AEE: Chat Up a Storm with this New English Phrase

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Ears English Podcast – "AEE: Chat Up a Storm with this New English Phrase"

Episode Details

• Title: AEE: Chat Up a Storm with this New English Phrase
• Release Date: December 28, 2024
• Hosts: Lindsay McMahon and Michelle Kaplan
• Description: In this episode, Lindsay and Michelle delve into the English phrase "up a storm," exploring its meanings, usage, and nuances. Through engaging discussions and practical examples, they help intermediate to advanced ESL learners enhance their conversational skills and deepen their understanding of American English idioms.

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Introduction to the Episode

[00:00] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle opens the episode by introducing the focus on the new English phrase, setting the stage for an insightful discussion.

[00:08] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay welcomes listeners to the "All Ears English" podcast, highlighting its popularity with over 200 million downloads. She emphasizes the podcast's mission to help learners become fluent and fearless by prioritizing connection over perfection.

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Personal Anecdotes and Small Talk

[01:28] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle engages in a friendly conversation with Lindsay about dogs, introducing a personal touch to the episode.

• Michelle: "Hey, Lindsay, how are you?"

[01:30] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay shares details about her dog, Peer, and reassures Michelle about his calm nature.

• Lindsay: "The only time he barks is sometimes when the mail lady comes. He'll try to protect the house, which is pretty normal."

[02:07] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle relates the topic to podcasting, expressing curiosity about balancing pets and recording sessions.

[02:41] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay discusses Peer’s behavior, attributing his temperament to his mixed breed background, which includes Border Collie, Lab, and German Shepherd traits.

[03:00] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle continues to inquire about Peer’s behavior around squirrels, leading to a light-hearted exchange.

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Exploring the Phrase "Up a Storm"

Introduction to the Phrase

[03:10] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle introduces the main topic, the expression "doing something up a storm," explaining its association with enthusiasm and excessiveness.

[03:36] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay elaborates on the phrase's structure, noting it typically follows a verb in the "-ing" form.

• Lindsay: "We have the verb and then the -ing form of the verb. So barking up a storm, cooking up a storm, singing up a storm..."

Meaning and Usage

[04:08] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle defines the phrase as performing an activity with great enthusiasm or intensity.

• Michelle: "It means that you're doing a lot of something or maybe that you're really excited about it, enthusiastic about it."

Examples of the Phrase

[04:39] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay provides practical examples to illustrate the usage.

• Lindsay: "I've been cooking up a storm for three days, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner."

[05:34] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle adds her own examples, including social situations.

• Michelle: "I'm talking up a storm. I know. I'm just so excited to see you."

[05:40] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay continues with another example.

• Lindsay: "He's been studying up a storm, preparing for his law examination."

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Alternative Expressions and Synonyms

[09:19] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay suggests alternative phrases that convey similar meanings to "up a storm," such as "excessively" and "to no end."

• Lindsay: "We can swap in words like 'excessively' or 'to no end.' For example, 'I've been cleaning excessively all day.'"

[09:53] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle adds another common alternative.

• Michelle: "I've been looking for jobs to no end lately."

[10:06] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay introduces "like crazy" as another synonym.

• Lindsay: "I've been looking for jobs like crazy."

---

Practical Role Play Scenario

Setting Up the Scenario

[11:02] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle introduces a role play scenario to demonstrate the use of the phrase in context.

• Michelle: "We are getting ready for our holiday party. We're friends, and we're throwing a party together."

[11:07] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay and Michelle act out a conversation preparing for a holiday party, seamlessly integrating the phrase "up a storm."

• Lindsay: "I've been cleaning up a storm since yesterday, so the place is spotless."
• Michelle: "Claudia told me she's been baking like crazy. She's a great baker. I'm so excited to try her desserts."

---

Discussion on Natural Usage and Limitations

[05:52] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle points out that "up a storm" doesn't fit all verbs naturally.

• Michelle: "You can't just plug anything into this. The most natural verbs would be things like cook, clean, talk, chat."

[07:08] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay reflects on the phrase’s temporal usage, mentioning it might feel dated but remains useful.

• Lindsay: "It feels like it's becoming maybe a little dated now. You may have heard it in a 90s flick."

[07:39] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle agrees, noting that while it's not current teen slang, it's still relevant for comprehension.

• Michelle: "It's a very useful expression, but it definitely would not be used by teens."

---

Expanding Vocabulary: "Spotless"

[12:40] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle introduces another useful adjective, "spotless," meaning extremely clean.

• Michelle: "Spotless means extremely clean."

[12:46] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay compliments the phrase and shares a Thanksgiving anecdote.

• Lindsay: "I've been cleaning up a storm since yesterday, so the place is spotless."

---

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

[13:33] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay emphasizes the importance of having expressions to describe intense involvement in activities.

• Lindsay: "When you are fully immersed in something like cooking or preparing for a party, having the words to express it helps connect with others."

[14:05] Michelle Kaplan:
Michelle reiterates the usefulness of the phrase for describing engagement in hobbies or projects.

• Michelle: "I've been painting up a storm recently. I love it."

[14:31] Lindsay McMahon:
Lindsay gives another example related to creative arts.

• Lindsay: "I've been dancing up a storm lately."

[15:08] Lindsay McMahon:
In closing, Lindsay encourages listeners to engage with future episodes and utilize the expressions learned.

• Lindsay: "If you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything."

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Michelle Kaplan [03:10]: "It means that you're doing a lot of something or maybe that you're really excited about it, enthusiastic about it."

• Lindsay McMahon [04:08]: "Cooking up a storm for three days, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner."

• Michelle Kaplan [05:34]: "I'm talking up a storm. I know. I'm just so excited to see you."

• Lindsay McMahon [07:08]: "It feels like it's becoming maybe a little dated now. You may have heard it in a 90s flick."

• Michelle Kaplan [12:40]: "Spotless means extremely clean."

• Lindsay McMahon [14:31]: "I've been dancing up a storm lately."

---

Key Takeaways

1. Understanding "Up a Storm":

   • Meaning: Engaging in an activity with great enthusiasm or intensity.
   • Usage: Typically follows an "-ing" verb (e.g., cooking up a storm).

2. Alternative Expressions:

   • "Excessively," "to no end," "like crazy" serve as synonyms but may vary in formality and context.

3. Natural Verb Pairings:

   • Best suited for action-oriented verbs related to creation or preparation (e.g., cook, clean, talk).

4. Contextual Application:

   • Useful in scenarios involving preparation for events, engaging in hobbies, or increased activity levels.

5. Additional Vocabulary:

   • "Spotless": An adjective meaning extremely clean, often used in conjunction with "up a storm."

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Connect with All Ears English:

• To explore more phrases and enhance your English skills, visit AllEarsEnglish.com and subscribe to the podcast for weekly transcripts and updates.

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This episode of the All Ears English Podcast masterfully blends personal anecdotes with practical language instruction, providing listeners with both context and actionable insights to enrich their English vocabulary and conversational abilities.

Transcript

[Michelle Kaplan]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Chat up a storm with this new English phrase.

[Lindsay McMahon]

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. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe when you fully immerse yourself in an activity like cooking, cleaning or dancing, how can you communicate it to others and connect in English? Listen in today.

[Google Gemini]

This episode is brought to you by Google Gemini. With the Gemini app, you can talk live and have a real time conversation with an AI assistant. It's great for all kinds of things, like if you want to practice for an upcoming interview, ask for advice on things to do in a new city, or brainstorm creative ideas. And by the way, this script was actually read by Gemini. Download the Gemini app for iOS and Android today. Must be 18 + to use Gemini live.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Hey, Lindsay, how are you?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Excellent. Michelle, how are you doing today?

[Michelle Kaplan]

I'm good, I'm good. Yeah. Actually, my friends, they just got a new dog.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Two days ago. Yeah. So I'm very curious to see how it works out. But I mean, I. I know, you know, when you got Peer, it was a pretty big deal. I. Is he. Is Kiefer a big barker or is he usually pretty quiet?

[Lindsay McMahon]

No, he's super quiet. He' go. The only time he barks is sometimes when the mail lady comes. He'll bark or if someone delivers something, he'll. He'll prot. Try to protect the house, which is pretty normal. But otherwise you don't hear a peep from him all day long. He's just sleeping. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

A. Do you think? Yeah. I wonder, did you know that when you got him? Because I'm wondering about. With podcasting, it kind of worked out, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

I was a little worried. I wasn't sure how that was going to work, honestly. Yeah, but we trained him and luckily he just. I think maybe his breeds also just aren't very. There are certain breeds that are barky breeds, you know, that you want to be careful of. Do a little research on the breed. But he's also a mutt. He's a mix of border collie lab, German shepherd. That's his protective side. Probably the German shepherd, but yeah, no, he's. He's good. Thank goodness.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Like if.

[Lindsay McMahon]

If.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, so if he sees a squirrel, though, does he bark up a storm? I remember my dog used to do that.

[Lindsay McMahon]

He just tries to run and get the squirrel more. He'll try. Yeah, he doesn't bark up a storm. Yeah. The time they. It's just. It's really when someone's like. Or if we have a friend over and the friend comes in the house, if he doesn't know that friend.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

He'll bark at that person for a little while and then we'll, like, calm him down and we'll say, we know this person. It's okay. He'll sniff him and get used to him. Yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Very cute.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay. Oh, well. Very cute. We love Kiefer here, so thank you. Yeah. Well, today we are going to talk about this interesting and unique expression that you can use to talk about enthusiasm or really excessiveness. So good. Yeah, yeah. This is gonna on. So today, before we get into it, we want to remind you to hit follow wherever you're listening to the Allers English podcast. Never miss anything. And. Yeah, hit that button.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, exactly. So again, the expression that we're teaching today is doing something up a storm. Right. So barking up a storm, talking up a storm. Could be something you might say. What does it mean, Michelle?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, it means that you're doing a lot of something or maybe that you're really excited about it, enthusiastic about it. So there's. There's a lot of places that it could take you. But the idea is thinking of kind of enthusiasm a lot. Maybe in excess.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But. Yeah, so. So what's the. What's the structure, the general structure of how this is used?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. So we have the verb and then the ing form of the verb. Right. So barking, cooking, talking, studying. And we do barking up. We add the up. So barking up a storm. Cooking up a storm, Singing up a storm. Maybe anything that you're just fully just doing with complete enthusiasm or excessiveness, you're really into it. Usually it's someone else saying that you're doing that thing. Could be.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep. Yeah, yep, yep, exactly. So let's do some examples. So here we're gonna go back to the dog example. So my dog was barking up a storm. I don't know why, but then I saw there were four deer outside.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, exactly. There's usually a reason why they're barking like that, hopefully. Or I've been cooking up a storm for three days, getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner. It actually makes me think of COVID times. I feel like people just started cooking, making bread. B. You Know, baking bread at home, all this. Cooking up a storm because there was nothing else to do. Yeah, I didn't do that. Did you do that?

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, I. We were. Oh, my gosh. We were. Those. We were too scared to go to the grocery store, so we were ordering things on Amazon. We were. Oh, it was horrible. Like, what we were eating. It was like, you know, just like packets of tuna and we were trying to ration it because we were nervous and. Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, my gosh. Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Or here's another one. I'm sorry, I'm talking up a storm. I know. I'm just so excited to see you.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Nice. Talking up a storm is another good example. You're talking a lot. Or he's been studying up a storm, preparing for his law examination. Yes, Another example.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Well, what's interesting is when I was planning this, I realized it doesn't necessarily sound natural with everything. I don't think that you can just plug anything into this. I mean, to me, the most natural verbs would be to use things like cook, clean, talk, chat.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I completely agree with you. Yeah. Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Even dance. I mean, it just. It's very action oriented. So, you know, it. It doesn't. It just doesn't sound natural with everything. And unfortunately, some of that you would just have to learn or listen.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, yeah. So for example, it doesn't really work to say I'm driving up a storm. Yeah, I think.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, it just doesn't sound right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Don't you think that the. The thread here that all those words have in common is kind of the creative arts you're creating? You're creating. You're creating, painting up a storm, dancing up a storm, Cooking.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. Yeah. Then you have talking. Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I don't know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

But I think that. I think you're on to something. They're creating something. Right. You're doing something. You're making something. So even.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I mean. Yeah. It doesn't. It doesn't necessarily work for everything, but it is. To me, that's the closest thread that I would be able to think of for sure.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And I do use this personally. I would say it feels like it's becoming maybe a little dated now. Right. I feel like it's something you may have heard in a 90s flick.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Meaning movie on 90s flick. Great word for movies, you know, but, you know, expressions can still live on, even if they're not the most. Because I don't necessarily use the most cutting edge teen slang myself right now. And that's okay because I'm Not a teenager. Right, right. You know.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, exactly.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Right.

[Michelle Kaplan]

No, I think that this is a very useful expression, but I definitely think it would not be used by a. The, I don't know, the teens.

[Lindsay McMahon]

No, they wouldn't. But they have their own, you know, they have their own set of, you know, Aubry sometimes informs us of that. Right. Because our kids, she brings us all the teen slang and it's okay. Like, you know, adults in their 30s and 40s don't need to be speaking like teens and vice versa. It's okay. Yes, exactly.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. But it definitely reminds me, I. I just feel like in Father of the bride part two, there must be a. I think there's something where they use this expression. It makes me. Okay, Yeah, I have to find it. But I. I feel like it's the cooking up a storm run. I don't know. But guys, whether or not you decide to use this, it's good to know. Right. Because you're going to hear this again with some expressions, we may teach them. Not always because you're necessarily going to use them right away, but you will hear them. And so, you know, it's important to learn these expressions for comprehension as well as to use them in your conversations. And then you know, when you're. When you feel ready, if you choose. So you can certainly use this.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes. I love that.

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[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, Michelle, so there are other things. If we feel like we don't want to go as far as using this phrase, we're not sure there are other words that we want to know that just mean the same thing that you can swap in. So, for example, excessively. And we've already said this, you know, immersively or excessively. She was chatting excessively with her friends last night and now she lost her voice. Right. And that could happen. That happens to me at conferences sometimes.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yep, yep. Or to no end.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

I've been looking for jobs to no end lately. I hope something comes through soon.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And this also means, you know, just again, excessively, there's. There's no end to the job. You've just been continuously Searching for jobs.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right. And then I just added this last one on because I just thought of it. Lindsay, what do you think of this one?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, sure. Like crazy. I've been looking for jobs like crazy. I use this one, too. Yeah. Cleaning like crazy all day to get ready for our dinner party.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I think this one's pretty common.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Whether or not it's like we've talked about the word crazy and, you know, but you will hear it.

[Lindsay McMahon]

And these expressions actually work really well when you are hosting some kind of a party. Because what I notice, I love hosting dinner parties, having friends over for parties. But what I, you know, you wake up the morning, you're hosting from that evening, and you are cleaning all day, and then you're cooking and everything is, you know, you're running out to the store. You basically spend your entire day prepping for that party. You know, so any of these would fit with that kind of scenario, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, that's true. That's true.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, that's the scenario we have in our role play here, Michelle.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, there you go. What do know? I. I guess I. I guess great minds think alike, right?

[Lindsay McMahon]

I guess so.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Look at this. All right, so then let's dive into our role play, Michelle. So here. What's going on?

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, well, we are getting ready for our holiday party. We're friends, and we're throwing a party together.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay. Exact scenario. Here we go. So did you get all the ingredients?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yes, of course. I've been shopping to no end. It seems I have everything.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Okay, great. I've been cleaning up a storm since yesterday, so the place is spotless.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Oh, that's great. Yeah, Claudia told me she's been baking to no end. She's a. Oh, wait, I did. Okay, well, I'm gonna switch that. Claudia told me she's been baking like crazy. She's a great baker. I'm so excited to try her desserts.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Oh, me too. Okay, nice. All right, good. So this is perfect. This is the scenario. It's kind of in situations where you're fully immersed in something. It's a big project, you're in knee deep, Pray you're fully in this thing that you have to prepare. Maybe there's a little sense of time urgenc. Yeah, you're just surrounded by this thing you have to do.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Okay, yeah, yeah, I think that's a really good point, Lindsay, of when you could use it. Now, we didn't use excessively, but guys, that's another one you could use. It's not. Doesn't quite necessarily work completely in the same way, but something you could consider using as well.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, it's a little formal for this. You know, using this excessively. You know, like I've been cleaning excessively. I think between friends, that'd be a little too formal.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. So I said I've been shopping to no end, it seems. So I'm saying it feels like I'm never. I was never gonna fit in a shop.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah. And then I said, okay, great. I've been cleaning up a storm since yesterday. So the plate, the place is spotless. And that'll be a bonus phrase for today. Spotless. Michelle, what does that one mean? That's a great one.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Extremely clean.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yes. I love that great expression for extremely clean. And then what did you say?

[Michelle Kaplan]

And then I said, yeah, Claudia told me she's been baking like crazy. So she's just baking, baking, baking. She's got a pie. She's got a cake. She's got some muffins. Yeah.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Wow. A lot of work. Sounds delicious, though. I had a really good mixed berry pie over the weekend because I went to a friend's giving. It was good. That's my favorite thing about Thanksgiving, Michelle, is pie.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, I do love pie, too. Yes.

[Lindsay McMahon]

So good. Michelle, is there some other place our listeners should go right now to check out allers English? More allergies.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right, guys, head on over to episode 2321. That was. There you go. One phrase for confirming in English, super.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Important as a communication and connection skill. Confirming, right?

[Michelle Kaplan]

Love it. Yes, absolutely. So, Lindsay, anything you want to bring up before the end of the episode?

[Lindsay McMahon]

Yeah, I just love the idea of when you are fully immersed in something like cooking, like cleaning, like preparing for a party, having the words to express it. Because it's kind of a unique moment in life when you're just. You can't see anything else but this thing you have to take care of. Right. You're either so excited about it, like during COVID times when people were cooking up a storm, or you're under pressure because the party starts at six and you know, it's four and you're still cooking or cleaning. This is the way you can express that moment to people to connect what's actually going on. These are the phrases.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah, yeah, I love it. Very, very useful. You'll definitely hear it in some 90s comedy movies. Yeah. But, yeah, this is. This is really great for just immersing yourself doing a lot of something, usually preparing for something or maybe maybe a new hobby or enjoying that you just. Yeah, I've. Yeah, I've been painting up a storm recently. I love it. Right. So many different ways to use that.

[Lindsay McMahon]

That's actually another good example. So again, we said the arts, right? Is kind of what the. The expressive arts. What this has in common is maybe you are going to. You went to a trial class of a dance class and all of a sudden you loved it. So you started going every night. Every night you went back to that school dance school. And you. So you tell your friend on the weekend, I've been dancing up a storm lately.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Right.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I just love it.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. All right, well, this was fun. And Lindsay, we've been talking up a storm. So we have time to go.

[Lindsay McMahon]

I guess we do tug up a storm on allergies. English.

[Michelle Kaplan]

We definitely do.

[Lindsay McMahon]

All right, Michelle, well, you have a good day and I'll see you on the next episode.

[Michelle Kaplan]

All right. Bye, Lindsay.

[Lindsay McMahon]

Bye, guys. 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/fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time. Et.

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