This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2539.
Make a beeline for better English.
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Today, build this connection scale with new vocabulary that means moving in a direction quickly.
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Hey there, Michelle.
How's it going today?
I'm good, Lindsay.
How are you?
Good.
I'm excited to be back on the microphone with you.
Michelle, have you ever been stung by a bee?
Yes.
I remember the first, I still remember, like the first day of third grade.
I remember I had this pretty red dress with this denim vest and I got stung three times like in a triangle on the front of my shoulder.
Oh my gosh.
Traumatic for a kid, for a little kid.
Yeah.
But I've been stung more than that.
But that was like the one very memorable one.
What about you?
Probably once, but my partner is actually allergic to bees.
So there's a lot of anxiety around bees.
So it's very scary.
Some people are actually allergic and you have to carry like an EpiPen and you have to be careful and all this crazy stuff.
There's a lot of energy, Michelle, buzzing around bees, right?
Yeah.
So when you see a bee out in the wild, are you guys like running away or what?
There's a lot of running away, kind of yeah there's yeah, there's some running away happening, avoiding it or moving, or like i'll be the one that has to swat it away?
Um yeah, for sure.
So allergies are no joke, for sure.
Yeah, really seriously.
So today we are going to be talking about bees in a sense, but we're going to be talking about an interesting idiom that came up in my everyday life, which was to make a beeline for something.
A beeline.
Lindsay, you know this expression?
I do know this one, Michelle.
This is fun.
I'm glad we're talking about this today, because it doesn't really well.
Does it have anything to do with bees?
So I looked it up.
And from from some research that I did, I did find I think it does come from.
Apparently, bees fly in a straight line to directly return to their hive.
Okay, that was just one bit of research I did.
I don't know.
I haven't studied bees.
I don't know for sure.
But that was something that I found.
So I suppose it does come from that probably.
Okay.
Okay.
That makes sense.
I have a very quirky friend, slash neighbor who's he is.
He's like an investment banker or whatever, but on the side he's a beekeeper.
Right next to the person who's allergic to bees.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
Exactly.
And so he puts on this whole suit and he has this whole structure where the bees live.
Right next door?
Not, not right next door.
It's the other side of our neighborhood.
Okay.
Um, But once we were over there and he thought he had the bees under control and he really didn't.
And all of a sudden he's like, go in the house.
Everyone go in the house right now because they were all getting out and kind of like starting to swarm.
This sounds like a nightmare.
So what happened?
He's a very quirky guy.
He got it under control.
No one got stung.
But bees are serious business, Michelle.
And they tend to make a beeline, right?
They make a beeline, they fly straight for something.
Okay.
Yeah.
So yeah, so this is essentially what that means.
I mean, it means to go swiftly and directly to something, right?
You're not getting distracted.
You're kind of A to B. B. A to B. All the puns that are going to come out of this episode.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
So guys, before we get into it a little bit more, remember to hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast.
Never miss anything from us.
Make a beeline to learning English.
Maybe that'll be the title.
Yeah, exactly.
You guys hit that follow button now to set yourself up for success in the new year, right?
We are at the very end of the year now.
So let's think about what we'd want the new year to look like.
And part of that is, of course, all ears English.
Love it.
Yes, exactly.
So Michelle, let's do some sample sentences.
All right.
So here's the first one.
This is I feel like pretty true.
I made a beeline to the dessert table when I saw there was an ice cream sundae bar.
I know.
I never miss out on dessert anytime I'm at some kind of event.
Or if I go to a wedding.
I went to a wedding back in May and I was so disappointed that all they had was like these little cookies, which weren't even good.
I was like, where's the cake?
Where's the cake?
You're supposed to have cake at a wedding.
I also make a beeline to that dessert table.
Yep.
Or what's another example?
I will make a beeline for the door if she starts any drama.
So what am I saying there, Michelle?
You're going to leave.
You're going to just go right outside.
Exactly.
Yeah.
You don't want to have anything to do with that drama, right?
Yep.
OK, it's so crowded.
Wait for someone to get up from their table and then make a beeline for it when they get up.
Mm hmm.
Make a beeline for what?
What are we saying here?
Make a beeline for the table.
OK, right.
Yeah.
So I think we talked about this, Lindsay.
And then I think I was talking about this with was it with Aubrey or you about Reading Terminal Market.
I think that was probably Aubrey, but you talked about hovering and waiting until people Yeah yeah, yeah.
Have you been to Reading Terminal Market?
Oh, you mentioned it.
Is it a fish market or a big city market?
No, it's a big food market in Philadelphia.
And it's really great, but you go...
It's very intense and there are not that many seats.
Well, there are a lot of seats, but there's even more people.
And so you have to really watch out.
If you want to sit down, like you're going to make a beeline as soon as you see something.
Yep.
We've talked about, yeah, there's a real art to hovering and then making a beeline for that chair.
And then you claim your property and then you try to stake out another chair for another person.
It's quite a thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Um, so but yeah, I really like this expression, because I feel it has a lot of personality to it.
And there's such imagery that goes along with it.
So I like it shows a sense of urgency needing to get something done.
Just being totally direct.
Um, Lindsay, why do you think this is good for connection?
Like what could we do with this?
Yeah well, I really think any time that we can show our priorities through language and what really matters to us, what we would prioritize in a situation, it's a connection moment because it shows people who we are.
And I think that's what this does.
Like you and I make a beeline for the dessert table anytime we go to an event, right?
That shows who we are.
We like sweets.
We like to enjoy life a little bit right yeah yeah, like lindsey, when is the last time you made a beeline for something?
Oh my gosh, that's a great question.
I don't have a great example right now um anytime yeah, probably.
When you know sometimes, all of a sudden lately, i can get really hungry all of a sudden, like all of a sudden, i'm not thinking about like, oh my gosh, i'm so hungry so i'll make a beeline for the fridge.
That would make a beeline for the fridge.
Yeah, for me i feel like if I get home from a long car ride, I'm making a beeline for the bathroom.
You know you have to go.
You've been holding it like I'm making a beeline for the bathroom.
Everybody out of my way.
Yeah, I've seen that lately too on my end.
Absolutely.
So we make a beeline for the things we prioritize, whether that's a physical need to eat, to use the bathroom or whether that's something you really desire in that moment.
You want to share in the market, you want to get the dessert, you want to get that chocolate cake.
Right, it shows what we care about in the moment.
Definitely love it.
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All right, Michelle, anything else we might say that would say the same thing, get that same vibe?
Yeah.
So one is head straight for, right?
That's where you're going first.
So I'm heading straight for Kayla's homemade chips when I get in.
You have to try them.
This is a good example too, making a beeline for or heading straight for.
If you're going to a friend's house for dinner, maybe there's a gathering and you know they have a signature dish, right?
Like a potluck, then you'll go straight for that.
You'll head straight for their dish.
Yeah.
Or make a mad dash for, make a dash for, or make a mad dash for.
How does it change the meaning when we make it a mad dash?
It's more intense if you say a mad dash.
Yeah, it's fun.
It's fun too.
It's fun to kind of dress up that phrase.
So here's what it sounds like.
She must be really mad, because when she came in she made a mad dash for her room and slammed the door.
Oh boy, we're getting complex here.
So let's just stop and explain this phrase a little bit, Michelle.
Yes.
So that means you're going directly like especially if you say mad dash, it doesn't mad.
It doesn't have to mean in an anger in this situation.
Yeah, it sounds like it could be, but it just means also similar like that sense of urgency.
That's where you're running towards.
But if you're saying she must be really mad because when she came in she made a mad dash for her room and slammed the door.
She got in the house.
She didn't look at anybody.
She didn't get something to drink.
She didn't talk to anybody.
She just went in her room and slammed the door.
Yeah, for sure.
Yeah.
So when we use it in the context of the dash, It kind of means more like crazy, right?
Like intense, right?
An intense death.
Right.
But in the first part of that sentence, you're saying she must be really angry.
Yes, angry.
Exactly.
So two kind of different uses of the word mad.
Yeah.
Or last one, go right for.
So let's go right for the bathrooms because there'll be a huge line if we don't get there fast.
And I don't want to miss the beginning of the show.
Yeah.
Yeah yeah, that can happen to like um, do you ever go to like a broadway play and there's an intermission and you have to make a beeline for the bathroom so you're not behind this huge line, especially the women's room?
Right, it's always the women's room.
Yeah, i went to a uh see wicked back in february in new york and i couldn't believe how limited the bathrooms were and how long the line was.
It was yeah, it was like yeah, This is an old theater, you know.
Right, right.
Yeah, I know.
It's probably like the theater, the bathroom is in the basement, maybe.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I feel like in a lot of Broadway theaters, you have to go down into it.
Yeah, I think it was the Gershwin Theater.
So that one's been around for a long time.
And it's for sure, it's not what you would expect, right?
The glitz and glamour of Broadway.
Right.
True.
Anyway, so what else, Michelle?
What do we need to know?
Yeah, I mean.
So again, these all show urgency, they show what's important, your priorities, and they could even be a little bit humorous, depending on how they're used.
Do any of these like a feel like what you'd use the most often or that you'd like.
Yeah, I think the Mad Dash is pretty fun.
I'm enjoying that one today.
Okay.
I think I like make a beeline.
I do think that that's my favorite.
But again I would say, like the most common ones are, go right for um, head straight for.
So those are kind of the more neutral ones.
Make a mad dash for something and make a beeline, for that's adding like a little bit of personality.
So again, that's not going to be the one that you use every two seconds.
Those are kind of the you know, the a little bit more unique um, a little bit more rare, but you will hear they're not rare, it's just that they're not used as frequently as the other ones.
I would say Yeah, our listeners know we want to mix things up with our vocabulary.
We want to have lots of options so we can express our personality in that moment.
It also kind of depends on who you're around.
Like I'll only use these exaggerated phrases around people I'm comfortable with, right?
I'm not going to use it in a formal scenario like in business or something.
I need to make a mad dash for the bathroom.
No, that's not very professional, right?
So who are we around?
All right.
Let's do a role play, Michelle, shall we?
Here we go.
Yes.
Okay.
So we are leaving on a trip together and we are in the cab on the way to the airport.
All right.
Let's do it.
Okay.
Okay.
So when we get to the airport we have to make a beeline for security, because I know the lines at this airport can take forever.
Okay.
Definitely.
And after we get through security, I'm heading straight for the nearest coffee shop.
I'm exhausted.
Oh, sounds good.
I'll go right for that cookie place I heard so much about.
I can grab you one while you get your coffee.
Perfect.
Thanks.
Hopefully we have enough time and don't have to make a mad dash for the gate.
Yeah, I think we'll be okay.
We left plenty of time.
Michelle, do you and Dan have different airport personalities?
Because maybe we talked about this because maybe you mentioned this before.
Is Dan kind of crazy when it comes to the airport?
He'll leave early and then we're sitting around.
I, I don't want to leave late, but I don't want to leave super early.
However, I will say that I do like being at the airport.
Um, I like the feeling.
It's exciting.
It's a great feeling once you kind of get checked in and everything.
So I don't mind getting there early.
It's just if it's early in the morning, that's my issue.
I don't want to get there early and it's early in the morning.
I can get there early another time.
Well, so what about once you're at the airport?
Like, is he pretty chill once you get there?
Is it just about getting there early?
Okay, okay.
So my and my partner can be kind of crazy when, once we get to the airport, like if any, if anyone's walking slow, that is not okay.
We need to move faster.
And there was a funny Instagram meme about that.
Like, there's always one partner in a partnership that acts crazy in an airport.
I don't know.
I'll have to pull up the meme and share it with you.
But do you also have to get there super early?
I'm more the one that wants to get there early.
But yeah, it's just two hours or what?
Yeah, definitely minimum two hours for a US based flight and three for an international flight.
But yeah, sometimes I even just leave extra time.
Like if I'm not doing anything at home, it's half an hour early before I need to leave.
I'll just leave.
I'll be like, I'd rather just finish this work at the airport.
I just bring my laptop.
Right.
Just get where you need to go.
Yeah.
I get that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's so funny, but I do love the airport.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I think we both have said that before, because even now I mean now there's a lot going on with airports right now in the US a lot of chaos, but even still, especially if you're in a really exciting airport, like if you're in the istanbul airport oh my god, it is so cool to be in a place like that.
You're in the crossroads of the world and you can sit there and just watch people from all over the world crossing the airport and it's just you're like i could go anywhere in the world right now.
You know yeah, i love it really cool.
It's so cool.
Um okay, let's go through the role play, michelle.
So what did you say first?
I said so when we get to the airport, we have to make a beeline for security, because I know the lines at this airport can take forever.
So I'm saying basically like.
It's kind of the opposite of dawdle.
You know that word?
Like don't dawdle.
It's like, oh, let's go here.
Let's go there.
I'm going to stop at the bathroom.
I'm going to do this.
I'm going to do that.
Right.
I'm saying like, no, we got to get there.
I just want to get through security and be done with that part.
Yeah.
And I think that's the core, the crux of the problem.
When one person dawdles and the other person makes a beeline for places.
Right.
That doesn't work out very well.
No, no, no, no.
Oh my gosh.
All right.
And then I said OK definitely, after we get through security, I'm heading straight for the nearest coffee shop.
I'm exhausted.
OK, so I'm going to get some coffee.
It might be early in the morning.
Right.
And then I said, sounds good.
I'll go right for that coffee place.
I heard a cookie place.
I heard so much about.
Yeah.
Cookie place.
Nice cookies and coffee.
Sounds great.
And then I said, perfect.
Thanks.
Hopefully we have enough time and don't have to make a mad dash for the gate.
Has that ever happened to you?
I know my mother-in-law has actually missed a flight because she was walking the airport halls to get steps in and miss the flight.
Oh, my God.
That's so funny.
Yep.
It happened.
Have you ever missed a flight after checking in and being at the airport, Michelle?
So, yes.
Well, one.
So one, I remember running for a flight with my dad when I was a kid.
I think we did get on, but it was really at the last minute.
And then...
Once I when I was coming back from out of the country and then I think I was flying into Boston and then I had to catch a flight back to DC.
And that one, I think I didn't officially check in on time.
I think I was there and I maybe pressed something wrong or there was some mistake.
And so I didn't get to go on the flight.
Oh no.
Oh my gosh.
That's crazy.
Yeah.
I mean, yeah.
Airport chaos.
There are certain airports you will.
I would never want to run through any us airport cause they're not very efficient.
Um, we had to run through the Munich airport and it was so easy and so simple and everything worked and just the gates opened and scanned everything and we went in and we made the flight somehow.
Um, but in the U S things just don't work that smoothly.
Yeah, have you ever seen there's like a meme now where it's like me like checking to make sure that my gate is there before it?
Like, have you ever seen it's like, it's like that funny thing, you like go, you like look at your gate, you see that it's there and then you go somewhere else.
And it's just funny because like, we know that the gate will be there, but it's always what you mean, like yeah yeah, 16 is next to 17 right yeah right, it's like oh, but i just have to make sure that it's.
There are so many funny Instagram memes about the airport and airport behavior because a new side of people's personality can definitely come out in airports.
So it's so funny.
So our listeners can see what a great connection topic this has become, just based on the idea of how people prioritize physical movement, like what they go to first.
It's actually kind of funny.
Michelle, what's another episode our listeners should check out?
Yeah, check out All Ears English.
I'll give you that.
How to Concede to Connect in English.
That's another really good one.
Oh, my gosh.
Great stuff.
Any final thoughts for the takeaway today, Michelle?
Anything else you want to add?
Um, yeah, I mean, just give these a try.
These are really fun and useful.
Because you're always going to be talking.
They're great for storytelling.
Oh, I had to make a beeline.
Oh, like I had it straight for there's just, you're going to constantly be able to use these in your daily life, so give these a try, listen for them and um yeah, and don't miss your flight.
Don't miss your flight, make a beeline.
All right, good stuff.
All right michelle, you have a good day.
I'll talk to you soon, all right, bye bye.
Thanks for listening to All Ears English.
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