This is an all ears English podcast. I just didn't get it how to reveal your true feelings in English Welcome to the all ears English podcast Downloaded more than 200 million times.
Are you feeling stuck with your English?
We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection not perfection with your American hosts Lindsay McMahon the English adventurer and Michelle Kaplan the New York radio girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.
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Have you ever gone to a movie, restaurant, or city that everyone loves, but when you experienced it, you realized it was overhyped?
Today, we answer our listener question to show you how to talk about this experience while maintaining a connection.
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Hey Lindsey, how are you on this Saturday?
Doing great. Michelle, this is a sassy Saturday that we have. Yeah I'm doing good.
How are you what are you up to?
Good, yeah, everything is good over here.
My kids have been on break so it's been a little bit it's been a little chaotic around here but that's okay.
But Lindsay have you ever been told by someone that something was super amazing and then it wasn't all it was cracked up to be?
Oh, yeah, for sure people talk a big game sometimes right when it comes to maybe they're inviting you on an experience, a weekend somewhere, maybe a restaurant, I don't know, even just a party and you think it's gonna be amazing and it's actually kind of boring, sure it's happened to me, Michelle, what about you?
Yeah, of course, this is, of course it happens.
But yeah, today, well, I think it happens sometimes with movies or books or TV shows a lot.
Anything that somebody is recommending.
Okay, you're in that danger danger zone of something not being what it's cracked up because you know Someone's recommendation comes from their perspective, right?
We only see things from our own, you know a different colored glasses We all wear different colored glasses on the world And so sometimes when someone gives me a recommendation, I think to myself.
What do I know about this person?
You know, right do they have fancier taste?
They have more casual taste Do they like sci -fi?
and I actually don't like sci -fi, right?
For example, yeah. Right, exactly, exactly.
So today we have a listener question about the expression, not all it's cracked up to be.
So we're gonna get that into, get into that in just a second.
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My gosh. Thank you so much. We're so appreciative.
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Okay. So Michelle, do you want to read the question to change it up for today?
I was just going to say, I was just going to say I kind of absolutely all right, here we go.
Hey Lindsey, Michelle and Aubrey.
I just wanted to say a huge thank you for your awesome podcast. It isn't just helping me with American English, but also giving me a deeper feel for American culture, which is really cool.
Plus I love listening to it while I'm walking somewhere.
It actually keeps, it's actually what keeps me motivated to walk instead of hopping on public transport.
I love that. I love that too.
So nice. They say my walks usually take just about the right time to finish an episode.
So it's kind of become my little routine.
Oh my God, I love that.
Perfect. I feel so warm inside when I listen to an episode like I'm catching up with all friends.
Oh my gosh. That's wonderful.
This is so nice. This is exactly why we do this, right?
It's for this, you know, this feedback that we can imagine.
We can go along with you on your walks with your dog or hanging out at a cafe, right?
That's it right there.
It's such a cool feeling.
I love that. It's really cool.
So it says a few days ago, I came across this phrase.
It's not all it's cracked up to be.
Could you please break it down and explain what it really means and how people use it?
And in your best tradition, could you recommend some other similar phrases?
I love that. Thanks again for all the great work you do.
I seriously appreciate it.
Can't wait for the next episode Well, we are so appreciative of you.
This is from Ilse from Russia nowadays living in Stockholm So you thank you so much. What a beautiful question.
Thank you for all the feedback.
We were so appreciative of you Yeah And we are super excited to answer your question Ilse in our unique style that we do here at Ollars English And again, this is why we make the show for our listener.
So we want to hear from you guys go ahead and leave us a review.
Send us more of these letters.
We love your love letters, right?
We love it. Yeah, thank you so much. So all right.
Let's go ahead and answer the question.
So I mean, to me, this is a super common expression.
What do you think? Wednesday?
Oh, yeah, it's not all it's cracked up to be for sure.
And I love how casual it is, Michelle, but it says a lot.
Yes, yes, exactly. I mean, but what does that what does it even mean?
It means it's not as good as people say it is, okay?
Yes. Right, so there's kind of this reputation for something and it may be a lot of people feel this way.
Maybe everybody's talking about this one TV show and you're just watching it and you kinda don't get it.
Like am I missing something?
I don't understand what everybody thinks is so great, right?
That's what I usually think, Am I missing something here?
Is there something wrong with me?
Why I can't figure out?
Why this you know, what comes to mind first egg creams egg creams So this is this is like a famous drink in New York City I think it's more historical than anything else, but I tried one once and everyone says they're so great.
I did not get it Like do you ever do you like like an ice cream float I I would rather just have an ice cream you know same yeah the other day I don't even know the last time I even tried one of those but um Dan said he would let my son try one we were at this cute diner and yeah you try and I and they're like oh take a sip and I well yeah another have an ice cream cone and go for a walk you know but anyways those are two examples in terms of food so it definitely carries over for food and drink and famous cultural icons in terms of things we consume, right?
Yes, exactly. And we've talked about this idea of things being over -hyped before a little bit, but it's super important and useful and I wanted to take some time on it.
So let's do some examples today, Lindsay, what's the first example?
Everyone thinks living in my neighborhood is the best, but let me tell you, it's not all it's cracked up to be.
There are things I really don't like about it.
Yeah, okay. I mean you lived on the Upper West Side.
Right? Did you? Was it, I mean people say the Upper West Side is a great place to live.
Was it all it was cracked up to me or would you say...
I did like it. That's fair.
I was, I thought you were gonna say you liked it.
Yeah, that's fair. Yeah, I did like it a lot.
Yeah, but I'm trying to think of another place maybe or I'd lived and there wasn't, I don't know.
Lindsey, well, I mean you left LA.
I loved LA LA was a I mean, I I kind of knew I wasn't gonna be a fit in LA yo, but yo, it's your personality some people would go to LA and they'll say it's gonna be amazing, you know, I Want to sit in traffic for three hours?
No, I knew that that wouldn't be a match for me.
So that wouldn't really be I guess you could still say It's not all it's cracked up to be because people think of LA as Hollywood and and grab the weather's great So I suppose I could still say I tried L .A.
It wasn't all it was cracked up to be right.
Right. And then you could always you could always qualify it by saying like, oh, in my opinion, you know, and that's OK.
But how long were you there again?
I forgot. Oh, like three months.
Not long. That's what we didn't really try that hard, frankly, to live there.
I think we both knew it wasn't going to be for us.
But we're sort of wandering in that moment trying to find where we belonged.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
All right. So here here's another example.
I don't understand why that movie is getting such good reviews.
I saw it and wasn't all it's cracked up to be yeah Interesting, let's see.
I just saw the movie over the weekend the amateur have you seen it?
Yeah, it was good. Actually legitimately a good movie And I would recommend going to it so it doesn't fall into this category Yeah, all right, here's another example Don't waste your money that restaurant is overpriced and the portions are small definitely not all it's cracked up to be.
Good. But maybe a restaurant everybody's trying hard to get into, it's hard to get a reservation and then you go and eat.
It's funny, because yeah, sometimes we go places because there's a lot of hype.
Like we said, there's a lot of hype around something.
Maybe there's always a line outside the door to get in, even like brunch places will do this.
And we go, we assume it's going to be great and maybe it's more of a hype, Right.
Yes, it's true and then you wonder does everybody actually Love it or is it just that that idea is put out into the world that this is amazing and you're supposed to love and everyone Is just kind of going along?
That's kind of how I feel about brunch in general just brunch brunching just the act of brunch in Regardless of where you go.
It just sort of it's not my thing.
It's not my thing Yeah, so for me brunch is not all it's cracked up to be but people love brunch. They love it Well, I think we've talked about this before and my thing is I'm starving when I wake up.
So I'm not – you know, it's just – then you're in an awkward position.
I recently had this happen where I was going with somebody and I was going to be at like 1030.
I can't – I don't know what to do with myself then.
Sure. I don't know how you made it in New York because I think New York is a brunching city.
Of course. Of course.
It's a brunching city.
LA is a brunching city.
Denver, not a brunching city because most people – Oh yeah.
Most people are in the mountains by 8 a .m. on the weekends.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So if you have that kind of lifestyle, because for me, brunch, maybe you have a drink and then you're tired at noon and you're hungry when you show up, there's a line, it's not all it's cracked up to be, but some people love it.
Right. And so you would use that phrase in that scenario.
Yeah, exactly. Nice.
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Okay, Michelle, but there might be other things we want to say here right?
Yes, as our listener Ilsa said in our best tradition to give other ways to say it, I like that so not worth the hype or over hyped.
Ooh I like over hyped, that sounds cool.
Over hyped, yeah so what's an example of that?
That gym is not worth the hype or that gym is over hyped, right.
Right, right so a lot of times I mean you see these gyms are so expensive.
And then yeah you're like what am I paying for?
Some of them are worth the hype.
I can't say that I'm a gym connoisseur but I'm just saying in general things you have to pay a lot for.
yeah for sure or overrated right very common right and we also say underrated which could be another episode for another day right overrated her new album is completely overrated in my maybe we add in my opinion in my opinion in my opinion yeah if you want to add those little qualifiers to kind of soften it or just make sure people know that you know this is just what I think but yeah or a letdown that's saying that something really you were excited about it and you were kind of blah.
Yeah, yeah. For example, yeah, go ahead, Michelle.
Oh, I wanted to love the new hotel, but I thought it was a let down.
Yeah. That's tough, right?
I'd rather be surprised and say I had low expectations but it really blew my mind, right?
It really surprised me.
When we visited Portugal last year in Lisbon, we stayed in a little guest house that just Was underrated in my opinion.
It was amazing. The service was incredible The breakfast was amazing the friendliness of the people was unbelievable.
I just I loved it So that's the kind of experience that I look for That's amazing.
Yeah, I mean I'm trying to think of things that recently I did read a book I found it wasn't worth the hype there's been a TV show there's been a I think a TV show or a movie made from it and I was reading it and I'm just like I want this to be over.
So I didn't think it was worth the hype but a lot of people loved it and that's okay.
Nice. Have you ever read the book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
Super famous. No, okay.
It's a really famous book.
I know it but I haven't ever read it.
So I'm just reading this now for the first time.
It's about Brooklyn in the early 1900s, right.
So immigrant families and what life was like.
So far it's well -written, I would recommend it.
So not overrated. Well I'm about to finish my current book.
Right. You can move on to that one after.
Love it. Exactly, so should we do a roleplay?
Let's do it Michelle.
So here we're not going to use everything we taught you because that would be a lot of commentary.
Yea a lot of commentary but here we're talking about a new movie that came out.
Here we go. So did you love it?
um honestly I don't think it was all it's cracked up to be really yeah I don't know I didn't really get it to me it was kind of a letdown oh I've heard some people say it's overrated but I personally loved it yeah Michelle did you see the second Top Gun the Top Gun sequel I with Dan Chrome okay I was wondering what you thought about that you'll have to go watch it and tell us on the show I thought it was good I mean I think a lot of sequels will never be as good as the originals I mean how could you beat the first hop gun come on right right it was good I wasn't disappointed so that's good yeah
that's good yeah so all right um you said so did you love it right and you're kind of you could tell that you want you to say yes I said um honestly I didn't think it was all it's cracked up to be yeah yeah interesting and then I said you said to To me, it was kind of a letdown.
And then you said, I've heard some people say it's overrated, but I loved it.
And I like how you added, I personally loved it.
You added that in. And I was noticing as we were doing this role play, there are a lot of little ways that we kind of qualify these things and show that there are opinions.
So I said, honestly, I didn't think it was all, it's cracked up to be, you said, Oh, no. Then I said, to me, it was kind of a letdown.
And then you said, I personally, Love it.
So those are interesting ways that we softened it a little bit.
Yeah, totally. So I think when something is such a cultural phenomenon and people are loving something and then you go and you're like, I don't get it.
Well, that would be another one, Michelle, I want to add as a bonus.
I just didn't get it.
I didn't get it. And this one's really cool because normally we use the phrase, I don't get it or I didn't get it to mean I didn't understand.
And essentially, that's what we're saying.
I didn't understand why people love this so much. I didn't understand what the big deal was.
And I use this a lot, right?
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
I didn't get it. It doesn't necessarily mean, oh, I didn't understand it.
I didn't understand why everyone loves it.
Right? Exactly. So we're going to add that in for you guys as a bonus today.
Michelle, what's another episode our listeners can find right now?
All right, guys, check out episode 23 87.
That was eight different ways to use some in English.
Yeah, so this is a really interesting connection skill right because if someone has Recommended that we go see something that we try a restaurant We probably want to be a little careful about how we review it But we want to be truthful too because if we don't tell our true opinions about things that we become a little bland and boring And we write it's okay to be spicy and say actually I didn't think it was worth all the hype, right?
So also we're keeping in mind.
Was that the person that recommended it to us?
then we can learn about that person so there's a lot here around connection, Michelle, don't you think?
Oh yeah, absolutely.
You don't want to make that person feel like how could you like something like that or feel like you know oh maybe if it's a book or something and then what are you saying I'm not smart maybe I'm not you know you know people might get offended, so just make sure you say ah I didn't really like it.
Yeah, but it's also okay to be truthful, you know, give your true review.
Everyone takes in the world differently and that's the cool thing about life.
I love it and most importantly just use the conversation to build that connection because that's what we're all about here at Ellers English.
Right, Michelle? I love it.
Okay, well thank you again for that great question and that sweet, uh, sweet review of our show, we appreciate it and guys thanks for listening.
Alright guys. Leave a review for the show, wherever you listen, and we'll do our best to read your name out loud on the show.
Alright, Michelle. Talk to you soon.
Bye. Alright. Bye. Bye, Lindsay.
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