Hello, and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast.
My name is Anna and you're listening to week 34, day one of Your English Five a Day, the second season.
This is the podcast that's on a mission to expand your vocabulary, improve your listening skills and to help you to feel more like yourself when communicating in English.
We don't need perfection, but we are aiming for fluency.
So stick with me.
I'm here every day of the working week and you will make progress.
So let's begin today's episode, as we often do, with a snapshot of what's to come.
Caught short, halfway up the hill I froze, legs crossed, heart sinking.
Motherhood is rewarding sure, but it's also full of cruel twists, like leaving you with a bladder that waves the white flag far sooner than it used to.
Desperate to relieve myself yet, clinging to my dignity, I could only watch as my toddler sauntered over to a tree and enjoyed the freedom of a wild wee without a care in the world, clearly teasing me, while nobody else so much as batted an eyelid.
Let's dive into that vocabulary then, starting with the idiom caught short.
Caught short.
Caught, C-A-U-G-H-T.
Short, S-H-O-R-T.
To be caught short is to suddenly and urgently need to go to the toilet.
You know, sometimes it happens.
You think, I don't need the loo.
I'm fine.
And then in an instant, I am desperate for the toilet.
I often find that I have that sudden urge and desperation to go after I've been out for quite a while.
And then I get home and it's the moment my key goes in the door.
So before I've unlocked the door.
But I'm just at the threshold, about to unlock the door and enter.
That's the moment it strikes me.
I need the loo.
I need the loo now.
It's so strange how that happens.
But to be caught short is to have that urgency and that sudden need to go, but in a place where it's not convenient.
You're caught short.
It's not a convenient time to need the loo.
So here's an example sentence.
I was caught short on the train with no toilet in sight.
That's a nightmare, isn't it?
You're on a train, so there's nothing you can do except perhaps disembark at the next station, even if it's not your own, just to go and find a loo.
What a nightmare.
Have you got any memories of being caught short?
Next, we have the noun dignity.
Dignity.
We spell this D-I-G-N-I-T-Y.
Dignity.
Dignity.
Dignity is a sense of self-respect and worthiness.
So you might say, even in defeat, she carried herself with dignity.
She has a sense of self-respect.
If somebody doesn't respect themselves, then they have no dignity.
So, for example, if someone is standing in the street shouting profanities being extremely offensive.
Maybe they've lost control of their body because perhaps they're abusing a substance.
Perhaps they're dribbling.
Maybe they've vomited on themselves.
Obviously, someone in that condition is in need of some sort of help.
But you could say that they've lost their dignity.
Okay, next we have the noun motherhood.
Motherhood.
We spell this M-O-T-H-E-R-H-O-O-D.
Motherhood.
Motherhood.
Motherhood is the state or experience of being a mother.
For example, motherhood has taught me patience like nothing else.
And it's true.
Motherhood is a great teacher.
It makes you evolve.
Next, we have the verb phrase to relieve oneself. to relieve yourself.
So relieve, we spell R-E-L-I-E-V-E.
If you relieve yourself, then you urinate or you empty your bowels.
But often this is referring to urination, to relieve oneself.
So it's an indirect, more polite way of saying it.
You might be caught short and absolutely desperate for a wee.
And you will need to find somewhere to relieve yourself.
Hopefully somewhere appropriate.
Here's an example sentence.
The hiker stepped behind a bush to relieve himself.
Next and last on today's list is the idiom bat an eyelid.
To bat an eyelid.
Bat, we spell B-A-T.
An eyelid, E-Y-E-L-I-D.
To bat an eyelid.
If nobody bats an eyelid, it's often used in the negative.
So if no one bats an eyelid, it means nobody reacts in a noticeable way.
Like it's very normal.
Whatever's going on is very normal or seems normal if no one bats an eyelid.
Now, you might find that someone is behaving in an unacceptable way.
But if, for whatever reason, the people who are witnesses don't seem to be reacting to this unacceptable behaviour, then you could say I don't understand why nobody's batting an eyelid at this unacceptable behaviour.
The manager walked into the staff room and started screaming and swearing at the staff.
They even threw a chair across the room and nobody batted an eyelid.
I'm horrified.
Alright, so here's an example sentence.
She didn't bat an eyelid when the fire alarm went off.
Alright, that's our five, so let's do a quick recap.
We started with the idiom caught short, which is to suddenly be in urgent need of a toilet.
Caught short.
We had the noun dignity, to have a sense of self-respect and worthiness.
Dignity.
We had the noun motherhood, referring to the state or experience of being a mother.
Motherhood.
We had the verb phrase to relieve oneself, which is to urinate or empty the bowels.
To relieve oneself.
And we had the idiom to bat an eyelid, which is to react in a noticeable way.
Often used in the negative, which is to not react, to not bat an eyelid.
OK, let's do this for pronunciation purposes.
Please repeat out loud after me.
Caught short.
Caught short dignity dignity motherhood, motherhood to relieve oneself, to relieve oneself, to not bat an eyelid, to not bat an eyelid Fantastic.
OK.
Oh, no, I suddenly and very urgently need the toilet.
What idiom could I use?
I've been caught short.
Oh, no.
And I don't want to urinate here.
What verb phrase could I use instead of saying urinate?
Relieve myself.
Yes, I don't want to relieve myself here.
I need to find a nice toilet to use.
I must maintain my sense of self-respect.
What noun could I use instead of saying self-respect?
I must hold on to my dignity.
I've been caught short and I can't relieve myself here.
I must hold on to my dignity.
I cannot have a wild wee, even though the experience of being a mother what noun could I use instead of saying experience of being a mother?
Motherhood.
Yes, even though motherhood has taught me that wild wheeze are sometimes necessary and in extreme circumstances they are accepted.
Not enjoyed, but accepted.
Well, I cannot relieve myself in a bush.
It will not happen because even if nobody reacts in a noticeable way, I will know.
What idiom could I use instead of saying nobody reacts in a noticeable way?
Nobody bats an eyelid.
Even if nobody bats an eyelid, I will know.
Being caught short while you're out and about is a nightmare.
I cannot relieve myself in the bush and lose my dignity, even though motherhood has taught me that wild wheeze are sometimes necessary.
And even if nobody bats an eyelid, I cannot do it.
There we go.
All right, let's revisit our snapshot quickly.
Caught short, halfway up the hill I froze, legs crossed, heart sinking.
Motherhood is rewarding, sure, but it's also full of cruel twists.
Like leaving you with a bladder that waves the white flag far sooner than it used to.
Desperate to relieve myself yet, clinging to my dignity, I could only watch as my toddler sauntered over to a tree and enjoyed the freedom of a wild wee without a care in the world, clearly teasing me, while nobody else so much as batted an eyelid.
Okay, I want you to listen out for our target vocabulary once more as we head into story time.
Paloma pressed her hand against her swollen belly and shifted uncomfortably in the passenger seat.
The baby had been pressing down on her bladder for the past 20 minutes, and what had started as a mild discomfort was now becoming a desperate urgency that made her break out in a cold sweat.
The motorway service station couldn't be more than another mile according to the last sign they'd passed.
But even sitting in the car, every bump in the road sent fresh waves of pressure through her lower abdomen, making that mile feel like an eternity.
At seven months pregnant, she'd grown accustomed to the frequent need to relieve herself, but this was different.
This was the kind of urgency that made her question whether she'd make it at all.
"'Come on, little one,' she whispered to her unborn child, trying to keep her voice steady.
"'Give Mummy a break.
Just a few more minutes.'
The irony wasn't lost on her that she was negotiating with someone who wouldn't arrive for another two months.
Someone who was already making their presence known in the most inconvenient ways possible.
This was motherhood, she supposed.
A constant series of small indignities and moments that tested your resolve.
Her husband, Mark, was driving, oblivious to her internal struggle.
He was chatting away about their weekend plans, not batting an eyelid, when she suddenly gripped the door handle and let out a sharp breath.
''Everything all right?'' he asked, finally glancing over and noticing her pale complexion.
Paloma forced a smile.
Just, can you drive a bit faster?
She couldn't bring herself to explain the reality that her dignity was hanging by a thread and she was genuinely frightened that she might not make it to the proper facilities.
The thought of being caught short, possibly even in the car, filled her with a particular kind of dread that seemed to make the pressure even worse.
Through the windscreen, she could see other cars pulling into the service station car park ahead.
Families with young children were getting out of their vehicles, and Paloma watched enviously as one mother casually walked with her toddlers towards the facilities.
That woman had made it through this stage of motherhood already.
She'd survived the indignities, the constant bathroom visits, the way pregnancy seemed to strip away your control over the most basic bodily functions.
The baby's really active today, Paloma said, which was true enough.
What she didn't mention was that every movement seemed calculated to make her situation more desperate.
Mark accelerated slightly.
Not long now until we're there.
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
Every pothole and speed bump was becoming a test of endurance.
The service station sign was finally visible now, a beacon of hope that made her eyes well up with relief.
This was what the pregnancy books hadn't prepared her for.
Not just the physical changes, but the way her body seemed to have developed its own agenda, one that didn't always align with social conventions or convenient timing.
Being caught short was becoming a genuine fear rather than just an embarrassing possibility.
She closed her eyes and focused on breathing steadily, mentally preparing herself for the dash from the car park to the facilities once they finally arrived.
If you're listening via any other streaming platform.
Until tomorrow, take very good care and goodbye.
