AEE 2432: Don’t Get Washed out by Phrasal Verbs

Summary

All Ears English Podcast: Episode 2432 – “Don’t Get Washed out by Phrasal Verbs”

Release Date: June 25, 2025

In Episode 2432 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Aubrey Carter and Lindsey McMahon delve into the multifaceted world of phrasal verbs, focusing specifically on the versatile phrasal verb “wash out.” This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for intermediate to advanced English learners aiming to enhance their understanding and usage of phrasal verbs in everyday conversations.

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Introduction to “Wash Out”

The episode begins with Aubrey and Lindsey setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of the phrasal verb “wash out,” building upon a previous discussion about phrasal verbs containing “wash.” They emphasize the complexity and richness of phrasal verbs in English, noting that “wash out” alone encompasses four distinct meanings, making it a perfect subject for their deep dive.

Notable Quote:

Aubrey [04:14]: "Wash out has four different meanings. So stay to the end."

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Meaning 1: Becoming Indistinct or Less Clear

The first meaning of “wash out” discussed pertains to visual clarity—when something becomes indistinct or overly bright, often due to lighting conditions. This usage is particularly relevant in the age of social media, where selfies and photographs are ubiquitous.

Key Points:

• Lighting Issues: Excessive light can “wash out” images, making faces appear too bright and featureless.
• Natural Lighting Advantage: Moving outdoors to utilize natural light, especially during the golden hour, can prevent photos from being washed out.
• Practical Example:

  Lindsey [04:43]: "It's washing us out, right. Yeah. It would mean, like, you almost can't see us because the light is making our faces too bright."

Visual Context: The hosts discuss their own challenges with lighting in videos, humorously referencing how their lighting setups sometimes fail to capture them properly.

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Meaning 2: Removing by Washing

The second meaning revolves around the literal act of washing something to remove stains or residues. This usage is common in everyday contexts, such as cleaning clothing or dishes.

Key Points:

• Stain Removal: Asking someone to “wash out” a stain from clothing.
• Recycling Practices: Emphasizing the importance of washing containers before recycling to prevent contamination.

Notable Quote:

Aubrey [06:06]: "Can you wash out this bottle before putting it into the recycling, please?"

Practical Example: Lindsey shares her experience in Phoenix, where recycling protocols require containers to be thoroughly washed to avoid rejection, highlighting regional recycling practices.

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Meaning 3: Damage with Water

The third meaning of “wash out” pertains to physical damage caused by water, such as floods or heavy rains. This usage is especially relevant in regions prone to extreme weather conditions.

Key Points:

• Environmental Impact: Floods can wash out infrastructure like bridges and roads, leading to significant damage.
• Personal Anecdotes: Aubrey shares experiences of flash floods in Arizona and their destructive power.

Notable Quote:

Lindsey [08:47]: "It's dangerous out here."

Practical Example: Aubrey discusses how flash floods in Arizona can swiftly become deadly, emphasizing the unpredictability and severity of such natural disasters.

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Meaning 4: Failing to Meet a Requirement

The final meaning explores the more figurative use of “wash out,” which involves failing to meet the standards or requirements of a program, often leading to elimination from the process.

Key Points:

• Educational and Professional Contexts: Commonly used in military training, internships, and rigorous job programs to describe individuals who do not complete the required standards.
• Connotations: The term carries a negative and often harsh implication, suggesting failure or inability to cope with demands.

Notable Quote:

Aubrey [09:44]: "It's a more negative, critical way to say it."

Practical Example: The hosts discuss how someone might say, “He washed out after a few weeks of boot camp,” highlighting the term’s use in challenging environments like the military or high-stress industries.

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Role Play Demonstration

To solidify understanding, Aubrey and Lindsey engage in a signature role play where they incorporate the various meanings of “wash out” into a conversational setting. This segment illustrates how the phrasal verb can seamlessly fit into everyday dialogue.

Key Points:

• Contextual Usage: Demonstrates the versatility of “wash out” across different scenarios—photography, environmental disasters, and personal setbacks.
• Natural Conversation: Showcases how native speakers naturally switch between different meanings based on context.

Notable Interaction:

Aubrey [13:08]: "My cousin joined the Air Force, but washed out after a few months." Lindsey [15:02]: "Like all the work just ripped through and he just couldn't handle it in a sense."

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Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode wraps up with key insights on the importance of mastering phrasal verbs to convey precise meanings in English. Aubrey and Lindsey encourage listeners to actively identify and practice phrasal verbs with multiple meanings to enhance their fluency and comprehension.

Key Takeaways:

• Precision in Language: Phrasal verbs allow for more specific and nuanced expression.
• Active Learning: Listeners are urged to think about other phrasal verbs with multiple meanings and engage with the hosts by sending suggestions for future episodes.

Notable Quote:

Aubrey [16:03]: "Phrasal verbs can help you be more precise in English if you are wanting specific meanings."

Encouragement for Continued Learning: The hosts highlight the All Ears English app as a valuable resource for accessing transcripts, building vocabulary, and searching through episode archives, emphasizing its role in facilitating effective language learning.

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Final Thoughts

Episode 2432 of the All Ears English Podcast offers a thorough exploration of the phrasal verb “wash out,” providing listeners with clear definitions, practical examples, and engaging discussions. Through real-life contexts and interactive segments, Aubrey Carter and Lindsey McMahon equip English learners with the tools to confidently incorporate complex phrasal verbs into their conversations, enhancing both their linguistic precision and conversational fluency.

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Additional Resources:

• All Ears English App: Access transcripts, build personal vocabulary lists, and search for specific episodes.
• Previous Episode Reference: For listeners who missed it, refer to Episode 2415 titled “Five Phrasal Verbs to Wash Away English Stress” for a broader understanding of “wash” phrasal verbs.

Stay Connected: Join the All Ears English community to continue your journey towards speaking American English like a native, focusing on connection rather than perfection.

Transcript

[A]

This is an Allers English podcast. Episode 2432 Don't Get Washed out by Phrasal Verbs.

[B]

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 what can you do when a single phrasal verb has four or more meanings? How? Hang out with us and we'll figure it out together today. Get the four meanings for the word wash out in English.

[A]

Do you understand English but struggle to speak confidently in real conversations? If so, then our B2 speaking skills course is made for you. You learn from real recorded conversations with native speakers. Plus we've added brand new AI speaking exercises that give you instant feedback on your fluency and pronunciation. Stop translating in your head and start speaking naturally through real conversations and instant feedback. Save up to $50 off the normal price. Plus get a free bonus course at allearsenglish.com B2 but offer ends June 29th at midnight. Allersenglish.com Letter B Number 2 hey Lindsay, how are you?

[B]

I'm doing good, Aubrey, how are you?

[A]

Excellent. How's my light? I'm not washed out, am I?

[B]

Not too bad. Not too bad today, but I up.

[A]

And then it might be. Oh yep, there. Okay, that's washed out.

[B]

I know. If we go back through our YouTube channel, which we can encourage our listeners to do this and hit the subscribe button while they're over there. I know I've been very washed out in a lot of videos over the over the years. I can never get lighting right, Aubry. I can't get it right. It's so hard.

[A]

We're trying to get a good contrast so it looks good for you guys, but sometimes that happens. Our lights either too bright or not bright enough.

[B]

It's really a challenge. Yeah, we're doing our best. Aubry, what are we getting into Today?

[A]

We did a recent episode with phrasal verbs with wash, right? Wash away. Wash over. We promised this follow up because wash out has four different meanings. So stay to the end. We'll share the episode for that other one if you missed it, you can definitely listen to these out of order Today we're diving into wash out.

[B]

Yeah, and I love when we go into one single word in an episode, but the many things it can mean.

[A]

Okay. Especially with phrasal verbs. This happens a lot. We use it so many different ways.

[B]

Going to bring out that nuance in English for our. Our high level listeners here. You know, really great at the B2C1 level. If you're ready to start expressing nuances, this is the place to be. Aubrey, where is the place to be to deepen your vocabulary, though?

[A]

Yes. If you guys don't have the app, you need the Allers English app. This is the best way to follow along with the transcripts, add vocabulary words to your personal power list. So if you don't have it, go to allersenglish.comapp. we have it for both iOS and Android. It's the best way to listen to.

[B]

The podcast and it's also currently the best way to search for episodes because every single episode of Allers English is in the app. Right. So it's the place to go if you're wondering how to search for a specific. Specific episode.

[A]

Yes. For keywords or numbers, you can find episodes in our archives. That is very difficult to do in your podcast player. You're like scrolling back and back and back and back. We have a lot of episodes here.

[B]

That's true. So go check out the [e-mail] app. Okay, so getting into Wash Out Aubrey. Oh, my gosh. There are four meanings we're going to go through today.

[A]

And the first one is what we were talking about at the top of the episode. For something to become indistinct or less clear. Often because the light is. Is washing out the image and it's interesting. This has become more important as people care about selfies and influencers and. But everybody is wanting their photos to look good for social media.

[B]

Yes, of course. So the kind of light you have matters. The if, are you backlit, what's going on? So, for example, this lighting is washing us out, right?

[A]

Yeah. It would mean, like, you almost can't see us because the light is making our faces too bright. Right. Or the fluorescent lights in our office. Or wash everyone out. Right. We're going to take a photo. Let's go outside. The sunlight, the daylight would be better.

[B]

Yeah, you know, natural light. That's why I loved filming the connected communicator course, because you could spend all day inside trying to get perfect lighting, but then if you just go outside, especially around golden hour in the morning or the evening, the light is unbelievable. So taking these natural shots and natural video outdoors is the best.

[A]

Exactly. Right. My dad, he's an oil painter and he often will photograph his paintings outside in the natural light because a so expensive to get studio light and just natural daylight is usually as good or better.

[B]

Exactly. And I just want to add one little asterisk here. Sometimes we say something like, you're a ghost. You might say something like that, am I a ghost right now? Right. That kind of thing.

[A]

The light, like really washing us out. So where you can't even see someone's eyes anymore.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. That's just another way of saying the same thing. So we add that to our vocabulary. Aubrey, what's another thing that washout means?

[A]

All right, so it also means to remove by washing. So, for example, if you spill something on your clothing, you might ask someone, were you able to wash that stain out of your shirt? Right.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Something out of something else.

[B]

Aubrey, are you someone that spills food often on your clothing? Are. Some people tend to do this a lot.

[A]

I used to do this much work a lot when I was pregnant, I think because I had my pregnant belly and so anything would drop would hit my stomach instead of like the ground. Not so bad anymore.

[B]

That's so funny. I love that. All right, Good stuff. Or another sample sentence is, can you wash out this bottle before putting it into the recycling, please? So it's a nice thing to do to get the food out of there.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know about you, but in Phoenix, you have to. Or they just reject it. You can't recycle glass or plastic unless it's totally washed out.

[B]

No, we don't like. Well, I. I think you're supposed to hear, but I. I watched the trash guy come by and they use a little robot arm. They don't even get out of the truck. They just stop. And then the robot comes down, grabs the. The garbage can or the recycling bin and just throws it into the back of the truck.

[A]

Yeah. So I'm curious if it's the same in Colorado when they. They've sort of let us know more about the policies because they stopped recycling glass, they said, because people aren't washing it out. And they said you have to rinse plastic, you have to rinse glass. So same thing just takes the recycling and I don't see them reject it. But when they get it to the recycling center, they're rejecting anything that's not washed out. So you should find out it might be. That's interesting to be washing that stuff out.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. We got to get on that.

[A]

Good.

[B]

Good to know.

[A]

Good reminder.

[B]

Good to Know. All right. What's number three? Another way we use washout.

[A]

So number three is to damage with water. Right. So, for example, the flood washed out two bridges. Right. So we'll say if something is damaged, this might be a coastline, a bridge, a road. We'll say it was washed out. If a part of it was damaged and washed away or during the storm, a road.

[B]

Again, a road was washed out by heavy. Yeah. So, Ro. Water can be very damaging. Water is very powerful, right?

[A]

Absolutely. Exactly right. Floods, heavy rains. This happens a lot in California. Mudslides, coastlines, houses will get, like, washed away when the land under them is washed out.

[B]

Yeah, we had some really bad flooding last year in North Carolina. Right. Tennessee area always seems to get a lot of flooding. So, yeah, we got to watch out.

[A]

For that, for sure. We have flash floods here in Arizona. If there's heavy rains out of nowhere, there are these washes, and it'll just be like this thundering river will come out of nowhere, and a lot of people have died, actually being caught in a flash flood. They'll be hiking in a wash and not realize it, and then out of nowhere, just get washed away by this flood water. That's a lot of.

[B]

That's terrifying.

[A]

Very terrifying.

[B]

Yeah. Wow. The west is kind of crazy.

[A]

It is. It's dangerous out here.

[B]

Dangerous out here. All right. And the fourth way we can use this is to fail to meet a requirement, being eliminated from a process. So, for example, he wanted to join the Marines, but washed out after a few weeks of boot camp. So this one I'm not as used to.

[A]

Oh, no. Yeah. So this is interesting. You will hear it a lot on TV shows, movies. When someone has joined the army, the Marines, you know, military, especially the Coast Guard, if they aren't able to complete the training, they'll say they washed out, and they'll use it as a noun to. And call someone a washout. It's very negative and cruel, really, because for whatever reason, someone was not able to complete the training. I'm sure there are a lot of different reasons that could happen. There are certainly nicer ways to say this. Right. This is a more negative, critical way to say it.

[B]

Yeah. You could say he chose not to continue or something like that.

[A]

What would be internships? Right. It's not just about military. You might say I was an intern. Intern for two months before I washed out. It was really long hours, and I couldn't hack it. Just means you didn't complete the program.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, a lot of industries are really tough like the legal industry. Maybe you worked as a paral and you realized it just wasn't for you. Or maybe you worked on the floor of Wall street, the stock market. Very intense jobs.

[A]

Yeah, you could say this. Just if someone doesn't. If someone starts like a university degree and you know it wouldn't be the same if they like switch to a different degree. If they stop entirely and don't finish, you could say. Or they could say about themselves, I washed out. Right. But just keep in mind that this isn't a polite thing to say about someone. It could cause offense to say about someone else or to someone that they washed out. Because if you think about it, it's a type of failure or which of course is not a kind thing to highlight.

[B]

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[A]

Yeah, same. It is. It's warm here as well. Summer's coming.

[B]

Yes. Yes. All right.

[A]

We should take a photo. We'll have to do it outside, though. The light in here is washing us out.

[B]

How's your family? Were they affected by the flooding? In California?

[A]

Yes. There was a mudslide behind my aunt's house, and it washed out part of their road.

[B]

Oh, no. I'm sorry to hear that.

[A]

Yeah, They've really been having a tough year. Their son, my cousin, joined the Air Force, but then washed out after a few months.

[B]

It happens. I think the training programs are just so tough.

[A]

For sure. Oh, no. I spilled coffee on my shirt. Hopefully it'll wash out.

[B]

Nice. Wow. You managed to get all of these in here. Very creative. Creative. I love it. Great. So first we said, well, you said, aubrey, we should take a photo, but we have to go outside because the light inside is washing us out.

[A]

Yeah. So maybe we went to try and take a selfie, and it's just, like, too bright on our faces, you know? So we're like, let's go out and get some daylight for a better photo.

[B]

Yep. And then what, Aubrey?

[A]

And then I said I was talking about this mudslide in California that washed out my aunt's road. I'm trying. I'm trying not to say ant, but normally I would say. Do you say.

[B]

You can say. We've said on the show that you could say either one.

[A]

I know you can say either. I kind of go back and forth.

[B]

You know, I think it is a regional thing. I've asked. So I grew up saying aunt. My niece says aunt or auntie to me, and they all. They're. They're on the east coast, and my friends on the east coast will say aunt. It's a little more. I don't know. The east coast is kind of, like, traditional or something, but.

[A]

Reminds me of the Parent trap with Haley Mills. Haley Mills. Did you ever see that? And there's. There are these twins, but they're split, and one goes to California, one's on the east coast, and there's a. She's, like, talking to her about saying aunt instead of aunt, and she's like, you shan't say aunt to any debutantes or something. She's, like, trying to help her remember to say aunt. Oh, that's hilarious.

[B]

I love that. I love that. I'll have to check out that clip. Good stuff.

[A]

Yes, for sure. All right, what else did we have here? I think then I said, you know, he. My cousin had joined the Air Force and washed out, so this would mean he didn't complete his training. You will hear people say this sometimes this way. And I do hear it on tv. Right. It's pretty common, at least here in the West. But even saying that, I kind of felt mean. I'M like, oh, my poor cousin. That's not very kind thing to say.

[B]

Because it kind of has a connotation that he couldn't handle it.

[A]

Right, exactly.

[B]

Like all the work just ripped through and he just couldn't handle it in a sense.

[A]

Right, exactly. So it would be more kind to just say he decided to do something, like say what he went to do instead or, you know, he didn't finish the program, he would opted for something else and kind of spin it more positively.

[B]

Yeah, you can always spin things. For sure. And then finally you said, for sure. Oh, no, I spilled my coffee on my shirt. Hopefully it'll wash out. So now you're looking down at your shirt and you're kind of maybe trying to wash it out with a napkin or something.

[A]

Maybe the water on the table.

[B]

Right, right, right, right. Dip your napkin in the water, try to wash it out. Right. Hopefully it'll wash out.

[A]

Exactly. So many meanings for wash out. And what's really crazy is there are so many phrasal verbs with the wash. We covered five of them in episode 2415. So if you missed that, scroll up, check it out. It was five Phrasal verbs to Wash Away English Stress.

[B]

All right, good. And what's our final takeaway for our listeners when it comes to connection?

[A]

Yeah, phrasal verbs can help you be more precise in English if you are wanting specific meanings. And phrasal verbs are often idiomatic as well. So the more you're learning these phrasal verbs, the more you can convey the exact meaning you want.

[B]

Yes. And use this as an example, a template. Think about what other phrasal verbs you might know that might have many different meanings. If there's one that keeps coming up in your mind, send us an email. Support. Allersenglish.com will cover that phrasal verb and we'll show you all the different meanings for it.

[A]

Absolutely. We would love to.

[B]

All right, Excellent.

[A]

There we go.

[B]

Aubry, see you very soon. Have a good day.

[A]

Yes, awesome. See you next time. Bye.

[B]

Thanks for listening. To all ears. English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com 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.