy, you don't need to say I'm going to try to answer, because I'll just answer that.
Right.
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
So also guys, if you haven't listened already, go on over to episode 2114 was how to use a strong idiom to share your identity in English.
All right.
Let's give our listeners some examples now.
Here we go.
Yeah.
All right.
So here we go.
I'd like to take a stab at that next list at the next listener question, Lindsay.
Nice.
Nice.
Or next year, I'm going to take a stab at learning embroidery.
Hmm.
I feel like that's very in right now, embroidery, which is why I thought about it.
Especially where people... Yeah, it is.
And even...
For a second, I was like, well, should I do embroidery?
And now I'm like, I'm not going to do embroidery right now.
I don't.
But maybe one day.
I have a friend here in Colorado who's been into knitting for years.
I mean, since college, she's been a knitter.
And actually, I don't know the difference between embroidery and knitting, to be honest.
I guess it's embroidering is like creating a pattern.
Letters, right?
Or a pattern.
Right, right.
As opposed to knitting is like making a sweater or making a hat or something, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
So she's into knitting.
I think that's the difference.
Anyways.
Okay.
Yes.
Embroidery's hot.
I didn't know that, Michelle, but good to know.
Yes.
Yes, exactly.
So Lindsay, we already talked about this, but what do you?
– you said you want to take a stab at a dance class in 2024.
Yeah, I'd like to take a stab at dancing.
Again, I'm not much of a dancer, but I can always – so I can always get better.
There's room for improvement.
And also, if I can get a workout, I also just want to move – in different directions.
That's why tennis is so good.
I worry with my Orange Theory workouts.
It's too much forward motion in the same direction and it doesn't build.
You know, you need to build that agility by moving in multiple directions.
So that's what I want to work on in 2024.
That's amazing that you think about that kind of stuff, because that you're so, you're so in shape that you're thinking about the directions you move in, and that's you're refining your workouts.
Thanks for that.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
I mean, working, working out is not just for the body, right?
It's for the mind too.
I mean, I bet as you're doing your weightlifting, you probably feel the benefits in your mind.
Yeah.
I, yes, for sure.
I mean, and it's funny cause, um, you, sometimes it can be so hard to start it.
I'm still also doing the bike, you know, um, so I'm still doing that.
Um, it can be so hard to want to get on, but you like You never stop a workout and think well, that was terrible.
I'm so sorry.
It was a bad use of time.
Right, right, right, right, right.
No, you never do.
It's always good to remind yourself of that when you don't want to do it.
Yeah, I completely agree.
And it helps when you have a partner at home who's also into it, right?
Yo, for example, your partner's like, oh, are you working out tonight?
Or what are you doing for your workout tonight?
So it's like built into your routine, you know?
Yeah.
Yes.
Making it a routine is huge.
So I mean also.
I mean Lindsay, do you like to try to learn a lot of new things or, to you know, to take a stab at lots of different things in the moment?
I do, Michelle.
I mean, last spring I learned, tried to learn Arabic and I think I'll...
Actually, this doesn't quite qualify, because I'm hoping to go to Panama in the spring and I need to come back to my Spanish, restart my Spanish learning and take a stab at establishing a routine of learning Spanish continuously, not just for trips, right.
Because I don't want to lose it.
So I wouldn't say I want to take a stab at learning Spanish because I've been learning Spanish for years, right?
It doesn't quite apply.
But I would say I want to take a stab at establishing a routine of learning pattern.
Does that work, michelle?
Yeah, i think so.
I definitely think so, because you can um, get into a routine of.
I mean, it's all about what you want to learn a language for.
Is it for just to get along on your trip, to get by?
Give it a try to take a stab at some language phrases um, or do you want to really focus on one?
Yeah no, i mean, i just like the mental shift that you get after you've spent a half an hour speaking in another language.
Like that.
It's almost like your mind's been on a vacation.
I love that.
I love that, um.
So what are some other similar ways you can express this?
Give it a go.
I love this.
I'm not sure i know the answer, but i'll give it a go.
This one feels feels fun to say I like it.
Yeah.
Give it a go.
Give it a go.
Guys.
Yeah.
And you have to you have to flow it together.
It has to sound almost like one word.
It can't be like give it a go.
It's got to be give it a go.
Yeah, it really it really rolls off your tongue there, Michelle.
What's the next one?
The next one is go for it.
So I'm gonna go for it even if I'm scared.
And this really maintains that sense of this might be something that will be hard, right?
So these are really an integrity with the first phrase, right?
Take a stab at it.
They really mean the meaning is very close.
I would say here.
Yeah, I agree.
I agree.
And the next one is take a crack at it.
Also very close to take a stab at it.
Let's take a crack at this math problem together.
And that kind of leads into maybe another episode, another day to crack the code.
I cracked it like all these expressions of crack.
Yeah.
All right.
Another day, another time, another day, another episode, Michelle.
Sounds good.
All right.
So let's talk about when we might use this.
Michelle, what do you think?
Well, I think this can be good for a variety of things.
For example, a small thing at work or larger goals, um.
But one of the things is I think it's a good connection skill because I also think it shows a little vulnerability to take a stab at something.
It's recognizing, I'll give it a try, right?
And people connect to that.
If you're just always like, I can do it.
Right.
That makes me think of someone.
Who's someone?
Politically, but sometimes.
I alone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yes, exactly.
You know what I'm talking about.
So it shows a little bit of vulnerability, which I think is endearing and important.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think that people don't connect with perfection.
People connect with humanness.
And humans are prone to sometimes feeling intimidated, sometimes not always having the answer.
Yeah.
That's why, you know, our motto here is connection, not perfection.
So it's okay sometimes to show that you're not sure if you're going to have the right answer, but you're going to take a stab at it.
You're going to take a crack at it.
And that is totally okay.
It also kind of reduces the pressure on you.
Yeah, don't you think whoever?
Yes, because yeah, you're saying i might not get this, i i yeah, exactly.
I can't guarantee i'm gonna do it, but let's give it exactly exactly.
So i like it.
I think it's it's nice, but it's not.
It's not unassertive, right?
It's not saying i'm not sure if this is right, but i don't know it's not.
Yeah, it's not that right.
We've done other.
I just actually interviewed um, a communication coach about three ways we might be undermining our career.
In our words,
And she kind of went into that kind of thing, like doubting what we're saying, right?
That's another episode for another day.
This is not that.
This is not that.
But that made me think of when you said people connect when you're not perfect.
I mean, I think about that's why people love seeing bloopers of TV shows.
And also, do you ever see on Saturday Night Live when they start to laugh?
Yeah.
Yeah.
And those are always like that's the best the best time.
Those are the funniest, the most the best way that you'll feel connected to the performers.
Completely.
We don't want the glossed over perfect version of you.
We want the human version of you because we're human, too.
Right.
Yes.
Exactly.
Exactly.
So let's do a role play.
We're not going to use all of these, but we'll take a stab at using.
OK, there we go.
Oh, so here we're coworkers and we're in a meeting.
All right, so.
Oh, no, the computer wire isn't working.
Why is this happening, Michelle?
Oh, I hate technology sometimes.
Here, let me take a stab at it.
Maybe I can figure it out.
Thanks.
Oh, it's fixed.
Thank you.
Of course.
Here, you should learn how to do it for next time.
Did you watch me?
Yes.
Okay, I'll give it a go.
Go ahead.
Take a crack at it.
You had some kind of magical technology skill that you fixed the wire.
Impressive.
What can I tell you?
Yeah.
So I said I hate... This sounds like an actual conversation that could have happened between us.
I feel like a lot of times we talk about hating technology.
Yeah, we struggle with our tech here at All Ears English, but we do our best.
We do our best.
Yes.
All right.
So here you said, oh, I hate technology sometimes.
Here, let me take a stab at it.
So it sounds like you are...
You're grabbing the wire.
You're trying to physically fix the wire somehow, right?
Yeah.
And then I am trying to teach you.
And I said, oh, did you watch me?
And you said, yes.
Okay, I'll give it a go.
So you're going to try it now.
Right.
And then now it looks like I'm going to try to recreate what you just did physically.
And then you said, go ahead, take a crack at it.
Nice.
Yeah.
Unlikely that we'd use all these in the same sentence, but we know guys, this is how role plays work.
Yeah.
Um, we said that we had a poll coming up, Lindsay.
So we want to share our Spotify key poll for today.
What is the question?
All right.
So we want to know yes or no.
Are you tech savvy going over to Spotify?
If you listen to Spotify, you can answer this poll.
Tell us yes or no.
I would love to you know it's so cool to be able to do these polls and we can understand you guys a little bit better around the world, across cultures, across geographies.
It's so cool.
Yes, I love it.
I love it.
This is fun.
So let us know on Spotify and we will be reading the results in a future episode.
All right.
What's the takeaway for today's episode, Michelle?
Guys, don't be afraid to try new things.
Don't be afraid to not be perfect.
Show your vulnerability.
You never know what you'll learn and how you will connect with others over this.
Yeah.
And also, like we said, take the pressure off yourself a little bit by saying something like this.
It does lighten the mood.
It lightens the pressure on you to be correct and perfect.
And anything we can do to get closer to connection away from perfection is what we're on board for.
Yes.
Absolutely.
That's how we roll.
That's how we roll, Michelle.
All right, guys.
Hit follow on the show and we'll see you in the next one.
All right.
Bye, guys.
Bye.
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