This is an All-Ears English Podcast episode 2219.
Are you out of line?
How to talk about boundaries in English.
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Life is full of nuances, boundaries, and complicated situations.
Today, learn four different ways to use the word line in English expressions so that you
can be heard and connect.
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Hey, Lindsay, how are you?
I'm doing excellent, Michelle.
What is shaken in your world's going on?
How you doing?
Woo!
I am busy, busy, busy, but I am glad I'm happy about summertime and all that.
Lots of changes, lots of craziness, but everything is good.
What about you?
How are you?
I'm doing great.
I am doing fantastic.
I'm getting ready to go to a birthday party this weekend, which maybe we'll work that
into another episode, but I'm going to be dressing as Nicholas Cage and I can't wait.
I can't wait.
Okay, I've got to see a picture of that.
I can't wait.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know what, I've been pretty lucky in my life so far.
People are generally pretty nice, like nice and respectful.
You know, I can't, I can't come, nothing comes to mind.
That's good.
And I'm so grateful.
What about you?
Same here.
I'm sure there's something.
Yeah, but I agree.
I'm, I also am very grateful.
Things have been good.
So yeah, but we're going to talk about this more today.
We're going to be sharing three idioms that go with the word line.
So, but before we get to that, we have some key Spotify poll results to share with you.
This is fun.
So guys, if you haven't heard, basically every few episodes we have, well, every episode
we have a poll, but some episodes we really announce the poll.
And if you're listening on Spotify, you can answer this poll.
And then we will share the results with you.
So these are really fun.
It's a great way to interact with you guys.
And I love this question because we all, most people in the world have a former relationship
like an ex we talked about an ex you ex, wife or an ex girlfriend, whatever.
And our question was Michelle, is it okay to stay friends with your ex?
Okay.
And this was from episode 2182, which was ex versus old, how to talk about former relationships
in English.
So that was really fun.
So definitely if you haven't listened to that one yet, head on over there and listen.
So is it okay to stay friends with the next?
Well, first of all, Lindsay, what would you answer?
Yes, I know.
I would say no until you're totally over them.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think it's a really bad idea to try to be friends right away because then there are still
feelings.
I think years later, fine.
You're moved on.
Your 10 relationships later, whatever, fine, but not right away.
So what do our listeners think though, Michelle?
That's what it's all about.
So I'm actually surprised by these, by this split.
So as far as is it okay to stay friends with an ex?
46% of you said yes.
And 54% of you said no.
So just slightly more for the nose.
I thought we were going to get more nose.
Yeah, that is really interesting.
There might be something cultural here.
Yeah.
If you're from a small town, maybe you can't avoid it.
Right?
Fascinating.
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, so that's interesting.
Yeah, all right.
Let's head on over and start with the idiom.
So with line, these can all be used basically in arguments or setting boundaries.
So that's the general theme.
When we think about a line, we're kind of drawing this line and it sets something up.
The line is like a metaphorical boundary.
Right.
Okay.
I think when I think of line, I think the lines of a tennis court, right?
It sets a boundary between what's in and what's out.
Right?
Right, right.
Or I've been watching a lot of basketball and you've got like, oh, yeah, out of bounds,
out of bounds.
Lindsay, I know your team is having a little bit of, yeah, there was a lot of anger in
my house last night.
Was it last night or the night before?
Every time that comes on, I think of you.
I'm like, I really do.
Every time I was done very, yeah.
And then there's talking, it all that good stuff, a shout out.
It just goes on and on.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So let's go through these.
So the first one is that out of line or over the line.
So that's what we used in the beginning.
So what does that mean?
I love this.
I love this.
It means that something is not okay, especially the first out of line.
I think it's a little more common, but stepping over the line makes sense too.
Right.
Maybe someone got upset with you.
They yelled at you.
And you could say that their reaction was inappropriate.
So anytime someone has done something that is beyond what you think is okay, that is
out of line.
Okay.
Right.
Right.
Exactly.
Actually, this makes me now that I'm thinking of it.
It makes me think of a friend's episode.
I can't remember what was going on, but I can give you the entire quote.
I remember it was Joey.
And he said, over the line, you're so far past the line.
You can't even see the line.
The line is a dot to you.
It's a good Joey.
We love Joey.
Right.
So I think I just quoted pretty much exactly.
Guys, if you know that episode, let me know.
So, but an example from us is I know I was late, but it was totally out of line for him
to threaten to fire me.
Right.
So what he did was totally inappropriate to threaten to fire is something you obviously
shouldn't do as a manager or a boss.
So it's out of line.
Okay.
Right.
It's just, it's past that boundary of what's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's
it's not a, not an okay reaction and okay thing to say for that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then Michelle, just to go back to over the line, did we want to build that out?
Sure.
We can talk about over the line.
So, so it's the same, it's the same idea, right?
You're, someone is over the line.
Something they've done is over the line.
They've crossed the line.
Well, wait, that's the next one.
I would, I would say like, oh, you've stepped over the line with this.
I think it's a little less common.
Yeah.
But anyways, let's move on.
You're right.
You're right.
Cross the line is more common.
Yeah.
Right?
Cross the line.
So you've crossed the line to go past what is okay?
Again, very similar to be out of line.
It's just that we need to pair this with the right grammar.
Right.
Exactly.
So the out of line is more of like, is more of the adjective, right?
Someone is out of line.
Right.
Yeah.
Or something is out of line.
But to cross the line is, you will then become out of line crosses the more the verb
form.
Exactly.
So for example, she crossed the line when she started yelling, it was totally unnecessary.
Guys, I hope you are writing these down.
This is gold.
Michelle.
Gold.
Gold.
Yeah.
To cross the line.
So you could have said she crossed the line.
It was out of line.
You're not going to use both of those.
But just to give you an idea, it's the same idea.
Yeah.
Completely.
What else, Michelle?
What's next?
Okay.
We are here.
Michelle.
What is happening next?
Where are we going?
One last one.
And we're going to change it up a little bit.
This is slightly different, but it's very useful and very common.
So this is a fine line.
Lindsay, what do you think of this one?
Love it.
I like this one.
I think this will be a very useful tool for our listeners to have in their back pockets
to kind of parse differences between things, explain nuances, right?
Yeah.
And there's barely any difference between something and something else.
It's really more figurative than literal, right?
We use it to talk about abstract concepts.
There's a fine line.
For example, there's a fine line between X and Y.
Okay.
So that would be, that's often the grammar, the structure, how it's used often.
There's actually an avenue Q song.
Evenue Q is a...
Yeah.
I've seen Evy UQ.
Oh yeah.
Well, I love New Yorker's thought.
It's great.
Yeah.
It's a thing called, there's a fine, fine line.
And yeah, if you...
Just so you know, avenue Q is not for kids, even though there's puppets.
Right.
It's a puppet show for adults, let's say.
Yeah.
It's a Broadway show, right?
It was on Broadway, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'd won the Tony for Best Musical.
I know this because I was in high school, I guess, and I remember I was very excited.
Oh, I'm excited.
I was...
I was a very big theater geek.
Really?
That's so funny.
I mean, Broadway is the best, right, going to New York, experiencing Broadway.
Oh, so great.
So great.
All right.
So let's give some examples about fine line.
What would be the first one, Michelle?
Okay.
There's a fine line between being excited to share a story and rudely interrupting someone.
Yeah.
This is really interesting, right?
So you're expressing that you can easily tip from one into the other.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Another one.
There's a fine line between working hard and being a workaholic.
Yes, I agree with that.
Yeah.
Right.
It's just hard to tell the difference.
Oh, another one, I should have done is blurred lines or blurry.
The lines are blurry.
The lines get blurry.
The lines blur.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's hard to see the difference.
Or the next one is, Lindsay, I think this is for the two of us.
There's a fine line between liking coffee and being addicted to it.
Yeah.
And Michelle, I realized last week when I came back from my trip to Panama that there is
that fine line.
And then I'm going to pull back a little bit.
So now I'm just having two cups of coffee a day instead of three.
Oh, well, that's good.
Just pulling back.
Yeah.
Well, now I'm finding an issue with the coffee's situation.
As number one, like I said, I'm a little bit tired.
So sometimes I'll want more.
But then, ah, okay.
So here's an example.
There's a fine line between having your coffee for energy and then getting to jittery.
Right.
I agree.
Often, it depends on what you eat.
And at least in my case, if you've eaten a meal, I get less jittery.
But if I have an empty stomach and I'm drinking on an empty stomach, I can get very jittery.
So it's a terrible feeling when that happens when you're on the one you're feeling.
I overdid it.
I crossed the line.
I add too much coffee.
I love this expression because there's so many things you could explore here.
And kind of about the human mind too.
Like working hard.
There's a fine line again between working hard and being a workaholic.
You can easily tip into that if you love your work and you have a hard work ethic, a
good work ethic, you could become a workaholic.
Right.
And I think with using this expression just shows that you're really observing things
and you're taking your thinking to the next level.
You're making connections.
So it's, it's, it was interesting to come up with the examples for this actually.
Well, it's a fine line, you know, I think it's really interesting.
I think it shows self awareness.
I would recommend guys using this to, if you are using it to reflect on human habits or
the state of the human mind, habits and things, talk about yourself, right?
Oh, I cut back on my coffee because I realized there's a fine line between loving coffee
and becoming addicted.
So I'm going to have two cups a day.
Right.
So maybe not saying to this other person lecturing, right?
We're avoiding that.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So, uh, but Lindsay, which of these three is your favorite?
Oh, geez.
I really like fine line, like I said, because it gets us into more interesting conversations.
I love anytime I can connect with someone over the state of the world, the state of being
human, just being alive in the world is more interesting to me to talk about than everyday
events.
Yeah.
Right.
And you can use it for so much.
You can use it to talk about, to comment on something in the news.
You can use it to talk about something in the work.
I mean, it's just endless ways to use it.
And whenever somebody uses it, it does sound smart.
It sounds it does.
It does.
It does.
It does observation and unique, you know, so I like it.
I think it's because that is the reality of life is that it's all about nuances.
You know, geopolitically speaking, there's a fine line between, you know, an agreement
and going into a war, right?
There's, you're always walking the line.
This is what diplomats do, right?
There's nuances in life.
It's nothing is black and white.
And so that's, that's where it comes in.
Interesting.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Good.
All right.
So we have the same favorite.
Okay.
So I want to take a second, Michelle, before we go into our role play to call out one of our
reviewers.
And this person, Nazarene, 17, 698 from the US left us five stars.
Woo.
Thank you to Nazarene.
Guys, we read all of your reviews.
So if you love all of our English, let us know.
Ask your question right in your review and maybe you'll get your name read aloud on
the show.
Yes.
Thanks.
Thank you so much to Nazarene.
Really?
We appreciate it so much.
Yeah.
Role play time.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
All right.
So we are sisters here.
We're talking about a family reunion.
Wow.
Okay.
Okay.
Here we go.
All right.
So I told Brett that we will come at six and then he blew up at me.
Whoa.
That is completely out of line.
Absolutely.
This time he's crossed the line.
This is supposed to be a fun reunion.
There's a fine line between being a little bit bossy and being completely rude.
Yes.
This is over the line.
Nice.
So we are clearly upset with Brett.
Brett.
Don't go through that.
Don't go through that.
Don't go through that.
Sorry.
If we have any listeners named Brett, we love you.
Yeah.
We love you, of course.
So I said, you said, so I told Brett that he'll we'll come at six and then he blew up.
What do we mean by blew up?
Michelle, I'm sure our listeners can tell.
Yeah.
He just got really angry.
Maybe he started yelling and getting really angry about it when it was unnecessary.
Oh, did.
Yeah.
And then you said, I said, whoa, that is completely out of line.
He shouldn't have done that.
He stepped over the line.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And then I said, this time he's crossed the line.
He went too far.
Mm-hmm.
I love that.
And then you said, there's a fine line between being a little bossy and being completely
rude, right?
You might also tack on just for conversationaly.
You might say, you know, right?
There's a fine line between being a little bossy and being completely rude, you know?
Right?
Maybe we could do another episode about using that, you know, after different statements.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
That's a good idea, Lindsay.
Okay.
Sorry.
I just took that note down, guys, so you know, I'm getting ideas.
Okay.
Yeah.
Yes, this is over the line.
This is over the line.
And what do you mean when you say that again?
What are you saying?
You're saying?
Past what is okay.
Right?
Beyond what we will accept, right?
Maybe Brett is going to be uninvited.
Together reunion, right?
Yeah.
We're not going to be talking about Brett after this.
No, no, I see.
Interesting.
So, guys, remember, Michelle just hit just a wrote down episode idea.
So go ahead and hit that follow button.
So you don't miss that episode as well as so many others that are always coming out from
all those English.
And Michelle, nowadays, we're publishing on Saturdays.
Yes.
We are.
That's true.
That's fun.
It's a fun different thing.
Super fun.
It'll let us be with you on your weekend when you're getting coffee, when you're walking
the brunch, just turn on all those English.
So good.
Good stuff.
All right.
Michelle, what's the takeaway for today?
Well, these are all really useful common expressions.
I don't think there was one that we taught that isn't used frequently.
These are good for commenting on certain situations, maybe with a little bit of nuance,
especially with fine line.
But remember that idea of a boundary.
That's going to help you with these idioms and just getting them into your head.
The line is that boundary between what's okay and what's not okay or what with fine
line a little bit different.
That it's like an invisible line of hard to get in the tell the difference.
So yeah, across the line.
Yeah, totally.
Guys, life is about nuances.
Nothing is black and white.
And if you can start to explore those in conversation around any topic or on friendship,
around habits, around geopolitics, there's so much we could do here with some of these
expressions.
Okay.
So enjoy it.
Have fun with it.
Dig into it.
Good.
Yeah.
And guys, have a great day.
All right, Michelle, take care.
Talk soon.
Bye.
Bye.
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