All Ears English Podcast – Episode 2562: "We're Watching Your English Like a Hawk"

Hosts: Lindsay McMahon & Michelle Kaplan
Date: February 9, 2026

Episode Overview

This lively episode focuses on the everyday English expression “watch like a hawk.” Lindsay and Michelle break down the idiom, exploring its meaning, uses, and alternative phrases that convey the idea of monitoring something or someone very closely. They share enjoyable personal anecdotes, practical sample sentences, cultural insights, and clarify levels of intensity in similar vocabulary. This episode is tailored to help ESL learners confidently use these expressions for natural and meaningful connections in English conversation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to “Watch Like a Hawk”

• Definition:
  To pay extremely close attention to someone or something, usually for protection, safety, or personal interest.

• Origin Discussion:

  • Hawks are known for their keen eyesight and vigilant hunting behaviors.
  • Michelle Kaplan [04:37]:

    “What I’m looking at here, just in my hawk research, is that they have very good eyesight…Hawks can distinguish their prey at something like two or three times the distance that a human being can detect the same.”

  • Lindsay McMahon [04:59]:

    “Having good eyes, laser-focused eyes, looking at something very closely…”

2. Personal Stories Demonstrating the Expression

• Watching Kiefer the Dog

  • Lindsay shares a story about watching her dog, Kiefer, especially on walks to avoid him ingesting pesticides.
    [02:33–03:09]

    "If I don't watch him really closely, he'll lick the grass...and then he’ll like, shake. It’s really bad. I’m like, are you getting brain damage? Like, what is happening?"

• Kids and Parental Vigilance

  • Michelle discusses needing constant vigilance with young children.
    [05:17]:

    “Constantly. I mean...especially the little one. And when...they don't know danger yet.”

  • Lindsay adds:

    “They could put something in their mouth. They could put their finger somewhere, like in an outlet. You got to be really careful, right?” [05:42]

3. Sample Sentences Using the Expression [05:49–06:24]

• “I have to watch my kids like a hawk when they are around candy.”
• “When babies are learning to walk, you have to watch them like a hawk.”
• “I noticed she was watching me like a hawk, and I didn’t know why. Then she came over and told me I was her first grade student all those years ago.”

4. Cultural Anecdotes & Memorable Moments

• The "Celebrity on a Cruise" Story
  • Michelle tells a funny anecdote where her husband, Dan (with blue hair), gets mistaken for a YouTube basketball celebrity by teenagers on a cruise. This leads to the feeling of being watched intensely.
    [06:46–07:38]

    “Twice, once somebody...said that, like they knew him from some basketball thing. And then this other kid walked by and was like, 'I'm a big fan.'...And Dan just probably said, 'Oh, thanks.' He just wanted to embrace it, just like, 'Yeah, this is me.'” – Michelle

5. Expanding Usage: More Than People

• Monitoring Objects or Trends
  • It's not limited to people—you can watch ticket prices, stocks, or other things “like a hawk.”
    [08:05–08:44]
    • “You have to watch the ticket prices like a hawk every day and pounce when you get a good price.” – Michelle
    • “Some people will play the stock market... 'I'm watching this stock like a hawk.'” – Lindsay

6. Alternative Expressions & Degrees of Intensity

• Keep a (Very) Close Eye On
  [12:03–12:28]

  • “I’m going to keep a close eye on these prices to see if they come down in the next few days.” – Lindsay
  • “Please keep a close eye on her. She tends to eat chews.” – Michelle

• Keep Tabs On
  [12:28–12:53]

  • “If we make it a point to keep tabs on the account, we can avoid these types of issues in the future.” – Lindsay

  • “I'm keeping tabs on other opportunities, but nothing has come up yet.” – Michelle [14:03]

  • Michelle explains intensity [15:28]:

    “Keeping tabs sounds a little less intense to me than watching like a hawk. It's pulling back a little, like keeping tabs...a little more casual.”

7. Practical Roleplay for Everyday Conversation

[13:39–14:07]

• Example at the dog park:

  • Michelle: “How’s Rufus doing? He’s such a cutie.”

  • Lindsay: “Oh, he’s good, thanks. But I’ve had to watch him like a hawk recently. He started chewing the furniture.”

  • Michelle: “Oh, no. Lucky has done that, too. I have to keep a close eye on her whenever any food is left on the table.”

  • Lindsay: “Same. How’s work?”

  • Michelle: “Good, thanks. I’m keeping tabs on other opportunities, but nothing has come up yet.”

  • Lindsay on conversational flow [14:07–14:20]:

    “This is a very typical conversation, Michelle, where we went from talking about our dogs and their habits to work and maybe we'll go to family next or travel. This is how native speakers communicate, right?”

Notable Quotes

• On Why It Matters:
  Lindsay McMahon [13:05]:

  “It’s a connection skill. This is another one of those episodes that’s giving our listeners the tools to show who they are and what they care about. Is it the concert tickets? Is it your child? Is it your dog?”

• On Observing People’s Priorities:
  Michelle Kaplan [13:28]:

  “You can tell, you know, a lot of things about somebody by what they’re…what they’re watching, what’s important to them.”

Important Timestamps

• 02:33 – Personal story: Lindsay watches her dog Kiefer like a hawk
• 05:49 – Sample sentences with “watch like a hawk”
• 06:46 – Michelle’s cruise anecdote about being watched like a hawk
• 08:12 – Using the idiom for inanimate objects, e.g., tickets, stocks
• 12:03 – Alternatives: keep a close eye on, keep tabs on
• 13:39 – Roleplay: natural use in conversation
• 15:28 – Discussion of intensity: “keeping tabs on” vs. “watching like a hawk”
• 16:26 – Takeaway: Expressions show what matters in your life

Final Takeaways

• “Watch like a hawk” is a vivid, idiomatic way to describe paying close attention due to concern, responsibility, or keen interest.
• Similar phrases—“keep a close eye on,” “keep tabs on”—vary in intensity and formality.
• Using these expressions helps you sound more natural and engaged in English, and they subtly reveal your priorities and attentiveness in communication.
• Practical, real-life examples and role-play illustrate how to incorporate these idioms seamlessly into everyday and professional conversations.

Connection, Not Perfection!
As always, Lindsay and Michelle champion using English as a tool for connection, reminding listeners that fluency is about relating and engaging—not obsessing over mistakes.

For more on pronunciation and repetition, check out the recommended episode 2546 with guest Hadar Shemesh.