Subtitle (190)
0:00Hey, Michelle. How's it going today? Hey, Lindsay.
Um, I I ate four bagels yesterday. Oh, wow.
0:09Michelle, you've reached a new low. Just kidding.
I did I didn't eat I didn't eat four bagels, but
0:18like sometimes I would like to. I know. I mean, I
I know you're a fan of bagels. People love bagels.
0:23I'm kind of neutral about bagels. I just sometimes
for me really I'd rather have a donut. You're not
0:28putting the right stuff on it. What should What
should I put on my bagel? Like what what would be
0:33the best? Oh, well, you got to do uh Well, I like
like Okay. And I like an everything bagel and I
0:41like it. Oh my gosh. Have you ever had uh like
Have you ever had white fish? Oh, that's such a
0:46famous Yeah, I think that's it's pretty famous in
New York, right? The white fish white fish salad
0:50with locks on top. Okay. Yeah. Like tomato, onion.
Oh my gosh. Okay. When I when I go to New York,
0:57I'll get um like a locks uh like just locks a
bagel with locks and cream cheese. Cream cheese.
1:03Yeah, that is so that's really good. But it's not
so much for the bagel. Like it could be on a piece
1:08of bread. I know I should never say that in front
of you, Michelle. But it's more the salmon and
1:12the cream cheese together. But anyways, bagels
are famous in New York. People love them. So if
1:18you guys are in New York, get yourself a New York
bagel. Right, Michelle? That's right. Exactly. So,
1:24why did you say you've reached a new low? Well,
I'm sort of being a little bit sarcastic here
1:31because I know that you love bagels and I've
heard about them a lot and but then you're
1:35saying yesterday you ate four of them, which is
a lot of food, right? And they're giant. I mean,
1:39the especially the New York ones. They are giant.
They really are. They're very blown up. Right. And
1:45so, I'm kind of saying you went really far with
your addiction to bagels. A little too far. Yes.
1:51Exactly. because if so I can't imagine anybody
going through four of them. So that's just a lot
1:56to eat. Um so yeah, I mean this is an expression
about actually being worse than before. So like
2:04you said, Lindsay, it can be humorous. It can also
be serious depending on the context. So again,
2:10right, the expression is reach a new low. So,
we're going to get into that more in just a second
2:16here. But first, we want to say a huge, huge, huge
thank you to our reviewers. Oh my gosh, it's all
2:22about our listeners on this show, Michelle. And
today, I want to announce those amazing listeners
2:26who took the time to review us in the Android app.
So, a huge thank you to Jan Sidu, Myeria Waringer,
2:34Lemis, Gabrielle Spagari, Mi Torabi. Thank you
to David Rodriguez, Lorenzo, and Moana Mosafari.
2:44Most of these are five star reviews, Michelle, and
it's just it's amazing to hear from our listeners
2:49over here. Yes. Thank you so much, guys. You
make our days really. It's so meaningful and
2:54we really appreciate it. Yeah. So, wherever you're
listening, whether it's in the Android, iOS app,
3:00Apple Podcast, Spotify, take a minute now to
go and leave us a rating and review. Write us a
3:05little note. Tell us what you love about the show.
You could ask your episode idea, your episode
3:10question there, but send us a signal and we'd like
to know what you think of the show. All right,
3:16love it. All right, thank you again everyone.
So, let's get back into reach a new low. So,
3:23okay, so this basically means like we were saying,
you become worse than in the past. So something's
3:30happened generally something an event where
you made me wor you made that made you worse
3:36in some way. Yeah. Yeah. And it doesn't have to
be a person even. It could be a situation. Um,
3:43and I thought of this episode because my kids,
um, one of them has finished off Halloween candy,
3:51but my son still has a bag of his and he he's
he dropped some on the floor and started to want
4:00to just eat it off the floor or like lick it off
the floor and even though he has more candy and I
4:06said, "Okay, we've reached a new low." Yeah. When
Yeah. When you're licking candy off the floor,
4:11no matter how perfect you've reached a new low of
of like kind of being addicted to something in a
4:17sense, right? Yes. Yes. Exactly. So, um you
know, this was used in a humorous or teasing
4:24way. Um but what about in the role play from the
beginning? Like we again I'd overeaten and you're
4:32teasing me about it. Um I'm teasing you about
it. It's light-hearted, right? This is quite
4:36light and fun and sarcastic and I'm poking fun at
your addiction to bagels here, right? Yes. But,
4:44you know, you want to be careful with like that
with like eating and that kind of conversation
4:49because that could be a sensitive topic. So, you
know, like if somebody maybe somebody does have a
4:54large appetite and if you don't know them that
well and you're not teasing them and you say,
4:58"Wow, you've reached a new low." Like they could
get pretty offended. So, I would say that right%
5:04that's really important, Michelle. Yeah. So, I
know that you don't have issues with eating and
5:08so it's okay for me to tease you. I know you have
an obsession with bagels and it's kind of a fun
5:13back and forth, right? But if anyone is struggling
with eating issues, I would steer clear of this,
5:19right? Because it would be taken literally, right?
It would be taken seriously, not facitiously or
5:24sarcastically. Right. Right. So that person might
be insecure about it and they you're binge eating
5:29or have some sort of disorder or whatever it
is. And if you just go, "Wow, you reached a
5:33new low." It's not going to be taken the same
way as if Lindsay who knows me well, who knows
5:38about the bagels. I know my son well, we're just
joking around. We like there has to be a certain
5:42level of familiarity um to be able to use that
in that context. Super important. So that's where
5:48the nuance is in today's episode is it's the same
phrase, but if you use it in the wrong situation,
5:54right, it could be taken literally and directly
and really harm someone, right? Really hurt
6:00someone. Whereas if it's used in the right way
with the right person at the right time, it's fun.
6:04It's playful. It's teasing. That's real nuance.
A line. A fine line. Yeah. Very interesting here.
6:10Well, let's do some more examples that don't deal
with bagels or candy. So, okay, the first one is,
6:15I always thought he was rude, but he reached a new
low when he asked me to drive him to the airport
6:21when I had the flu. And so, this is a little more
straightforward and direct. Like, you're actually
6:27saying he's a pretty bad guy, right? He like he we
you thought he was rude, but then it became worse,
6:34right? Yeah. Or not thought at the very least
not thoughtful, right? Yes. He's not, you know,
6:39thinking about you. He's a little self-centered.
Um, or I can't believe we stayed up binging that
6:45show until 4 a.m. Seriously, we've reached a new
low. So, this is us just kind of making fun of
6:51ourselves, right? Um, we're a little addicted
to Netflix or something. Yes. Exactly. Exactly.
6:59And I'm sure everybody can relate to that moment
of even if maybe it's not watching TV, but even
7:05reading. I just finished a book and I would stay
up late reading it. And my friend just finished a
7:11the book and she did say that she stayed up till
4:00 a.m. reading it because she was so addicted
7:15to it and uh I can't read that book because I
can't stay up till 4:00 a.m. I mean I can but like
7:21I I should not. Yes, exactly. Or here's another
one. This restaurant was going downhill, but their
7:28atmosphere has reached a new low. I don't think
I'll be coming back. So, and here we're saying
7:34are we teasing the restaurant Michelle here? No.
No. This is the more straightforward one. It's
7:40getting worse. It's getting even worse. Exactly.
And here's the next one. Okay. Your outfits have
7:46reached a new low. This is supposed to be formal
night, right? So maybe for many many times in a
7:52row you were showing up too casual and again this
time you showed up really casual, but you were
7:57supposed to be formal. So it's reached a new low.
Right. Well, that reminds me of Dan because we've
8:03gone on cruises and he kind of they always have
like a formal night on cruises and he's decided
8:08that he's not packing a suit on a cruise. So,
his form his formal night is like a Hawaiian
8:15shirt and shorts and it's like no no is Dan one of
those guys that wears shorts in the winter time?
8:22Because there was an article, I didn't read it,
but there was a headline I saw somewhere about
8:25dudes in the US who who won't wear pants like
they'll wear shorts and sandals in the winter.
8:31Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's just for like
on vacation when it's warm. No, he he wears pants.
8:38Um, so funny. So, so, but yeah, you can see it's
used with the truth um or sarcastically. It could
8:45be self-deprecating, but again, you have to be
very careful if you're teasing someone with this.
8:50If you're using it in a teasy teasy teasing
way. Um, yes. And what else is interesting,
8:57I thought I what I said to my son was I I I
realized this. I actually said, "We've reached
9:03a new low." I I don't think I said you've reached
a new low. So, I guess I meant it as a family,
9:10as a whole, and not to single him out. So, kind of
a more humorous way that we say, you know, this,
9:18but like if you want to back off a little bit,
you could say, "We've reached a new low." Well,
9:22that would be a whole other episode. Michelle,
guys, hit the follow button on the show. We're
9:25going to have to cover this topic. We haven't
covered this yet. This is a great one. How we
9:30instead of um when we want to say something
directly to someone, instead of saying you,
9:35we say we, but we actually mean you. And it may
be possible that it was a little bit of that too
9:40at the same time. I'm not sure, but I know I do
this. Um instead of saying you, I'll say, "Oh,
9:46we because I'm trying to soften it a little bit."
Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting. You're you're trying
9:51to shift it a little bit so it's not so direct.
So very interesting there. We we'll definitely
9:56have to cover that guys. Hit follow. Yeah, it's
going to be a great year guys. So make sure you're
10:00following the show and we'll follow up with that
episode pretty soon. All right, Michelle. So where
10:05to for here from from here? What else would if
you want to convey this idea? What else could
10:10you say? Yeah. So in a a similar expression
would be to stoop to a new level or a new low,
10:20right? To stoop, right? So go down. Um so for
example, when she started personal insults, she
10:27really stooped to a new level or you could say to
a new low, right? So you kind of cross a line and
10:34now things get really bad, right? Yep. Um and this
isn't really about playing playing with someone or
10:40being sarcastic. This is just directly like you've
gotten really bad, right? Yes. Yes. Yes. Um or I
10:47stooped to a new low when I spilled wine all over
my boss. Now, this is tricky because you didn't do
10:51it on purpose, right? Yeah. But you're just kind
of saying like I I got even more accidentrone.
10:58Maybe you're very clumsy. Right. Right. So, this
might be in more of a you're self-deprecating,
11:04you know. Oh my gosh, I really stooped to a new
low. Yeah. It's it's a little bit playful. it is
11:11the way it's being used um is kind of playing
around with the words, right? Yeah. Yeah. So,
11:17that's interesting. Um here's another one. To
have outdone oneself. Um so, this is, you know,
11:25really kind of in this sarcastic way. So, it's
like to to have done even more than in the
11:30past. You're like you've gone really far. So, for
example, I think this place has hit a downward Oh,
11:37wait. Nope. I'm in the wrong one. Um, I didn't
think I could be any more irritated at him,
11:42but he's outdone himself this time. So, yeah.
Yeah, he's gone further than you thought he could
11:47even go, right? Yes. Yeah. Or, oh no, I burnt the
cookies. I've outdone myself. Although, I think
11:54I've heard this used though in a genuine way,
like if someone makes a really good dessert. Oh,
11:59you've outdone yourself. This is the best dessert
I've ever uh tasted from you. Right. Right. So,
12:06it could be used in more of a genuine positive
way. And depending on the tone and the context,
12:12it could also be used in kind of a teasing
way. So, here you're being self-deprecating.
12:16I've outdone myself. Like, I've outdone myself
this time. Like, oh, last time I dropped it on
12:22the floor. This time I burnt them. Oh gosh. You
know, wow. This is a very high level episode. I
12:28love it. It's because we're trying to figure out
which deliveries are genuine, sarcastic, teasing,
12:34or direct, right? And there's so much nuance
here because there's context, there's vocabulary,
12:39there's personal history between you and the
person. Wow, there's a lot here. Um, there is
12:44a lot. What's another one, Michelle? One more.
Last one we'll do is to hit a downward spiral.
12:50This is about go, you know, think of an actual
spiral you're going down. Um, I think this place
12:55has hit a downward spiral. It's probably going
to close. So, this is a more serious context.
13:04But what about the next the next example? Okay,
here's the next one. Okay, my shoe choice has hit
13:10a downward spiral. Will you go shopping with me
this weekend? So, here I'm making fun of myself,
13:15right? I am just saying I have just lost my taste
in shoes. I don't know what to do. Um, it's okay
13:22to make fun of yourself pretty much anytime,
right? Especially if you're asking for help.
13:26Exactly. And you could have said, "Okay, my shoe
choice has reached a new low, right?" So, so you
13:33could use that as well. Um, but yeah, it's uh I
would say that's true for my shoes actually. Oh,
13:39yeah. Are things getting worse when it comes
to shoes for you, Michelle? It's not getting
13:43worse. It's just that there is not I realize I
only realize in certain certain situations like,
13:48oh, I don't have shoes for this occasion. I
don't have anything. And um you know, so but I
13:56don't realize it until it's that moment. It's the
moment before you got to leave. Yeah. Walk out the
14:00door. I get it. I get it. Yep. Shoe shopping is
hard. I mean, if your feet don't fit most shoes,
14:06it can be really challenging. For sure. I've been
trying to buy a pair of boots for the last like
14:10three winters and I just give up every time. I
just say, I'll just wear shoes in the snow. You
14:15sound That's so me. Like I I would totally do
the same thing. I just give up. Um all right.
14:21We have a great roleplay planned for our
listeners today, Michelle. Let's do it. So,
14:24what's our scenario here? All right. So, here we
are best friends and we are looking at Instagram
14:30together. Okay. All right. Here we go. Okay. Here
we go. Oh, geez. My time limit came up, meaning
14:36we've been doing this for two hours. Yikes.
Okay. We've hit a new low. Definitely. But I
14:43actually think we hit a downward spiral back when
we started looking up fashion pictures. Oh, yes.
14:49Also, that's when I realized my fashion sense has
stooped to a new level. We should go shopping. Uh,
14:56yes, but not at the mall. It's not nice anymore.
You're right. It was getting bad, but now that
15:01terrible store that opened has outdone itself.
Definitely. Yeah, that's a good example. Um
15:07because and everyone on this podcast can probably
relate to this feeling of as you get sucked into
15:12social media. You there's always a moment where
you realize what's happening and you've hit a new
15:19sometimes you've hit a new low, right? Because
you've been there for a couple hours and you're
15:23just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. It's
terrible. And yeah, sometimes like for example,
15:29I have an alert come up on my phone when I've
been on, but every Yeah, it would be good if
15:34I paid attention to it, but it's just oh, I just
swipe it away. Okay. Like I usually I just fill my
15:41feed with uh like dog videos like border collies
and huskys and things and those are less harmful
15:46for me, I guess. But but it's still really it
just it feels icky just the scrolling, you know,
15:51and everyone knows exactly what we're talking
about. That is a new that's a great example
15:56of this. So, it's a great way to encapsulate
this this phrase. So, basically I said, "Yikes,
16:01we've hit a new low when I real when you said we
had been on for 2 hours scrolling." Um, and then
16:09I said, "Definitely, but I actually think we hit
a downward spiral back when we started looking up
16:14fashion pictures." So, like the downward spiral,
it's like it got worse and worse and worse. So,
16:20I'm saying the start of that was not now that
we've reached two hours. Yeah, it's bad. But it
16:26was an hour ago when we started looking at fashion
pictures that we couldn't stop. And it's funny how
16:32the technology just facilitates that because if
you click on one thing, the algorithm learns that
16:38you want that and you gives you more of that. So,
you go down that rabbit hole, right? So, it really
16:43becomes a downward spiral literally created by
technology. Interesting, right? Yeah. Um, and then
16:49I said, "Oh, yes." Also, that's when I realized my
fashion sense has stooped to a new low. Right. So,
16:55meaning it's never been this bad. Yeah. Yeah.
Exactly. And then you said we should go shopping.
17:01Um, and then we were talking about the mall, but
it's not nice at the mall. So, I you said it was
17:07getting it was getting bad, but now that terrible
store that opened has outdone itself, so it's even
17:13worse. Even worse. Oh my gosh. Michelle, this has
been an interesting episode. I think our listeners
17:19are really going to want to gain this skill of
sensing when is it okay to say something sarcastic
17:23to whom and when do we need to be more direct,
right? Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. There's a there are
17:30a lot of layers to this episode. There's more than
just, oh, here are the expressions, right? There's
17:35really a lot here. Personal relationships, um,
using it seriously or in more of a comical way.
17:42um a lot a lot of layers that you have to think
about when you're using these expressions. So,
17:46I would say that's the takeaway for today. You
know, re really consider who to like to whom
17:52you're talking to and um what you're trying to
say. And then um yeah, and give it a go. Um also
18:00head on over to episode 2530. That was give in
versus give up in English. Like Lindsay gives
18:06up every year on her boots. Exactly, Michelle.
All right, guys. And don't forget to leave us
18:12a review wherever you're listening, whether
it's in the app or in the podcast. Leave us
18:16a review and rating. Let us know what you think
about the show. All right, Michelle. Good stuff
18:21today. I will talk to you very soon back here on
the podcast. All right, bye, Lindsay. Bye, guys.
