AEE 2417: Are Your Feet Cold? How to Talk About Nerves in English

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast – Episode AEE 2417: "Are Your Feet Cold? How to Talk About Nerves in English"

Introduction

In Episode AEE 2417 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan delve into the idiom "getting cold feet," exploring its meaning, usage, and various contexts in everyday English. This episode is particularly beneficial for intermediate to advanced ESL learners aiming to enhance their conversational skills by discussing universal human emotions related to nervousness and hesitation during significant life moments.

Understanding "Cold Feet"

Michelle Kaplan initiates the discussion by highlighting the importance of sharing personal experiences where nerves played a role, such as weddings, moving abroad, or starting a new job (01:01). This sets the stage for unpacking the idiom "getting cold feet."

Lindsay McMahon clarifies the idiom's meaning:

“This means to get nervous about something or to second guess a choice before you have to do the thing or make the decision.” (04:31)

She further explains that while the phrase often conjures images of wedding jitters, its application is broader, encompassing any significant life change or decision-making process that induces anxiety.

Contexts and Examples

The hosts provide various scenarios where "getting cold feet" might apply:

• Weddings: Commonly associated with the idiom, as portrayed in numerous movies and real-life situations.
• College Transitions: Both hosts share personal anecdotes about feeling nervous before starting college or moving away from home.
  • Michelle recounts feeling anxious before a major move, emphasizing the universal nature of such feelings (06:30).
  • Lindsay discusses her experience of relocating 500 miles from home for college and the emotional challenges that accompanied the transition (06:16).

Alternative Expressions for "Cold Feet"

To enrich their listeners' vocabulary, Lindsay and Michelle explore several alternative expressions that convey similar sentiments:

1. Having Second Thoughts:

   • Example: "I'm having second thoughts about starting school again." (11:11)
   • Definition: Reconsidering a decision or feeling uncertain about proceeding.

2. Chicken Out:

   • Example: "I know you're scared, but don't chicken out. We need you on the team." (11:45)
   • Definition: Deciding not to do something because of fear or anxiety.

3. Having Doubts:

   • Example: "I've been having doubts as to whether this is the right move for me professionally." (12:30)
   • Definition: Feeling uncertain or unsure about a decision.

Personal Insights and Advice

Lindsay shares her approach to dealing with "cold feet," emphasizing the importance of making swift and quality decisions, especially in professional settings. She advises listeners to assess their feelings but ultimately proceed with actions that align with their long-term goals.

Michelle adds a personal touch by relating the idiom to her own experiences and encourages listeners to connect through shared feelings of nervousness in various life transitions. She emphasizes that feeling "cold feet" is a natural and relatable emotion, reinforcing the human aspect of language learning.

Role-Play Segment: Overcoming "Cold Feet"

In an engaging role-play exercise, Michelle and Lindsay simulate a conversation between friends about facing fears related to bungee jumping (14:15). This segment serves as a practical demonstration of using the idiom in real-life scenarios.

Listener Engagement and Poll

Towards the end of the episode, the hosts interact with their audience by introducing a Spotify poll:

Poll Question: "If you are married, did you get cold feet before your wedding? Yes or No?" (13:37)

This interactive element fosters community engagement and allows listeners to reflect on their own experiences related to the episode's theme.

Conclusion

Lindsay and Michelle wrap up the episode by reinforcing the significance of connecting through shared emotions and experiences. They encourage listeners to apply the discussed idioms in their conversations to express feelings of nervousness and hesitation effectively.

“I love when on the show we find these very universal human feelings and emotions, and then we can articulate them in English to build this connection with someone.” (17:34)

The episode concludes with a teaser for the next installment, promising additional vocabulary to help listeners "speak their mind."

Notable Quotes

• Lindsay McMahon on alternative expressions:

  “Having second thoughts can be dangerous because usually I think through my decisions. So I made the decision to move to Japan because I knew it was the right decision for me.” (12:57)

• Michelle Kaplan on universal feelings:

  “It's a very human feeling, and everybody can relate to it and, you know, share how they felt in a time when they were a little bit freaked out to do something.” (17:24)

Key Takeaways

• The idiom "getting cold feet" is versatile and applicable to various life situations involving nervousness or hesitation.
• Alternative expressions like "having second thoughts," "chicken out," and "having doubts" provide nuanced ways to convey similar feelings.
• Sharing personal anecdotes about nervous experiences can enhance conversational English and build deeper connections.
• Engaging in role-play and interactive activities can solidify understanding and practical usage of new vocabulary.

Resources Mentioned

• All Ears English App: For real-time transcripts and personalized vocabulary lists. Available on allearsenglish.com.

Next Episode Teaser

Listeners are invited to tune into Episode 2392, which will focus on "English vocabulary that will help you speak your mind," promising further enhancement of conversational skills.

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Stay Connected

• Follow the All Ears English Podcast on your preferred platform to receive updates on new episodes.
• Participate in the Spotify poll at the end of the episode to share your experiences and engage with the community.

References

• Timestamps correspond to the provided transcript segments for easy reference to specific parts of the conversation.

Transcript

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 24:17 Are your feet cold? How to talk about nerves 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. Listen, 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 Allears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.

[Michelle Kaplan]

One amazing way to connect is to share details of big moments in life when you got nervous before the event. Things like your wedding, moving abroad or taking a new job today, find out how to articulate this universal feeling in English.

[Unknown]

What gets you a high score on IELTS? It's the same advanced C1 level skills that you learn in our C1 course. Precise vocabulary, the ability to speak in abstract ways, and the ability to narrate your internal dialogue. All band 7 or higher skills. Join our C1 course today and save up to $100 off the normal price. Plus get invited to our speaking clubs every week. Go right now to allersenglish.com C1 offer expires June 1st at midnight. Get it now. Allersenglish.com C1 letter C number one.

Hey there, Michelle. How are you today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm good. Lindsay. I have a question for you.

[Unknown]

Okay. All right, I'm ready.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Do you. Do you wear socks to sleep?

[Unknown]

Oh, no. Unless I'm camping and it's freezing, I do not like to wear socks in my bed. What about you? Are you a socks to bed person?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I am. And I. They have to be the fuzzy. Like they have to be comfy fuzzy socks. I think it. And it doesn't matter how hot it is. I. And that's. I think I like to sleep very encased in things like I, I like the. I like the socks. I like an eye mask. I like.

[Unknown]

So do you like sleeping bags? Do you like sleeping bags? Being in a sleeping bag?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I haven't been in a sleeping bag in, I don't know the last time I was a sleeping bag, but I'm okay with a sleeping bag. Yeah, but. So yeah, I, I do like that feeling. So I think that's part of the reason I wear socks to sleep. But I know that probably most people don't.

[Unknown]

No, I'm more. I like to be kind of more loose. I like, I don't like to have my. I don't like to be constrained or constricted. I hate being in a sleeping bag and I like to have my feet kind of out on top of the blanket so my feet don't get cold. But it sounds like may maybe your feet get cold when you sleep.

[Michelle Kaplan]

My feet do get cold when I sleep. And guys, I just want to let you know that we are going to find out more about you guys through a Spotify poll that we'll do at the end of the episode. So, guys, we like to interact with you on Spotify. So at the end of the episode we will share the poll question and yeah, then, then we'll get to hear from you and interact with you.

[Unknown]

All right, so if you're not listening on Spotify, you might want to consider that so that you can participate in these polls. All right, so cold feet is something I mentioned. I asked you if your feet get cold. Right. So you need to wrap them up. And this is what we're talking about today, a very useful idiom for our listeners. But are we talking, is this related to sleeping at all, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, not related. And we're, and we're not even. We're talking about this more metaphorically. So yes, I, I do, I do get cold feet, actually. Literally, my feet get cold. But we're not talking about that today. What does it mean to get cold feet?

[Unknown]

Well, this means to get nervous about something or to second guess a choice before you have to do the thing or make the decision. This is used a lot of times at weddings, right? What do you talk about? The bride or the groom getting cold feet, having second thoughts on the day of or the, or the day before. There's so many weddings, so many movies, Michelle, rom coms based on this idea. Well, there's Runaway Bride, the classic.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, yes, exactly. Yeah. So that, that's to me, when I hear to get cold feet, I think most people just immediately think of, yeah, yeah, runaway, Bright or just any wedding. But yeah. So for example, he doesn't know if he wants to go through with the wedding, but I know he just has cold feet.

[Unknown]

Yes. Or oh, no, I'm getting cold feet.

[Lindsay McMahon]

This is, this is the right guy for me. Right?

[Unknown]

Yeah, these are, I think we often do. We do think about, about weddings for sure. And Michelle, before we go any further in the episode, I do want to remind our listeners to hit the follow button right here on the podcast. Guys, hit follow on the podcast to make sure you get every Episode of All Ears English all right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, good. All right, so. But if we're not using it for weddings, I mean, do we use it in other contexts?

[Unknown]

Yeah, we can. It's really about any big change that you're going to be making or any big step you're taking. Now. The first thing that comes to mind for me, Michelle, is maybe going to college. We've talked a lot on this show about the transition from high school into College for 18, if you're 18, maybe usually 18, 19 leaving home.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Did you get cold feet before you.

[Unknown]

Moved into your freshman dorm?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I mean, I got cold feet before, during the whole thing. It was, it was a rough transition for me. I think I've talked about it, but yeah, yeah. How about you? Were you. I mean, cuz you were going farther from home. So how did you.

[Unknown]

I went really far from home. It was 500 miles from home. So it's not like I could just drive home in an hour or two. Right. And so, yeah, I did. I also had a hard time transitioning. I had a hard time saying goodbye to my parents. I mean, you know, you're just 18, 19 years old and you've never really lived away from home at that time. And so, yeah, I'll admit freshman year, first semester was pretty rough. It was hard. Yeah. But I had tennis. I was busy with tennis all the time, so that helped. It kept me distracted.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. The key was to, to stay busy. I remember I would always wake up in the morning and I would get to have like a racing heart because I realized like I wasn't in my bed. And so I would call my mom and, and I remember she would say, just get out and take a walk. Once you start getting out and moving, then you start to feel better.

[Unknown]

That's good advice from your mom. It's a profound life change, you know, so it's really cold feet happens during these life transitions. A new job, new class. Maybe you've chosen to learn something new. Or in college you're taking a harder class and you're worried about it, A promotion.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right.

[Unknown]

That first day in your new position or getting together with a new friend, maybe. What would this look like, Michelle? Maybe you met someone and you met.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Maybe you met someone. You, you seem to get along with them, but this is the first time you're going to be getting coffee together and you're not sure if the conversation is gonna flow or you're just a little nervous and. Yeah, yeah.

[Unknown]

I mean, for, you know, for our listeners, they know it as an adult it's not easy always to make new friends. Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

We're busy.

[Unknown]

We have families, we have work, we have life. And so when you take that risk of making a new friend and meeting them for coffee. Yeah. You might get a little nervous even if you're 40 years old. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Totally normal.

[Unknown]

Sure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. I mean, Lindsay, are there any recent times then that you can think of getting cold feet? Because. Yeah.

[Unknown]

Well, I mean, even last night, I. I feel like every time I go back to my tango class, I get cold feet because I always think, oh, what if I mess the steps today and I feel silly and I. I second guess myself sometimes, you know, I get a little nervous for my tango class, to be honest.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And you and your feet, by the end, I hope they're warm from they.

[Unknown]

Go, I had a great time last night. So there you go.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. For me, I would say moving. You know, I had a big move this year. Yes. And I was definitely getting cold feet right beforehand, and I wasn't sure, you know, what was, you know, how I was gonna feel about it. So I was getting cold feet for sure.

[Unknown]

That makes total sense. Any again, life transitions. So the example of the tango class is a very mild cold feet. But usually this happens around big life transitions. A move is a. Is a good one. Good example, right?

Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

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[Unknown]

All right, Michelle, let's see.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Are there other ways to say this?

[Unknown]

We might say something different, right? Like.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, there's some really good ones. So one is to have second thoughts. Thoughts.

[Unknown]

It's a great one. It's a great one. For example, I'm having second thoughts about starting school again. It is a huge undertaking. Oh, my gosh. Yes. So if you were out in the working world, you decided to go back to graduate school, you definitely might have second thoughts. That's right. I know that I had second thoughts when I landed in Japan for when I moved there in my 20s to go teach English. You know, you show up in the airport in Narita and you're just exhausted, and you're like, where am I? What am I even doing? I'm going to move to Japan for a year and a half. What was I thinking?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Right? These are times.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Or to chicken out. So this one's a little bit different. It's a little more casual and funny. But you could say, I know you're scared, but don't chicken out. We need you on the team. And we could do a whole episode on to chicken out. So. Well, yeah.

[Unknown]

And. And we could also explain the. The phrase, like a game of chicken. You know what I mean, People, I think right now things are happening. There's a game of chicken going on with the world economy, which is crazy. But we. About that right now.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Stay tuned for an episode about chicken. No, really. I know, because it is true. These are good. Those are good.

[Unknown]

Yeah. Okay. So chicken out. Good one.

[Lindsay McMahon]

To have doubts.

[Unknown]

A little more serious expression. Right. But it's not exactly even an expression. It's just I'm having doubts or I've been having doubts as to whether this is the right move for me professionally. Right? Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean, Lindsay, what do you do when you feel like you might be having second thoughts? Do you. Do you go with your intuition? Do you just try to ignore your cold feet?

[Unknown]

Yeah. I think that the second thoughts can be dangerous because usually I think through my decisions. So I made the decision to move to Japan because I knew it was the right decision to me. For me, I wanted to live abroad. I wanted to get experience working abroad. So I try not to listen to my cold feet. I try to just move forward. If I imagine if I had canceled that I would have lost a huge part of my life due to cold feet. So I usually don't listen to my cold feet. I keep moving forward.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know, that's good. That's good. And you know what? I was thinking about this with our listeners. I'm sure that they can identify this. This feeling of having cold feet with English. Right. Being nervous about going up to someone, enrolling in a class.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

You know, just doing something, taking some risk with their English. For sure.

[Unknown]

Yeah. I think we should ask a poll question about when people. If. If for this one would be for our listeners who are. Who are married. Because I'm curious about if people experience this and your spouse doesn't need to know. Right. You could just go ahead and vote. Let's ask this question, Michelle. So this is our poll for today. If you are married. Right. Did you cold feet before your wedding? Yes or no? So that will be our. Our poll question for today. I feel like that kind of speaks to the depth of this. Of this phrase.

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

That's gonna. That's gonna be fun to see the answer.

[Unknown]

I am really. I'll say. I did not get cold feet. I. I knew that the person I was marrying was the right person for me, but, you know, sometimes we do. It happens. And I'm curious what percentage of our listeners did. Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes. I didn't get cold feet either.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, let's do a role play. Here we go. We are friends, and you are supposed to go bungee jumping tomorrow. Would you go bungee jumping, Lindsay?

[Unknown]

I really don't think I would, to be honest. I just don't need it. I don't need it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. All right, Here we go.

[Unknown]

All right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Are you excited?

[Unknown]

I think I'm getting cold feet.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But you've been wanting to do this for forever.

[Unknown]

I know, but I'm having doubts. It's so scary.

[Michelle Kaplan]

When I did it, I was scared. I thought I'd chicken out, but I went for it, and I'm glad I did.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Maybe you're right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

It's normal to have second thoughts. You can do it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, you're right.

[Unknown]

I'm gonna just go for it. Nice. Yeah. When I was in Slovenia, I shared. I was up at the top of a mountain where they were doing parasailing, and I saw a lady take off, and I saw her freak out and almost messed up the jump because she got so scared as they were coming off the cliff. So I was like, I don't need to do this. No, don't need to do it. Nothing like this.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. I don't know. Those things freak me out, so. But definitely something like getting cold feet. That can for sure happen if you're about to do skydiving bungee jumping, get out. Even getting on a big roller coaster can give somebody cold feet, so.

[Unknown]

Yes, exactly. So this is a very typical role play. Sorry, Typical conversation. Let's go through what we said here, Michelle. So I'm again, I was supposed to go bungee jumping tomorrow, and you asked me if I was excited, and I said, I think I'm getting cold feet, Right? Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then I'm kind of saying, really? But you've wanted to do this for forever. And you said, I know, but I'm having doubts. It's so scary.

[Unknown]

And I think this is kind of a normal thing to get cold feet before. Before you do it. Right. If you don't, I think maybe, I don't know, you're just not thinking or. Who wouldn't get cold feet? That would be crazy not to kind of.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

I mean, you'd be flying through the air, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Unknown]

And then you said, when I did it, I was scared. I thought I'd chicken out, but I went for it. Right. So you thought that you would back out, you would cancel your. Your adventure.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. And then I said, it's normal to have second thoughts.

[Unknown]

You can do it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Nice.

[Unknown]

Great episode today. Very important phrase when we talk, I mean, that's the connection. Skill for today, is when you have conversations about the big moments in your life. Many of these moments are going to include a slight second of maybe or maybe many minutes or hours of, oh, my gosh, I'm doing the wrong thing. Should I really move forward?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Unknown]

So I think this is great to connect with people, to share your stories of your wedding day, of when you went to college, you traveled, you moved abroad. These are big moments of life, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. And it's a very human feeling, and everybody can relate to it and, you know, share. Share how they felt in a time when they were a little bit freaked out to do something.

[Unknown]

It's so true, Michelle. I love when on the show we find these very universal human feelings and emotions, and then we can articulate them in English to build this connection with someone. So good.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Unknown]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I love it. All right, guys, check out episode 2392 for another episode. English vocabulary that will help you speak your mind.

[Unknown]

Very nice. That's it for today, Michelle. Guys, hit the follow button if you love our style of connection, not perfection. Or check us out on YouTube.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, Michelle, you have a good week.

[Unknown]

Talk to you soon.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right. All right. Bye, Lindsay.

[Unknown]

Bye, guys. Bye.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Thanks for listening.

[Unknown]

To all ears.

[Lindsay McMahon]

English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/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.