AEE 2380: Keep English Straight With these Idioms

Summary

All Ears English Podcast – Episode 2380: "Keep English Straight With These Idioms"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan
Release Date: March 26, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 2380 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the nuanced world of English idioms centered around the word "straight." Aimed at intermediate to advanced ESL learners, this episode explores how these idioms can enhance conversational skills and understanding of American English nuances.

Exploring "Keep Straight" and Related Idioms

The discussion begins with the idiom "keep something straight," which means to avoid mixing things up and to distinguish one thing from another accurately.

[03:46] Michelle: "What is this?"

[03:47] Aubrey Carter: "Keep straight means to not mix up. Right. To correctly distinguish one thing from another."

Example: Lindsay shares an anecdote about her experience in tango classes, struggling to remember her classmates' names despite multiple introductions.

"Keep Your Story Straight"

Moving deeper, the hosts discuss "keep your story straight," emphasizing the importance of consistency in storytelling, especially to avoid discrepancies that may lead others to question one's honesty.

[05:01] Aubrey Carter: "Keep your story straight means not mix up the facts... if you tell a lie, it's hard to keep straight which details you change."

Real-World Application: Lindsay references a podcast episode about a Boeing employee involved in legal depositions, highlighting how maintaining a straight story is crucial under scrutiny.

"Get Something Straight"

"Get something straight" is another idiom covered, which involves clarifying misunderstandings to ensure all parties are on the same page.

[05:48] Aubrey Carter: "This means to clear up a misunderstanding or to clarify something that's confusing."

[06:15] Lindsey McMahon: "Let me get this straight."

Usage Example: A parent addressing a child who broke curfew, emphasizing the need for clear communication to avoid future misunderstandings.

"Think Straight"

The idiom "think straight" pertains to the ability to focus and concentrate, especially in distracting or chaotic environments.

[07:04] Aubrey Carter: "Think straight means to be able to focus or concentrate... I can't think straight with all this noise."

Practical Tip: Aubrey suggests moving to a quieter space to enhance concentration, a common strategy in both personal and professional settings.

"Play It Straight"

Lastly, "play it straight" refers to acting honestly and without deceit, fostering trust in relationships.

[08:22] Aubrey Carter: "Play it straight means doing something without tricks or subterfuge. It also means being honest or trustworthy."

Example Scenario: Lindsay uses this expression in the context of dating to express the desire for straightforwardness and honesty from a partner.

Role-Play Demonstration

To illustrate the practical use of these idioms, Lindsay and Aubrey engage in a role-play scenario set during a noisy happy hour after work.

Key Highlights:

• "I can't think straight in here with all this noise." ([10:50]) – Expressing difficulty concentrating due to the environment.

• "I can never keep time straight when they're changing it so often." ([10:59]) – Highlighting confusion caused by frequent changes.

• "Let's get something straight. I was fine with whatever." ([11:07]) – Clarifying a misunderstanding regarding meeting times.

• "I feel like someone's not playing it straight." ([11:13]) – Suspecting dishonesty or hidden motives.

This role-play effectively demonstrates how these idioms can be seamlessly integrated into everyday conversations, enhancing clarity and expressiveness.

Connecting to Previous Episodes

The hosts reference Episode 2366, which focused on phrasal verbs, as the inspiration for the current discussion on idioms. This connection underscores the podcast's comprehensive approach to teaching English through interconnected lessons.

[13:19] Aubrey Carter: "This is the episode that inspired this one. 2366. Don't blow off this English vocabulary episode."

Takeaways and Learning Strategies

Lindsay and Aubrey emphasize the importance of continuous exposure to English through various mediums to master idioms and phrasal verbs.

[13:35] Lindsay McMahon: "The key is the more exposure we have to the language, the better... listening to All Ears English five days a week, listening to other podcasts, consuming a lot of native, natural English."

Practical Advice:

• Incorporate newly learned idioms into daily conversations.
• Engage with diverse English media to reinforce understanding and usage.
• Practice role-playing scenarios to build confidence in using idiomatic expressions.

Conclusion

Episode 2380 serves as an invaluable resource for ESL learners aiming to navigate the complexities of English idioms involving "straight." Through relatable examples, practical demonstrations, and strategic learning tips, Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan equip listeners with the tools to enhance their conversational prowess and cultural fluency in American English.

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Notable Quotes:

• Lindsay McMahon [01:04]: "How do you know when you finally hit the advanced English level? You can not only have interesting conversations in English, but also be interesting in English."

• Aubrey Carter [05:12]: "Keep your story straight means not mix up the facts. If you tell a lie, it's hard to keep straight which details you change."

• Lindsay McMahon [06:15]: "Let me get this straight."

• Aubrey Carter [10:50]: "I can't think straight in here with all this noise."

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Join the Conversation:

To further enhance your English skills, subscribe to the All Ears English Podcast and become part of a global community dedicated to mastering American English through connection, not perfection.

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an Allers English podcast. Episode 2380 Keep English Straight with these idioms.

[Lindsey McMahon]

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 host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer, coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe in today's episode you'll get four idioms using the word straight to talk about being direct and more in English.

[Aubrey Carter]

How do you know when you finally hit the advanced English level? You can not only have interesting conversations in English, but also be interesting in English. You can make astute observations, ask good questions, speak with a confident pitch. To do this you need a special method and a clear study plan. Join our brand new B2 English fluency course. It's 100% based on interesting, spontaneous, unrehearsed video interviews with native speakers. Real English. Save up to $50 before March 30th and get a free bonus course. Go to allearsenglish.com b2 that's allearsenglish.com letter B number two. Hello Lindsay, how are you?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I'm doing great, Aubrey, how are you today? How's it going?

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm great. I have a question for you. Is there anything you have trouble keeping straight?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh yeah, for sure. You know the F I I it's so funny because everyone's phone number is now in my phone and so if I ever don't have my phone but I need to call someone, I can't keep numbers straight their phone numbers. Unless I knew them from childhood and they're still living in place, which is unlikely.

[Aubrey Carter]

So phone number A really good example. I had something happen last summer where we were on a river and I had left my phone in someone else's car. So we got to the end and we were supposed to call for them to come pick us up.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

And we didn't have a phone and none of us knew anyone's phone number. Like if we don't have our phones, we don't know anyone's number to call anymore.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It kind of scares me about chat GPT Are we going to forget how to think entirely? Right. It's the same idea.

[Aubrey Carter]

So true. It is hard to keep numbers straight. Yeah, as kids names straight, I often will call them the wrong name.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Well that is another level Aubrey, when you're forgetting your Kids names. That's. That's trouble.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's true. I find myself going through. I'm like Adeline, Penelope, Georgia. Like, I say everyone's name before the right one.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, that's great. I love that. So I love what we said here. We said the expression to keep something straight. Is that what we're going into in today's episode?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. This came up in a recent episode that Michelle and I recorded about phrasal verbs. And we said, it's hard to keep these all straight. Great. And so stay to the end. We'll share what episode that was in case you missed it. But definitely hit follow if you are missing any of our episodes. Talk about vocabulary, idioms, phrasal verbs, strategies. You don't want to miss any of them.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, 100. And as we said before, bonus episodes as well. You don't want to miss them. So hit that follow button. All right, let's go into number one. And this is the one that we used at the top of the show to keep straight.

[Michelle]

What is this?

[Aubrey Carter]

And then we're also going to share some other idioms, sort of related or with straight. So the first one, keep straight, means to not mix up. Right. To correctly distinguish one thing from another. So I. I think about my daughter's soccer coach. He has this little whiteboard that he always has the names of the girls that are on the field because he has such a hard time keeping their names straight or even just keeping the players straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

A lot of them look alike, right?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I bet. Yeah. That some people are just not name people, you know, can be really hard. How many times you need to introduce yourself? I'm. I've been starting to do tango lessons. I think I might have shared that on the show.

[Aubrey Carter]

Ye.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And now it's. I've been to three classes and still asking for names, but the same people are still asking for my name. So I figure that's okay. As long as they're still asking for my name. I can still.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's when it gets tricky. You're like, I know that I've talked to you enough times that I should know your name. I'm still asking for it. I'm sorry.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hopefully by the fourth class, I'll have the name straight. Right. Keep them straight.

[Aubrey Carter]

But let's give some examples. So I talked about my daughter's coach. He has a difficult time keeping the players names straight, so he mixes them up. He'll call the girls the wrong name sometimes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, no. Or it was clear he had lied when he wasn't Able to keep his story straight. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. This is one way. We use this a lot. Keep your story straight means not mix up the facts. Right. So if you tell a lie, it's hard to keep straight which details you change.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Well, it's true. And that's why if you're ever in a deposition, I was listening to a podcast episode about someone who worked for Boeing, and he was involved in multiple depositions, and they asked the same questions over and over again for hours and hours to try to break your story, to try to see if you're lying. I don't think he was lying, by the way. Um, but that will happen if you're under pressure in the legal system. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. They're going to see if you can keep your story straight. Because if you're lying, you probably can't.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, exactly. All right, so that's a really important one where we see all across the culture, right. Families, the legal system. Number two, get something straight. Now, this is different.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. This means to clear up a misunderstanding or to clarify something that's confusing. So you might say, let's get this straight. You weren't home until 2am so it'd be something I'd say to my daughter, who broke curfew, and I'm like, let's make sure we're on the same page. Make sure there's no misunderstandings here.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And the famous phrase here is, let me get this straight. Let me get this straight. You might hear that in movies or just in the culture in general, right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. That's almost more idiomatic. That is often said when something is unbelievable or, you know, you're kind of saying, like, are you serious? That's really what you're doing. Let me get this straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's a little different, right? You're let me get this straight. And then you say something kind of ridiculous. Is this true? Is this really what happened?

[Aubrey Carter]

Is that really what happened? Yes, exactly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Here's another example of get something straight. I need to get one thing straight. I never lied to you. And what you're saying here is you need to convey clearly one thing.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. This is especially used when there's a misunderstanding or something that is believed that is not true. You want to clear it up. Up and be like, okay, I need to get one thing straight or I need to get something straight. We say it both of these ways.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. Number three, think straight. Think straight. How about this one? Aubry?

[Aubrey Carter]

That means to be able to focus or concentrate. I say this a lot when my kids are being so annoying. So noisy. Right. I can't think straight with all this noise.

[Lindsey McMahon]

How do you handle that noise?

[Aubrey Carter]

It's really difficult. Send them outside.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, gosh. Good thing you live in Arizona. They can go outside any time of the year. I love that.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Exactly.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Or let's meet in the conference room so we can think straight. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. It's just another way of saying so we can really focus, hone in on what we're doing.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Aubry, question. When you were. When you. If you want to get work done, do you feel like your space needs to be neat and kind of zen in a sense, or are you okay with a messy space where you work?

[Aubrey Carter]

I do prefer to it for it to be neat. Right. Clutter free to get work done, to really be able to think straight. But you know who especially I know you've talked about needing to tidy up clutter. Right. My husband cannot think straight if there's any clutter. Like, everything needs to be in its place, everything needs to be tidy. So I know that's pretty common.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. It's a thing, Right? It's definitely a thing. But then you might find that you spend the time cleaning up the place, and then there's no time left to do the work. Right. That's.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's the problem. All the time I had to do this, I spent tidying.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. Exactly. Now play it straight is another one we use doing something without tricks or subterfuge. What does that mean, Aubrey?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Deceit. Right. So now that's a band 9 IELTS word. That's an impressive subterfuge, which means deceit. So to. We also use it to mean honestly or trust in a trustworthy way. So, for example, I wish you would just play it straight with me. Someone might say this about someone. They're dating and they feel like they're getting mixed messages or they're being breadcrumbed. We talked about dating terms recently, and you may like. I wish they would just play it straight. They would be more. Less deceitful, more trustworthy.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right, Exactly. So you could say, okay, play it straight with me. Where were you last night?

[Aubrey Carter]

This is again, something I might say to my daughter after breaking curfew. All right, play it straight. It means like, okay, just be honest.

[Lindsey McMahon]

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[Aubrey Carter]

Start us out.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I can't think straight in here with all this noise.

[Aubrey Carter]

It is so loud.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hey, I thought we were meeting tomorrow at 5, but Mark just said he thought the plan was 7.

[Aubrey Carter]

I can never keep time straight when they're changing it so often. It was switched from five to seven, then six. I thought it was back to five, though.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Let's get something straight. I was fine with whatever. So all the time changes were not my fault.

[Aubrey Carter]

I feel like someone's not playing it straight. I wonder if they're planning a surprise or something.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, okay. So something's going on. Something strange is happening here behind the scenes.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Right. We're starting to detect, like, okay, something's up.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, exactly. So I started off by saying, I can't think straight in here with all this noise. So maybe it's just a noisy bar.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly right. A lot of noise. And this is how I stay instead of like, you know, it's so loud in here. I can't concentrate. I can't focus. We're much more likely to say, I can't think straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. Exactly. And then you said, aubry, I can.

[Aubrey Carter]

Never keep times straight when they're changed so often. Right. So if the meeting time or where you're meeting keeps changing, then you say like, oh, I can't keep the time straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Nice. And then I said, let's get something straight. I was fine with whatever. So all the time changes were not My fault. So I'm just trying to tell you, hey, this is not my fault. I didn't cause this problem.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right. Because I don't know, maybe I do think you're the one that needs the time changes. Right. And so you're wanting to clear up that misunderstanding. Like, okay, let's get something straight. Not my fault.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right, Exactly. And then you said, aubry, I feel like someone's not playing it straight, so I wonder if they're planning a surprise. So it sounds like you think someone is kind of not being 100. Straightforward.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. Yeah. There's related. Straight and straightforward in this way. Playing it straight, being straightforward. There's some kind of deceit or subterfuge happening. So we're starting to sense like, oh, wait, maybe someone's planning a surprise.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Well, I wonder what that's. If that's where this expression, these expressions came from. Straightforward, Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, they're definitely all related.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Get something straight, Keep straight. Play it straight from the word straightforward. Potentially, yes. Probably.

[Aubrey Carter]

Interesting. And they're all. They all have such different meanings, like little, you know, sort of related. But this is what's so tricky about idioms and idiomatic phrasal verbs as well. You know, it's hard to keep them straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, 100 it is. And that's why we are here to help our listeners. Right, Aubry? But there's another episode that our listeners should check out. Why should they check that one out?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, this is the episode that inspired this one. 2366. Don't blow off this English vocabulary episode. We were talking about phrasal verbs we used keep straight when we're talking about how difficult those phrasal verbs with the word below are to keep straight.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, and I love it. So as a takeaway today, I agree with you, Aubrey. It can be hard when we're learning a new language to keep idioms straight. But I think the key is the more exposure we have to the language, the better. So that's coming back. Listening to Allers English five days a week, listening to other podcasts, consuming a lot of native, natural English.

[Aubrey Carter]

Absolutely. And these are all very common in daily conversations at work. None of them are overly formal or informal. So throw a couple into your conversations.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Throw it in, see what happens. I love it. Good stuff. All right, Aubrey, well, we'll talk to you very soon.

[Aubrey Carter]

Awesome. See you next time.

[Lindsey McMahon]

All right, take care. Bye.

[Aubrey Carter]

You too. Bye.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Thanks for listening. To all ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to allearsenglish.com forward SLF fluency score and if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.

[Michelle]

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