In this bonus episode, Andrew tells the story of something new that he and his wife recently started together, and what it’s like to be a total beginner again. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and to improve your listening fluency.

The brand new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary: Open this lesson in the Culips app.

Tell us about a time you were a beginner! Record a two-minute audio story about an awkward, funny, or embarrassing moment from trying something new, and Andrew might share it in a future episode: Record your story here.

Study materials for this episode

• The interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary are free for everyone. No membership needed.
• The comprehension quiz and the PDF study guide download are for Culips members.
• Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Keep an ear out for these expressions during the episode:

• To deteriorate
• Self-conscious
• To weigh the pros and cons
• To stick with (something)
• As the crow flies
• To put off
• A sales spiel
• A gym rat
• Ego lifting
• To be juxtaposed

Would you keep going in a race if something embarrassing happened to you halfway through? Andrew and Anna talk about an Australian athlete who had a bathroom accident during a Hyrox race in Beijing and kept going until she won. They discuss why the story traveled so fast online, what it meant for her sponsors, and whether pushing yourself to your limit is always a good thing. Along the way, you’ll hear expressions like “to have one’s blinkers on,” “a perfect storm,” “blowback,” “plastered all over,” “to spread like wildfire,” and “to lay low.”

Listening to Andrew and Anna share their opinions on a real news story will help you follow how English speakers talk about current events in everyday conversation.

The brand-new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary:
Open this lesson in the Culips app.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

• Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now.
• Members can access the ad-free version here: Click here.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Link from this episode:

• BBC: “Hyrox athlete apologises for continuing race after soiling herself”

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• To have one’s blinkers on
• A perfect storm
• Blowback
• To be plastered all over (something)
• To spread like wildfire
• To lay low

Does sport bring people together, or does it divide us? Andrew and Anna’s conversation moves from the World Cup to the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and even esports. Along the way, you’ll hear expressions like “in the wake of,” “to not have a dog in the fight,” “emotionally charged,” “over the top,” “good grief,” and “to check a box.”

The brand-new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary:
Open this lesson in the Culips app.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

• Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now:
• Members can access the ad-free version here: Click here.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice:

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• In the wake of (something)
• To (not) have a dog in the fight
• Emotionally charged
• Over the top
• Good grief
• To check a box

What’s the one thing you just can’t say no to? Andrew and Indiana share their biggest weaknesses when it comes to food, shopping, screen time, and a few basic life skills, and Andrew tells a story about an unexpected visitor at his desk. Along the way, you’ll learn how to use “Achilles heel,” “a goody two-shoes,” “mid,” “cooked,” “your own worst enemy,” and “a coping mechanism.”

The brand-new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary:
Open this lesson in the Culips app.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

• Culips members get an interactive transcript, helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now.
• Members can access the ad-free version here: Click here.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Link from this episode:

• The fashion scene at Dongmyo Market (SSENSE)

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• An Achilles heel
• A goody two-shoes
• Mid
• To be cooked
• To be one’s own worst enemy
• A coping mechanism

In this Catch Word lesson, Andrew and Indiana teach you five English expressions that are often used in meetings and in the workplace: “circle back,” “touch base,” “drop the ball,” “in the weeds,” and “move the needle.” Learning these expressions will help you be a clearer speaker and a better listener the next time you find yourself in a meeting.

The brand-new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary:
Open this lesson in the Culips app.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• To circle back
• To touch base
• To drop the ball
• Across the board
• In the weeds
• To move the needle

In this bonus episode, Andrew takes one day off at the end of the summer and heads to the beach with his wife. They are only away for 24 hours, but they fit a lot into it. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and to improve your listening fluency.

The brand new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary: Open this lesson in the Culips app.

Study Materials for This Episode

• The interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary are free for everyone. No membership needed.
• The comprehension quiz and the PDF study guide download are for Culips members.
• Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Keep an ear out for these expressions during the episode:

• The last hurrah
• To be closed off
• A puppy mill
• To take one for the team
• Buoyant
• To zone out
• Not really a thing
• To luck out
• Big ups / props
• Health-maxxing

Hang out with your English-speaking friends, Andrew and Indiana, for a catch-up! Indiana has been growing tomatillos on her patio, and she rode 40 miles along New York’s Empire State Trail on a very hot day, though the ride did not go the way she planned. Andrew went to see a Damien Hirst exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, and he has been letting an AI design his marathon training plan.

The brand-new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary:
Open this lesson in the Culips app.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

• On deck
• To clue in
• Happy-go-lucky
• To put a bad taste in someone’s mouth
• To hit the pavement
• A mishap

In this bonus episode, Andrew tells the story of the most stressful morning he’s had in a long time, and it all started with something small that ended up in a place he couldn’t reach. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and to improve your listening fluency.

The brand new Culips app is live!

Study this episode with an interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary: Open this lesson in the Culips app.

Tell us about your own terrible morning! Record a two-minute audio story and Andrew might share it in a future episode: Record your story here.

Study Materials for This Episode

• The interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary are free for everyone. No membership needed.
• The comprehension quiz and the PDF study guide download are for Culips members.
• Become a Culips member to get study materials for every episode, live speaking classes, ad-free audio, member-only perks, and more.
• Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice.

Keep an ear out for these expressions during the episode:

• Wiggle room
• Flush
• TMI
• Minuscule
• To fall between the cracks
• To lull someone to sleep
• To emit
• Tongs
• To rig up
• A last ditch effort