All Ears English Podcast — Episode 2465

"One Word to Describe Your Rare Taste in English"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Release Date: August 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lindsay and Michelle explore the word “obscure” — what it means, how to use it naturally in English conversation, and its subtle differences from words like “weird,” “rare,” “vague,” and “unusual.” They address a listener question about all the meanings of “obscure,” uncover cultural nuances, and offer practical language tips for expressing non-mainstream or rare tastes in American English. The hosts model real conversation, share personal examples, and demonstrate usage in a lively role play.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Introducing “Obscure” and Personal Taste

• The hosts open by asking if they have obscure tastes, setting up the relevance of the word for ESL learners.
• Cultural Context: What’s considered “obscure” depends on where and how you live. Something mainstream in one country can be obscure elsewhere.
  • Lindsay: “When I think of… something like I really like matcha, matcha tea, like Japanese matcha. And I think a lot of people don’t like that. That’s maybe what I would say. Like random things that I’ve tried when I’ve traveled that are not mainstream.” [02:13]

2. Defining “Obscure” and Its Frequency in English

• Listener Question: From Ardalan BookArt24 — “Can you talk about all the meanings of obscure in different situations?” [02:41]
• Meaning:
  • Not well known, unusual, hard to understand.
  • Can mean “to block” or “make something less visible.”
• Frequency:
  • Not an everyday word, but familiar and considered “high level” vocabulary.
  • Useful for sounding advanced, especially in exams like IELTS.
    • Michelle: “I wouldn’t say that it comes up every day, but I also wouldn’t say that it’s obscure...I think it sounds kind of hip, kind of cool, kind of high level.” [03:25]

3. Examples and Usage in Conversation

• Obscure as Unusual or Unknown:

  • “Obscure reference” – a niche or little-known reference in conversation.
    • Michelle: “Well, that was an obscure reference. I’m proud of myself for understanding it.” [04:58]
  • Used positively in dating/context of shared rare interests.
    • “I found my match. This person gets me because maybe this person uses very obscure references.” [05:22]
  • For books, music, or tastes outside the mainstream:
    • “We found this obscure book in this old bookshop.” [07:06]
    • Michelle: “Some people say, my taste in music is obscure. I take that as a compliment.” [06:22]

• Obscure as Hard to See/Block:

  • “The car obscured his line of sight, so he honked his horn.” [09:56]

4. Obscure vs. Weird, Unusual, Rare, Vague

• Weird: More negative, may offend if you don’t know someone well. Used positively in some cases (“Keep Austin Weird”), but still can be harsh.
  • Michelle: “If you say that was a weird reference and you don’t know the person that well, it could sound more… a little bit more offensive than obscure.” [06:41]
• Unusual: Softer, more politically correct than “weird.”
  • Lindsay: “Unusual is like a politically correct thing to say.” [10:44]
• Vague: Means unclear, but can overlap.
  • “The way you present your opinion is pretty vague. I’m a little unclear on what you mean.” [11:03]
• Rare: For things that are uncommon, a synonym for obscure in many contexts.
  • “Oh, it’s such a rare kinds of wine that you’re into. How did you learn about them?” [11:33]

5. Role Play: Conversation Model [12:51–13:16]

• Demonstrates how “obscure” and synonyms fit in natural talk, jumping between parallel topics:
  • A (Lindsay): “Oh, no. It was so obscure. I didn’t really like it.” [13:02]
  • B (Michelle): “Yeah, I felt some of the chapters of the book were kind of vague.” [13:12]
  • Switching topics: Bright sun obscuring vision—“The sun is super bright. It’s blocking my vision here.” [13:08]
• Insight:
  • American conversation often weaves between topics; being able to follow along is a connection skill.
  • Lindsay: “It’s important to be able to do this. Weave in and out of ideas and come back to them, pick them up seamlessly.” [13:26]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lindsay (on “obscure” as a vocabulary booster):

  • “It would be a great… band nine vocabulary word for sure. Because the whole point on IELTS is using different words than everyone else is using.” [03:50]

• Michelle (on “weird” vs. “obscure”):

  • “If you say that was a weird reference and you don’t know the person that well, it could sound more… a little bit more offensive than obscure, which just kind of means unusual, not putting a judgment on it.” [06:41]

• Lindsay (on context):

  • “If you live in Argentina or Uruguay or maybe Brazil, it’s not obscure to you. At all. But in the US it’s kind of obscure. The mate tradition.” [07:59]

• Michelle (on conversation agility):

  • “There’s always these little adjustments we’re making… we need to just take one second and then jump right back into the conversation like nothing ever happened. So that’s a real skill.” [13:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:41] — Listener question about “obscure”
• [03:25] — How common is “obscure” in English?
• [04:46] — Definitions and first examples
• [05:22] — “Obscure reference” in dating and connection
• [07:06] — Example with “obscure book” and food tastes
• [09:56] — “Obscure” meaning “to block” (line of sight)
• [12:51] — Role play demonstration
• [13:26] — Agility with shifting topics in conversation

Takeaways

• “Obscure” can describe anything rare, not well-known, or hard to understand, as well as physically blocking or concealing something.
• Related words like “weird,” “unusual,” “vague,” and “rare” each shade meaning and cultural nuance.
• Use “obscure” to build connections and sound advanced — it’s less judgey than “weird” and more specific than “vague.”
• Practice moving between parallel topics in conversation for natural English flow and connection.

Next Steps & Further Listening

• Suggested episode: AEE 2457: Can You Relate? How to Speak Up with Confidence in a Meeting
• Keep submitting direct language questions for deep dives on nuanced vocabulary.
• Build confident, connected conversation skills by noticing how advanced words are used in real life.

Hosts’ Signature Reminder:
“Connection, not perfection!” — Remember, communicating is about connection, even when your taste (or vocabulary!) is a little obscure.