All Ears English Podcast
Episode 2556: Don’t Blow Off Phrasal Verbs!
Air Date: January 28, 2026
Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Aubrey Carter
Episode Overview
In this intermediate-to-advanced ESL episode, Lindsay and Aubrey continue their three-part series exploring phrasal verbs that use the verb "blow." They introduce and break down three more "blow" phrasal verbs—blow over, blow away, and blow off—explaining their meanings, usages in both literal and idiomatic contexts, and how they help bring down the wall of formality to create more connection in conversations. The episode includes explanations, casual anecdotes, and a role play to illustrate the dynamic ways these verbs appear in real English. The guiding principle: using everyday phrasal verbs is a key to sounding natural and building genuine connections in English, rather than just aiming for perfection.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Why Phrasal Verbs Matter
- Using phrasal verbs makes English sound casual, friendly, and less formal—essential for true conversational fluency.
- “We intentionally use the phrasal verbs to pull down that wall of formality, to be more personable with them.” (Aubrey, 15:01)
Phrasal Verb #1: Blow Over
Definition: To pass without serious consequences; to subside.
- Literal use: Often used for storms or bad weather.
- “The storm blew over. I think the storm’s going to blow over.” (Aubrey, 04:12)
- Figurative/idiomatic use: Describes arguments, scandals, or controversies dissipating with time.
- “Don’t worry, the argument will blow over soon.” (Lindsay, 04:32)
- Commentary on today’s fast news cycles:
- "These days there's always a scandal... Many of them just kind of blow over after a few days because of the news cycle, the 24-hour news cycle." (Lindsay, 04:59-05:10)
Phrasal Verb #2: Blow Away
Definitions:
- To impress greatly.
- “Her performance blew me away.” (Aubrey, 05:25)
- To be physically carried away by wind.
- “Papers were blown away by the wind.” (Lindsay/Aubrey, 05:51)
- To soundly defeat someone in competition.
- “Our team blew them away in the finals. Maybe the score was like 60 to—That’s when you’ll say we blew them away.” (Aubrey, 06:40)
Anecdotes:
- Aubrey shared stories of living in windy Idaho, highlighting literal “blow away” moments with both people and papers.
- “The wind is so strong where I live in Idaho... You’d step outside and be like, physically pushing...” (Aubrey, 05:51)
- Discussion of seeing “crazy” winds up to 100 mph in Colorado.
- “Parts of Colorado get really windy too... It was crazy.” (Lindsay, 06:11)
Related Phrases:
- Hosts joke about creating more episodes on other ways to say “soundly defeat,” such as “crushed,” “clean up,” etc. (06:54-07:07)
Phrasal Verb #3: Blow Off
Definitions:
- To ignore or intentionally skip something.
- “He blew off the meeting to go golfing." (Aubrey, 07:18)
- “It’s never when you can’t go. It’s when you don’t want to go.” (Lindsay, 07:32)
- To release energy or stress (commonly said as “blow off steam”).
- “I like to run to blow off steam. Sometimes I’ll do a bike ride to blow off steam or go for a walk, play sports...” (Aubrey, 08:03)
- Cultural touchstone: “playing hooky” or the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
- “Ferris Bueller’s Day. Right? He blew off school.” (Aubrey, 07:47)
Host banter on running as stress relief:
- “I know how good it is for you, but I just really hate it.” (Lindsay, 08:15)
- “All my friends who are like marathon runners ... are like having surgery now. So, a little running is good for you, but not too much.” (Lindsay, 08:15)
Role Play Demonstration
[10:20-13:58]
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Scenario: Friends (Aubrey and Lindsay) chatting on an outdoor patio, using all three phrasal verbs naturally in context:
- Blow over – “I think it’ll blow over in a day or two.” (Lindsay, 10:31)
- Blow away – “That gust of wind almost blew your papers away.” (Lindsay, 10:39)
- Sports – “Our team blew them away; it wasn’t even close.” (Lindsay, 10:49)
- Expressing being impressed – “I was absolutely blown away by the final goal.” (Aubrey, 10:52)
- Skipping meetings – “Yeah, I kind of blew it off. I needed a break.” (Aubrey, 11:01)
- Releasing stress – “Sometimes you just need to blow off steam.” (Lindsay, 11:03)
- Method of stress relief – "I went for a long run and felt way better afterward." (Aubrey, 11:08)
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Debrief:
- They note it’s unlikely you’d use this many “blow” phrasal verbs in one real conversation—unless you’re deliberately joking about it. (Aubrey, 14:11–14:21)
- Chit-chat about outdoor dining weather quirks in Arizona and New England, including patio heaters and water misters. (Lindsay & Aubrey, 11:17–12:18)
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Casual expressions like this, phrasal verbs that are just colloquial, they’re everyday, are the seeds of connection.” (Lindsay, 14:49)
- “We intentionally use the phrasal verbs to pull down that wall of formality to be more personable with them.” (Aubrey, 15:01)
- “If we use there are other verbs that mean all of these things, but it would be a little more formal of a conversation.” (Aubrey, 15:01)
Key Timestamps
- 02:29 — Introduction to today’s three “blow” phrasal verbs and episode structure
- 04:12 — “Blow over” introduction & examples (literal & figurative)
- 05:25 — “Blow away”: being impressed, wind, and defeating in competition
- 07:18 — “Blow off” (to skip; to blow off steam)
- 10:20-13:58 — Role play using all three phrasal verbs in context
- 14:49 — Takeaway: Why phrasal verbs are essential for connection, not just vocabulary
- 15:01 — The idea of “pulling down the wall of formality” with phrasal verbs
Actionable Takeaways
- Write these three phrasal verbs down and make a conscious effort to use them in everyday conversations to sound more natural and personable.
- Notice when native speakers switch to phrasal verbs—they’re often signaling comfort and friendliness.
- Use comments and reviews on platforms like Spotify or YouTube to ask the hosts language questions or to share your English experiences.
Suggested Next Steps
- Listen to Episode 2552 for part one of this series, focusing on confusing past tense verbs in English.
- Subscribe and follow All Ears English, so you don’t miss the upcoming part three on more “blow” phrasal verbs.
Connection, not perfection! Use these phrasal verbs to connect more deeply and express yourself like a native speaker.