Podcast Summary: All Ears English Episode 2518

“Fish and Company! English Phrases for Overstaying Your Welcome”

Host: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Lindsay and Aubrey tackle a delightfully awkward topic: how to talk about overstaying your welcome as a houseguest. They introduce three idiomatic American English expressions related to the theme, discuss cultural expectations about hospitality and guest duration, and share personal stories and role plays to showcase these phrases in context. The goal is to help English learners not just understand the language, but also the social customs and cues surrounding guests and hospitality in the US.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Stories: Overstaying Your Welcome

• Lindsay’s Campfire Episode

  • Lindsay recounts a mortifying experience where she and her partner unintentionally lingered too long at a friend’s house post-COVID, missing the subtle cues to leave.
    • “Sam, one of the other members of the other couple, was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go to bed now.’ And we realized what we had done, and we were just mortified.” (03:20)
  • Aubrey relates, mentioning parties where guests linger, and the hosts must escalate from subtle to obvious hints.
    • “There’s always someone that lingers, right?” (03:47 – Aubrey)

• Cultural Variations

  • The hosts note that guest duration varies worldwide, using Indian weddings as an example of longer gatherings, highlighting the importance of context and cultural cues.
    • “It could be cultural too, right? I mean, it could be that in different cultures, people stay longer.” (03:55 – Lindsay)

2. Community Connectors in All Ears English

• Aubrey explains the “Community Connector” role—students who engage actively and help build the podcast’s learner community.
• Listeners are encouraged to participate in the All Ears English courses to join this community.

3. Three Idioms for Overstaying Your Welcome

The episode’s core segment centers on three idiomatic expressions:

a. “Guests, like fish, stink after three days”

• Attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it highlights the idea that after three days, even the most delightful company can become unwelcome.
  • “It’s often shortened to just ‘Fish and Company’, or we’ll say, ‘You know what they say, Fish and Company...’” (07:00 – Aubrey)
• Often used after the fact, not directly to a guest.
  • “I wouldn’t recommend it for your friend when you guys were there a little too late at their home…It’d be a little rude to be like, ‘OK, Lindsay, Fish and Company!’” (08:16 – Aubrey)

b. “Don’t wear out your welcome”

• Means not to take advantage of someone’s hospitality or stay longer than is comfortable.
  • “This is also an idiom that means, just don’t stay too long. Don’t take advantage of someone’s hospitality.” (08:59 – Aubrey)
• Can be used reflexively when declining an invitation or recognizing a host’s subtle cues.
  • “You might push back and say, ‘I don’t want to wear out my welcome. Are you sure that’s OK?’” (09:27 – Lindsay)

c. “Company is like snow: The longer it stays, the more it’s in the way”

• Less common in the US, but similar in meaning to the first idiom.
• Used to discuss the gradual transition from welcome to inconvenience.
  • “It’s not as common in the States, but I kind of like it. It’s very similar to Fish and Company…” (10:23 – Aubrey)

Role play examples were interspersed to show how these might appear in natural conversation.

4. How to Communicate When Someone Has Overstayed

• Aubrey and Lindsay discuss the challenges of addressing an overstaying guest, balancing politeness and honesty.
• Strategies vary by relationship closeness—more direct with family, more subtle with acquaintances:
  • “If it’s your parents or a parent, you'd probably be more direct… If you really don't know them as well, I would probably start to be relatively direct as well if they're just not getting the hint.” (14:40 – Lindsay)

5. Language, Etiquette, and Cultural Curiosity

• The hosts reflect on how these expressions and the underlying attitude toward guests may be very culturally specific, and encourage listeners from around the world to share their customs via a poll or YouTube comment:
  • “I’m really curious, guys. Come back to YouTube, leave a comment. How long is appropriate for guests to stay when they’re visiting you?” (11:57 – Aubrey)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Lindsay’s confession:
  • “So, yes, we overstayed our welcome.” (03:23)
• Social signals during gatherings:
  • “You have to start the subtle clues at first and then more obvious.” (03:49 – Aubrey)
• Using idioms with nuance:
  • “It’s playful, it’s lighthearted… It’s not as harsh as it sounds when we say it.” (07:31 – Aubrey, about ‘Fish and Company’)
• On ‘Don’t wear out your welcome’:
  • “You might push back and say, ‘I don’t want to wear out my welcome. Are you sure that’s OK?’” (09:27 – Lindsay)
• Cultural speculation:
  • “This might just be kind of an American or Western mentality.” (12:16 – Lindsay)

Key Timestamps

• 02:28–03:35 – Lindsay describes personally overstaying as a guest, and the hosts discuss missing social cues.
• 05:09–08:16 – Introduction and deep dive into Idiom #1: “Guests, like fish, stink after three days.”
• 08:51–09:59 – Discussion and usage of Idiom #2: “Don’t wear out your welcome.”
• 10:08–10:46 – Introduction to Idiom #3: “Company is like snow: The longer it stays, the more it’s in the way.”
• 11:27–11:41 – Role play using idioms in natural conversation.
• 14:12–15:14 – How to tell someone they’ve overstayed; discussing directness vs. subtlety.
• 15:14–16:19 – Role play: Lindsay directly uses “fish and company” with Aubrey, illustrating when directness happens among close friends.
• 17:00–17:30 – Reflection on how these idioms help lighten awkward situations and invite cross-cultural conversation.

Conclusion

Lindsay and Aubrey use humor, personal anecdotes, and practical language examples to demystify American expectations about houseguests and how to talk about them. They emphasize that while these idioms can lighten awkward situations, cultural norms can vary greatly, and encourage their international audience to share their own experiences. The episode models both language use and intercultural sensitivity, underscoring the show's motto: Connection, not perfection!

Follow-up

Listeners are invited to contribute their perspectives via YouTube comments and a Spotify poll:

• “How long is it appropriate for guests to stay in your culture?”

End of Summary