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All Ears English Podcast
AEE 2539: Make a Beeline for Better English
00:22:02
How do you say go fast in one direction?
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Transcript146 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2539 Make a Beeline for Better 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, 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 All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.
- [01:00]
B
You can learn a lot about people by knowing what they prioritize today. Build this connection skill with new vocabulary that means moving in a direction quickly.
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A
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B
I'm good, Lindsay.
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A
How are you? Good. I'm excited to be back on the microphone with you. Michelle, have you ever been stung by a bee?
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B
Yes, I remember the first. I still remember like the first day of third grade. I remember I had this pretty red dress with this denim vest and I and I got stung three times like a triangle on the front of my shoulder.
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A
Traumatic for a kid. For a little kid, yeah.
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B
But I've been stung more than that. But that was like the one very memorable one. What about you?
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A
Probably once, but it's I my partner is actually allergic to bees, so there's a lot of anxiety around bees. So it's very scary. Some people are actually allergic and you have to carry, like, an EpiPen and you have to be careful and all this crazy stuff. There's a lot of energy, Michelle. Or buzzing around bees, right?
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B
Yeah. So, yeah, buzzing around bees. So do you, like. So when you see a bee out in the wild, are you. Are you guys, like, running away or what?
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A
There's a lot of running away, kind of. Yeah, there's. Yeah, there's some running away happening. Avoiding it or moving or, like, I'll be the one that has to swat it away. Yeah, for sure. So allergies are no joke, for sure.
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B
Yeah. Really, Seriously. So today we are going to be talking about bees in a sense, but we're going to be talking about an interesting idiom that came up in my everyday life, which was to make a beeline for something. A beeline. Lindsay, you know this expression?
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A
I do know this one, Michelle. This is fun. I'm glad we're talking about this today, because it hasn't. Doesn't really. Well, does it have anything to do with bees?
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B
So I looked it up, and from. From some research that I did, I. I did find. I think it does come from. Apparently bees fly in a straight line to directly return to their hive. Okay, that was just one bit of research I did.
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A
I don't know.
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B
I haven't studied bees. I don't know for sure, but that was something that I found. So I suppose it. It does come from that. Probably.
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A
Okay, that makes sense. I have a very quirky friend slash neighbor who's. He is. He's like an investment banker or whatever, but on the side, he's a beekeeper.
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B
So right next to the person who's allergic to bees.
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A
Right, next. Yeah, right, exactly. And so puts on this whole scene suit, and he has this whole structure.
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B
Where the bees live right next door.
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A
Not. Not right next door. It's the other side of our neighborhood. Okay.
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B
Oh, my God.
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A
But once we were over there and he thought he had the bees under control, and he really didn't. And all of a sudden he's like, go in the house. Everyone go in the house right now. Because they were all getting out and kind of like starting to swarm.
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B
This sounds like a nightmare. So what happened?
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A
He's a very quirky guy. He got it under control. No one got stung. But bees are serious business. Michelle and I can see how to make a beeline. Right? They make a beeline. They fly straight for something. Okay.
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B
Yeah. So, yeah. So this is essentially what that means. I mean, it means to go swiftly and directly to something. Right. You're not getting distracted. You're kind of we. A to B, B, A to B.
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A
All the puns that are going to come out of this episode.
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B
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. So, guys, before we get into it a little bit more, remember to hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast. Never miss anything from us. Make a beeline to learning Eng. Maybe that'll be the title.
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A
I don't know. Exactly. Guys, hit that follow button now to set yourself up for success in the new year. Right. We are at the very end of the year now, so let's think about what we'd want the new year to look like. And part of that is, of course, allers English. Love it.
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B
Yes, exactly.
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A
So, Michelle, let's do some sample sentences.
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B
All right, so here's the first one. This is, I feel like, pretty true. I made a beeline to the dessert table when I saw there was an ice cream sundae bar.
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A
I know. I never miss out on dessert anytime I'm at some kind of event or if I go to a wedding. I went to a wedding back in May, and I was so disappointed that all they had was, like, these little cookies, which weren't even good.
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B
I was like, where's the cake?
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A
Where's the cake? You know, this is. You're supposed to have cake at a wedding.
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B
Yeah. Yep.
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A
Yeah, yeah. I also make a beeline to that dessert table. Yep.
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B
Or what's another example?
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A
I will make a beeline for the door if she starts any drama. So what am I saying there, Michelle?
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B
You're. You're going to leave. You're going to just go right. Right outside.
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A
Exactly. Yep. You don't want to have anything to do with that drama, right?
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B
Yep.
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A
Okay.
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B
It's so crowded. Wait for someone to get up from their table and then make a beine for it when they get up.
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A
Make a beeline for what? What are we saying here? Make a table for the table. Okay. Right.
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B
Yeah. So I think we talked about this, Lindsay, and then I think I was talking about this with. Was it with Aubrey or you About Reading Terminal Market?
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A
I think that was probably Aubrey. But you like hovering and waiting until people.
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B
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you. Have you been to Reading Terminal Market?
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A
Oh, you mentioned. Is it a fish market or like a big city market?
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B
No, it's a. It's a big food market in Philadelphia, and it's really great. But you go. It's very intense and there are not that many seats. Well, There are a lot of seats, but there's even more people. And so you have to really watch out if you want to sit down. Like you're going to make a beine if as soon as you see something. Yep.
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A
We've talked about. Yeah, there's a real art to hovering and then making a beeline for that chair, and then you. You claim your property and then you try to stake out another chair for another person. It's quite a whole. Yeah.
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B
Yeah. So. But, yeah, I really like this expression because I. I feel it has a lot of personality to it, and there's such imagery that goes along with it. So I like. It shows a sense of urgency, needing to get something done. Just being totally direct. Lindsay, why do you think this is good for connection? Like, what could we do with this?
- [08:38]
A
Yeah, well, I really think any time that we can show our priorities through language and what really matters to us, what we would prioritize in a situation, it's. It's a connection moment because it shows people who we are, and I think that's what this does. Like, you and I make a beeline for the dessert table anytime we go to an event. Right. That shows who we are. We like sweets. We like to enjoy life a little bit. Right? Yeah. Yeah.
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B
Like, Lindsay, when is the last time you made a beeline for something?
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A
Oh, my gosh. That's a great question. I don't have a great example right now. Anytime. Yeah, probably when I, you know, sometimes all of a sudden lately I can get really hungry all of a sudden. Like, all of a sudden I'm not thinking about, like, oh, my gosh, I'm so hungry. So I'll make a beeline for the fridge.
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B
That would be one beeline for the fridge.
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A
Yeah.
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B
For me, I feel like if I get home from a long car ride, I'm making a beeline for the bathroom. That's, you know, you have to go. You've been holding it like, I'm making a beeline for the bathroom. Everybody out of my way.
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A
Yeah, I've seen that lately, too, on my end. Absolutely. So. So we make a beeline for the things we prioritize, whether that's a physical need to eat, to use the bathroom, or whether that's something you really desire in that moment you want to share in the market. You want to get the dessert. You want to get that chocolate cake. Right. It shows what we care in the moment.
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B
Definitely love it.
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A
Do you want a more international career? What if English no longer held you back from getting a promotion? Getting Chosen for an important project or presentation. Imagine the possibilities if you had fluent English. Find out your English level. Now with our free level quiz, go to allearsenglish.com fluency score again, that's allearsenglish.com F L U E N C Y S C O R E. And we'll see you there. All right, Michelle, anything else we might say that would say the same thing? Get that same vibe?
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B
Yeah. So one is head straight four. Right.
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A
That's.
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B
That's where you're going first. So I'm heading straight for Kayla's homemade chips. When I get in, you have to try them.
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A
This is a good example, too. Making a beeline for. Or heading straight for. If you're going to a friend's house for dinner, maybe there's a gathering and you know they have a signature dish.
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B
Right.
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A
Like a potluck. Then you'll go straight for that. You'll head straight for their dish. Yeah, yeah. Or make a mad dash for. Make a dash four. Or make a mad dash for. How does it change the meaning when we make it a mad dash?
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B
It's more intense if you say a mad dash.
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A
Yeah, yeah. It's fun. It's fun, too. It's fun to kind of dress.
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B
It is fun.
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A
Yeah. Yeah. So here's what it sounds like. She must be really mad because when she came in, she made a mad dash for her room and slammed the door. Oh, boy, we're getting complex here. Yeah. So let's just stop and explain this phrase a little bit, Michelle.
- [11:36]
B
Yes. So that means you're going directly. Like, especially if you say mad dash. It doesn't. Mad. It doesn't have to mean in an anger in this situation. Yeah, it sounds like it could be, but it just means also similar, like that sense of urgency. That's where you're running towards. But if you're saying she must be really mad because when she came in, she made a mad dash for her room and slammed the door. She got in the house. She didn't look at anybody. She didn't get something to drink. She didn't talk to anybody. She just went in her room and slammed the door.
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A
Yeah, for sure. Yeah. So when we use it in the context of the dash, it kind of means more like crazy. Right. Like intense. Right.
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B
It's an intense death.
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A
Right. But in the first part of that sentence, you're saying she must be really angry.
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B
Yes, angry, exactly. So two kind of different uses of the word mad.
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A
Yeah. Or last one, go right for. So let's go right for the bathrooms because there'll be a huge line if we don't get there fast. And I don't want to miss the beginning of the show. Yeah, yeah, that can happen, too. Like, do you ever go to, like, a Broadway play and there's an intermission and you have to make a beeline for the bathroom so you're not behind.
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B
This huge line, Especially the women's room. Right. It's always the women's room.
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A
Yeah. I went to a see Wicked back in February in New York, and I couldn't believe how limited the bathrooms were and how long the line was.
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B
It was insane.
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A
It was like, okay, this is an old theater. You know that.
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B
Right, right. Those. Yeah, I know it probably like, the theater is. The bathroom is in the basement, maybe. I. I feel like in a lot of Broadway show theaters, there's, like, you have to go down into it.
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A
Y. I think it was the Gershwin theater. So that one's been around for a long time. And it's for sure it's not what you would expect.
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B
Right.
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A
The glitz and glamour of Broadway.
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B
True.
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A
Anyway, so what else, Michelle? What do we need to know?
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B
Yeah, I mean, so again, these all so show urgency. They show what's important your. And they could even be a little bit humorous depending on how they're used. Do any of these, like, feel like what you'd use the most often or that you like?
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A
Yeah, I think the mad dash is pretty fun. I'm enjoying that one today.
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B
Yeah. Okay. I think I like make a beeline. I. I do think about. That's my favorite. But again, I would say, like, the most common ones are go right for head straight four. So those are kind of the more neutral ones. Make a mad dash for something and make a beeline for that of sort. That's adding, like, a little bit of personality. So again, that's not going to be the one that you use every two seconds. Those are kind of the, you know, the. A little bit more unique, a little bit more rare. But you will hear they're not rare. It's just that they're not used as frequently as the other ones, I would say.
- [14:17]
A
Yeah. Our listeners know we want to mix things up with our vocabulary. We want to have lots of options so we can express our personality in that moment. It also kind of depends on who you're around. Like, I'll only use these exaggerated phrases around people I'm comfortable with. Right. I'm not going to use it in a formal scenario, like.
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B
Right.
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A
In business or something. I need to Make a matte dash for the bathroom. No, that's not very professional.
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B
Right.
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A
So who are we around? All right, let's do a role play. Michelle, shall we?
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B
We go? Yes. Okay. So we are leaving on a trip together, and we are in the cab on the way to the airport.
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A
All right, let's do it. Okay.
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B
Okay. So when we get to the airport, we have to make a beeline for security, because I know the lines at this airport can take forever.
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A
Okay, definitely. And after we get through security, I'm heading straight for the nearest coffee shop. I'm exhausted.
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B
Oh, sounds good. I'll go right for that cookie place I heard so much about. I can grab you one while you get your coffee.
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A
Perfect. Thanks. Hopefully we have enough time and don't have to make a mad dash for the gate.
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B
Yeah, I think we'll be okay. We left plenty of time.
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A
Michelle, do you and Dan have different airport personalities? Because maybe. Maybe we talked about this because maybe you mentioned this before. Is Dan kind of crazy when it comes to the year? Yes.
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B
He. He, like, he'll leave it early, and then we're sitting around. I. I don't want to leave late, but I don't want to leave super early. However, I will say that I do like being at the airport. I like the feeling. Right. I just. I. It's. It's so. It's exciting. It's like. It's a great feeling once you kind of get checked in and everything. I just don't. So I don't mind getting there early. It's just, I. If it's early in the morning, that's my issue. I don't want to get there early, and it's early in the morning. I can get there early another time.
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A
Well, so what about once you're at the airport? Like, is he pretty chill once you get there? Is it just about getting there on early? Okay. Okay. So in my end, my partner can be kind of crazy when. Once we get to the airport, like, if any. If anyone's walking slow, that is not okay. We need to move faster. And there was a funny Instagram meme about that. Like, there's always one partner in a partnership that. That acts crazy in an airport and just, I don't know, I'll have to pull up the meme and share it to you with you.
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B
But do you also have to get there super early or. It's not.
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A
I'm more the one that wants to get there early, but. Yeah.
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B
What are you, two hours or whatever?
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A
Yeah, definitely. Minimum two hours for A U. S. Based flight and three for an international flight. But yeah, sometimes I even just leave extra time. Like if I'm not doing anything at home, it's half an hour early before I need to leave. I'll just le leave. I'll be like, I'd rather just finish this work at the airport and just bring my laptop.
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B
Right, Just get where you need to go.
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A
Yeah, exactly.
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B
I get that. Yeah, yeah.
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A
It's so funny.
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B
But I do, but I do love the airport is.
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A
Yeah, yeah.
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B
I think exciting.
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A
Both. I've said that before. Because even now, I mean, now there's a lot going on with airports right now in the US A lot of chaos. But even still, especially if you're in a really exciting airport, like if you're in the Istanbul airport, oh my God, it is so cool to be in a place like that. You're in the crossroads of the world and you can sit there and just watch people from all over the world crossing the airport. It's just, you're like, I could go anywhere in the world right now, you know?
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B
Yeah. I love it. Really cool.
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A
It's so cool. Okay, let's go through the role play, Michelle. So what did you say first?
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B
I said, so when we get to the airport, we have to make a b line for security because I know the lines at this airport can take forever. So I'm saying basically, like, it's kind of the opposite of dawdle. You know that word? Like don't dawdle. It's like, oh, let's go here, let's go there. Going to stop at the bathroom. I'm going to do this, I'm going to do. Right. I'm saying like, no, we got to get there. I just want to get through security and be done with that part.
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A
Yeah. And I think that's the core, the crux of the problem. When one person doddles and the other person makes a beine for places. Right. That doesn't work out very well.
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B
No, no, no, no.
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A
Oh my God. All right. And then I said, okay, definitely after we get through security, I'm heading straight for the nearest coffee shop. I'm exhausted. Okay. So I'm gonna get some coffee. It might be early in the morning. Right.
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B
And then I said, sounds good. I'll go right for that coffee place I heard, a cookie place I heard so much about.
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A
Yeah, cookie plays nice. Cookies and coffee sounds great. And then I said, perfect, thanks. Hopefully we have enough time and don't have to make a mad dash for the gate. Has that Ever happened to you? I know my mother in law has actually missed a flight because she was walking the airport halls to get steps in and miss the flight.
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B
Oh my God, that's so funny.
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A
Yep, it happened. Have you ever missed a flight after checking in and being at the airport, Michelle?
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B
So yes, I. Well one. So one. I remember running for a flight with my dad when I was a kid. I think we did get on, but it was really at the last minute. And then once I, when I was coming back from out of the country and then I. I think I was flying into Boston and then I had to catch a flight back to D.C. and that one, I, I think I didn't officially check in on time. I think I was there and I maybe pressed something wrong or something, there was some mistake and so I didn't get to go on the fly.
- [19:29]
A
Oh no. Oh my gosh. That's crazy.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I mean, yeah. Airport chaos. There are certain airports you will. I, I would never want to run through any U. S. Airport because they're not very efficient. We had to run through the Munich airport and it was so easy and so simple and everything worked and just the gates opened and scanned everything and we went in and we made the flight somehow. But in the US Things just don't work that smoothly.
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B
Have you ever seen. There's like a meme now where it's like me like checking to make sure that my gate is there before it. Like, have you ever seen. It's like, it's like that funny thing you like go. You like look at your gate, you see that it's there and then you go somewhere else. And it's just funny because like we know that the gate will be there, but it's always.
- [20:15]
A
I see what you mean. Like, yeah, yeah. 16 is next to 17, right?
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B
Yeah, right. It's like, oh, but I just have.
- [20:20]
A
To make sure there's so many funny Instagram memes about the airport and airport behavior because a new, a new side of people's personality can definitely come out in airports. So it's so funny. And this look so our listeners can see what a great connection topic this is become. Just based on the idea of pri. How people prioritize physical movement, like what they go to first. It's actually kind of funny. Michelle, what's another episode our listeners should check out?
- [20:47]
B
Yeah, check out all ears English. I'll give you that. How to concede to connect in English. It's another really good one.
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A
Oh my gosh. Great stuff. Any final thoughts for the takeaway? Today. Michelle, anything else you want to add?
- [21:01]
B
Yeah, I mean, just give these a try. These are really fun and useful because they're always going to be talking. They're great for storytelling. Oh, I had to make a beeline.
- [21:11]
A
Yeah.
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B
Oh, like I, I headed straight for. There's just. You're going to constantly be able to use these in your daily life. So give these a try. Listen for them and. Yeah, and don't miss your flight.
- [21:23]
A
Don't miss your flight. Make a beeline.
- [21:25]
B
All right.
- [21:26]
A
Good stuff. All right, you have a good day. I'll talk to you soon.
- [21:29]
B
All right, bye.
- [21:30]
A
Bye. 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/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. Limu emu and Doug. Here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy underwritten by Liberty Mutual insurance company and affiliates. Excludes Massachusetts.
- [22:30]
B
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