AEE 2377: Is Your English Stress a Nothing Burger?

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast Episode 2377 - "Is Your English Stress a Nothing Burger?"

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Hosts:

• Lindsay McMahon - The English Adventurer
• Michelle Kaplan - The New York Radio Girl

Release Date: March 20, 2025

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1. Introduction to "Nothing Burger"

In Episode 2377 of the All Ears English Podcast, Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the trendy English expression "nothing burger." This phrase has gained popularity in recent years, especially in casual conversations and media, to describe situations that are hyped up but ultimately insignificant or disappointing.

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2. Understanding "Nothing Burger"

Michelle Kaplan introduces the term by relating it to a real-life scenario involving weather expectations:

Michelle Kaplan [02:07]: "It's possible it will just be like a big nothing burger. You know, I feel like that happens a lot with, with weather."

Lindsay adds to the explanation by highlighting its application in various contexts:

Lindsay McMahon [05:08]: "It was set to be a nothing burger. The trains were pretty much on schedule, so we were good to go."

Key Points:

• Definition: A situation or event that is heavily anticipated or hyped but turns out to be uneventful or less significant than expected.
• Common Usage: Often used in contexts like weather forecasts, politics, or everyday minor disappointments.

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3. Origins and Popularity

The hosts speculate on the origin of the phrase, suggesting it has emerged within the last five to ten years. Lindsay mentions hearing it on platforms like Reddit, emphasizing its recent traction in popular vernacular.

Michelle Kaplan [04:57]: "I think in the last five years. I think."

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4. Practical Examples of "Nothing Burger"

To solidify understanding, Lindsay and Michelle provide multiple examples demonstrating the use of "nothing burger" in different scenarios:

• Weather-Related:

  Lindsay McMahon [06:53]: "I'm tired of all the worry about snow. These storms have all turned out to be nothing burgers."

• Academic Setting:

  Michelle Kaplan [07:00]: "I was so worried about the pop quiz, but it was another burger. Super easy. Just one question."

• Political Context:

  Lindsay McMahon [07:53]: "The politician warned of budget cuts to come. It turned out it was a nothing burger."

• Personal Relationships:

  Michelle Kaplan [09:25]: "I got so scared when Jasmine told me she needed to talk about the dresses. Luckily, it was much ado about nothing."

These examples illustrate how "nothing burger" can be versatile, applicable to both minor personal issues and broader societal topics.

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5. Related Expressions and Alternatives

The hosts explore alternative phrases that convey similar meanings, enhancing the listener's vocabulary:

• "Much Ado About Nothing":
  Originating from Shakespeare, this phrase means creating a lot of fuss over something insignificant.

  Michelle Kaplan [10:54]: "It's basically like a lot of fuss and nothing happens."

• "Empty Threat" or "Empty Promise":
  Refers to statements made without the intention of following through.

  Michelle Kaplan [11:28]: "When someone is just saying they're gonna do something but they have no intention of doing it."

• "False Alarm":
  Indicates a situation that was initially perceived as problematic but turned out to be harmless.

  Michelle Kaplan [12:38]: "We thought we had to cook the whole thing again, but it was a false alarm."

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6. Personal Anecdotes and Role-Play

To make the discussion relatable, Lindsay and Michelle share personal stories:

• Lindsay's Experience in New York:
  Lindsay recounts her anxiety over potential train disruptions, which ultimately did not occur.

  Lindsay McMahon [10:03]: "I was a little bit nervous about that. But it turned out to be a nothing burger. The trains were pretty much on schedule."

• Michelle's Soup-Making Mishap:
  Michelle describes an incident where an overly salted soup led to a “nothing burger” situation, emphasizing how expectations can sometimes lead to disappointments.

  Michelle Kaplan [12:55]: "We ended up just making a hodgepodge of random stuff."

The hosts further engage listeners with a role-play scenario demonstrating the usage of "nothing burger" and related phrases in conversation.

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7. Connection Between Language and Stress Relief

Towards the end of the episode, Lindsay and Michelle discuss the broader implications of using such expressions:

Michelle Kaplan [17:00]: "Nothing burger expression kind of pulls that release valve of, oh, it was a nothing burger."

Lindsay McMahon [17:25]: "Let the air out. And if you could do that with someone else by expressing this to someone, it will build that connection. In English, right?"

Insights:

• Stress Management: Using phrases like "nothing burger" can help individuals articulate and mitigate their stress by framing their concerns as less significant.
• Building Connections: Sharing such expressions fosters relatability and understanding among English learners and native speakers alike.

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8. Conclusion

Episode 2377 effectively unpacks the modern English phrase "nothing burger," providing learners with a comprehensive understanding of its meaning, usage, and related expressions. By intertwining personal anecdotes, practical examples, and role-play, Lindsay and Michelle not only teach the phrase but also demonstrate its application in everyday conversations. The discussion underscores the importance of language as a tool for connection and stress relief, aligning with the podcast's overarching philosophy of "Connection NOT Perfection."

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Notable Quotes:

• Michelle Kaplan [02:07]: "It's possible it will just be like a big nothing burger."
• Lindsay McMahon [05:08]: "The trains were pretty much on schedule, so we were good to go."
• Michelle Kaplan [07:00]: "I was so worried about the pop quiz, but it was another burger."
• Michelle Kaplan [16:00]: "Empty promise or empty threat. There's a little bit more intent, a little bit more planning. Yes."

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This episode serves as a valuable resource for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to enrich their vocabulary with contemporary American idioms and expressions, while also gaining insights into cultural nuances and stress management techniques.

Transcript

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2377. Is your English stress a nothing burger? 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. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.

[Michelle Kaplan]

What can you say in English when something that you thought would be a big deal turns out to be nothing? Get a trendy English phrase for connection today.

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Our philosophy here is connection, not perfection. And over on our business English podcast, we show you how to connect in the business world. It's all about relationship building, which starts with knowing when to be casual, formal and semi formal with your English. Learn more and listen to me, Lindsay and Michelle, over on the business English podcast. Open your search bar and type in business English with allers English and hit that follow button. New episodes three times a week. See you there.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Hello, Michelle. How are you? How's it going?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Hi, Lindsay. I'm good, I'm good. But I have a question.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, I'm ready.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. Have you ever been worried about having to change some sort of plan based on the weather and then the bad weather never came?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, of course. Especially in the summer, I like to plan things outdoors. I like to go to picnics, post picnics, outdoor parties, and especially if I host at home, I want to have people outside on my porch, not inside the house. Right. So what about you? Do you worry about these things?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I mean, actually, just because Dan is was supposed to leave on a trip to Florida in two days, but then they started talking about a lot of snow that could come. Yeah, so he was kind of scrambling. That's a good key word for yeah, he was scrambling and trying to figure out, well, I don't know, you know, I don't know if this actually is going to turn into something or not, buddy. And up changing his flight to earlier. But I mean, it's possible it will just be like a big nothing burger. You know, I feel like that happens a lot with, with weather.

[Lindsay McMahon]

It really does. A big nothing burger. Michelle, that. Are you talking about going to get hamburgers? Are we getting burgers or what's happening?

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, not. We're not getting burgers right now. But this is a really fun, really silly expression that's pretty trendy nowadays. Yeah. Don't you think?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I really like this one. I think it's fun. I've, I've heard it on ridicul. It's ridiculous, but that's why we like it. Maybe it's silly and it's fun. So.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. And this is, I mean, basically what it is. It's used to describe situations that have a lot of hype but they never pan out.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So it, they, it never actually happens. So we're going to talk about this more in just a minute, but first we wanted to say thank you so much to our reviewers.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, we have one special reviewer that I'd like to call out today. An amazing 5 star review from Dhoni Mir, who said this become my daily companion. It's a good approach for adult learning. Dony Mir is from Indonesia and they left a review in Apple podcast. So thank you so much, Donnie Mir, for your review. And Michelle, what do we want to ask our listeners to do?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, guys, thank you so much to Donnie Mir and we would love to hear from you. Go wherever you are listening to the Allers English podcast and write us a review. We'd love to hear from you. You can even ask a question in there. But we do read all of your reviews and it means a lot to us. So thank you so much.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You got it. All right, good stuff. So let's get into Nothing burger. It does sound funny.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I don't know where this came from or when it started, but I, I don't think this, I think this is a pretty recent expression. I, I don't think in later. I mean like definitely in the last 10 years.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I don't think be five or 10. Five years maybe. I don't remember hearing this when I was in college or even in my twenties. I think in the last five years. I think.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I think so too. So yeah, a nothing burger, like we were saying, is used to describe a situation where there's tons of attention paid to something and a lot of hype, but then whatever was predicted or expected never happened. Or maybe it did happen, but it wasn't a big deal. Yeah, this, I mean, as I was saying, this makes me think of snowstorm storms. We've had a couple nothing burgers this year. Actually I planned this episodes after two separate big storms that were set to occur and then the schools close and everyone gets nervous and starts closing things, at least in this area. And then it's really nothing and everyone.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Goes canned soup for a year. Right. That's so funny.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Toilet paper. Yeah. So then it turns out to be a nothing burger, which means. Lindsay. So did it in those situations, did it snow?

[Lindsay McMahon]

So it means that it didn't end up. Maybe it snowed. But it was probably not nearly as much of a big deal as you predicted.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Maybe it was just a dusting. And the problem with the east coast, right, is that you can have nothing burgers, but then you do have big, actual huge storms sometimes, and it's impossible to know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know, I. Of course we can all pay attention to the weather, but things are changing all the time. The reports can be wrong. And so you don't know is it going to be a nothing burger or not?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, it's true this time. I guess it was two times for you. It was at a couple. But it's kind of a letdown, too, especially if you're a kid and school gets. Well, I guess if school gets canceled, you're feeling great no matter what happens. But you know, when you expect a snowstorm, you kind of get into the mentality of getting cozy in the house and staying in. And then when it doesn't happen, you think, oh, I should be going out. I should, should do something. Right. It ends up being this whole mental trip.

[Michelle Kaplan]

True, true. So let's do a few more examples of this. Let's see, what's the first one?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Here we go. I'm tired of all the worry about snow. These storms have all turned out to be nothing burgers.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or here. It's not always about the weather, Right. You could say I was so worried about the pop quiz, but it was another burger. Super easy. Just one question.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, one question. Geez. And here's another one. The politician warned of budget cuts to come. It turned out it was a nothing partner. Yeah. This. And this can apply to politics for sure. Right. When someone is saying they're going to do something and it seems like it's going to change everything, and then it's just empty threats, for example, or. So it's anytime we have an anticipation that something is going to be a huge deal and it just isn't right, that's when it's a nothing burger.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And I do hear this on the news a lot, too. Yeah. Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

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[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, here we go.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I was so nervous when my boyfriend told me we needed to talk, but it was a nothing burger. He just wanted to compare firm plans for Friday. Oh, that's scary.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right? When you're just. You have this anticipation and then. Oh, okay. All right, that's it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So it reminds me of the dating, dating days, right? If someone's going to break up with you, they might say, oh, we need to talk. Right. Very awkward. But then maybe it's a nothing burger, hopefully.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, exactly. I mean, Lindsay, can you think of any examples from your life where something was a nothing burger? Maybe a time where some. You thought something was going to get rained out or anything ago?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, maybe. For example. Well, I was in New York this past weekend and you know, in New York, it's always. They always change the train. The train routes on the weekends. They take the yard train and put it express going into Queens. They do crazy things. Right. But. And so I was a little bit nervous about that. Like, are the trains going to be totally messed up? But it turned out to be a nothing burger. The trains were pretty much on schedule, so we were good to go. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So your worries were a nothing burger, basically. Right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

My worries were nothing burger. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

So let's talk about some other ways to say this now. One of these actually, we'll get to in a minute, but Lindsay, you actually used one of these already, so. But let's do the first one. So the first one is Much Ado about Nothing. And I believe this would. I believe it comes from Shakespeare unless. Yes, exactly.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I think it does.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. So it's basically like a lot of fuss and nothing happens.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Exactly. So, for example, my team got so stressed about the training, but it was Much Ado about nothing. It was just easy and took five minutes. Okay. I'd say this one is a little less common, but it's nice to kind of dress up your language and have fun with it sometimes by quoting Shakespeare. Right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Definitely. And then this is the one you used was empty threat. Or you can also say empty promise. So that's a little bit different, but I wanted to say in any way. So what is an empty threat or an empty promise?

[Lindsay McMahon]

When someone is just saying they're gonna do something or promising to do something, but they have no intention of doing it, or eventually it just ends up not happening. Right. It's empty. There's no energy, no substance behind it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I guess as a parent. As a parent, Michelle, you probably do this a little bit.

[Michelle Kaplan]

We won't tell your kids, but sometimes. Sometimes. Well, it's just hard because I'm a softy. Lindsay, what does that mean?

[Lindsay McMahon]

You're. You're the parent that, you know, the kids will come to to get some more leeway. Great. Compared to the other parent. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. So I, you know, I'm not very good at saying, oh, I'm gonna do this, and then I don't do it. I. I like, oh, okay, we can get another whatever.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know, so. But an example could be parents tend to make empty threats and empty promises to get their kids to behave.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes. Right. So they don't necessarily plan on carrying out the threat. Right. But they want to scare them and have them do something. Whatever it is, they'll clean up their room.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'll turn this car around right now.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, my gosh. That is famous phrase.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Essential. Yep. Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I love it. This next one is false alarm. Also really good. So, for example. Oh, no, we have to cook the whole thing again. Oh, wait. False alarm. I actually did follow the recipe correctly. Oh, that would be scary, wouldn't it?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Actually, I have a story.

[Lindsay McMahon]

You do?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. But it wasn't a false alarm. We were just making a soup. I've gotten really into soup making because I guess that's what happens when. As you get older. I don't know. I guess I don't know know. Or at least to me, but. So we were making a soup, and we were just at the salting part. We're just gonna put salt on it. And it was almost done. It had all these fresh, fresh veggies in it. And then we let my son be in charge of the salting. And then I don't think it was hit. I don't think it was his fault. But the top got unscrewed and all the salt fell into.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, no. Oh, that must have been intense. So you just. Did you just throw it out or what did you do?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Well, Dan kept on trying to rescue the sou. The end. He didn't feel well because he kept on trying to take sips of it and water it down.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, no. Oh, gosh. What a disaster.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, he was just having way too much salt. Yeah, the soup was not saved. We ended up just making a hodgepodge of random stuff.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Well, it happens sometimes it happens. That's okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, so let's do a role play. So here we are, friends, and we are getting ready for our other friend's wedding.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, here we go.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I got so scared when Jasmine told me she needed to talk about the dresses. Luckily, it was much ado about nothing. She just changed the color. No biggie.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, that's good. I'm glad it was a nothing burger. You've been working so hard.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Thanks. I also thought she was going to tell me I had to change my flight, but it was a false alarm.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, good. Good. Seems like she gets all excited about things and they turn out to be nothing burgers.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, but sometimes she makes empty promises. I could use some help with this planning.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I can help. Oh, man. So it sounds like maybe you're the maid of honor. Right. And you're doing the planning, but it's hard to work with the bride.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yes. It could be a little bit difficult. So. All right, let's do this. So I said I got scared when she needed to talk about the dresses. Luckily, it was much ado about nothing.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes. So again, that.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That the historical quote, that if you want to sound fancy, you can do that. You can add that in there instead of nothing burger. But it really means the same thing. It means there was a lot of energy around this issue, but nothing happened. Right, Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. And then you said, that's good. I'm glad it was a nothing burger. Right. So it was not all that I had thought it would be. It was not as scary.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes, exactly. And then I. You said, I also thought she was going to tell me I had to change my flight, but it was a false alarm. So another example of another way to Say it. Something didn't pan out. It didn't end up happening. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then you said, seems like she gets all excited about things and they turn out to be nothing burgers. So now you're not going to use nothing burgers all the time, Right? This. You just said it. Actually, this was a mistake on my part by writing it twice. That's okay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, we've seen two ways that it gets used. It's okay. It's okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Exactly. Yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And then you said, yeah, but sometimes she makes empty promises. I could use some help with the planning. Okay. That feels a little more serious when you say that, doesn't it?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, now or yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Because it's like the person sometimes. I mean, people usually know when they're making an empty promise. Right. Because they don't have any intention to fulfill that promise. So that's a bit more of it, like a negative on that person. Nothing burger can just be like a scenario that just didn't happen the way you thought it would. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Empty promise or empty threat. There's. That shows a little bit more intent, a little bit more planning. Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Not in a good way. Right? Exactly. Exactly. All right, good stuff. These are super useful phrases. Michelle, what's another episode our listeners can go to?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, this is another fun one we did. It was the All Ears English. And the episode was. This episode is textbook All Ears English. That was really fun.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, that's really fun. And I love that title. So what does this mean for connection for our listeners here?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Nothing burger People can really identify with this, I think, because there's a lot of anxiety in the world right now and there's a lot of trying to plan for the worst situation and really just figuring out what to do. And so this nothing burger expression kind of pulls that release valve of, oh, it was a nothing burger.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, that's a really interesting point. You're right. That's it right there.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

We're all kind of like up to our ears in stress, sort of based on what's going on globally. And, you know, we worry about a lot of things and then it's. It is. It's the stress relief valve. Right. Let the air out. And if you could do that with someone else by expressing this to someone, it will build that connection. In English, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Definitely. Oh, wow. Well, this was so fun, Lindsay. And may all your worries be nothing.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I love it. You too, Michelle. You have a good day. I'll talk to you soon.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, Bye. Bye, guys.

[Lindsay McMahon]

For listening to Allears English, would you like to know your English level, take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com fluencyscore and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.