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Conversational Vocabulary

Hi everyone. Aaron here. I’m now going to talk about some of the words and phrases that Dan and I use in our conversation about amazing animals.

1. pal

The first is “pal”. Dan says, “I’ll drink your soup pal.” Of course, he’s joking around with me, but the word pal is word that means friend but it’s an old term. This is something that people used to use very frequently many, many years ago in the 1940s and 1950s. It just means friend and you can call someone a pal or even a stranger, “Hey pal. Hey buddy. Hey dude. Hey man.” They all have the same kind of meaning but just know that if you do use this word, pal, it has kind of an old feel to it. “Hey pal, what are you looking at,” like this.

1. big on

The next is “big on”. This is what Dan says. He says, “You’re big on the persuasion today, Aaron.” What he’s talking about is I’ve used the word persuasion several times. Once I used it to refer to Dan, as Asian persuasion and then little bit later I used it to refer to animals, the unlikely heroes of the animal persuasion. So, of the something something persuasion, it just means type. Of that type. Then Dan says, “You’re big on the persuasion today.” So, to be “big on something” means to be very focused on it. To be interested in it. To be emphasizing it because you are interested in it. You’re really into it. You’re big on it. So, as a teacher, I am very big on fluency. I’m not so big on grammar, I’m big on fluency. I want to help people achieve greater fluency so I’m really big on it. I’m interested in it. I emphasize it. I’m focused on it. As an athlete, I’m big on running and hiking. I like doing those things. I’m interested in them. To keep my health, I’m big on a low carb diet. I try to limit my intake of carbohydrates in order to maintain a healthy body and a healthy weight. I’m big on a low carb diet. I’m big on my health. I think it’s important. What are you big on?

1. patriot

The next is “patriot”. Dan is joking around, as he usually does with me in these conversations and Dan says, “How dare you. Cher Ami is an American hero.” Of course, he’s talking about the pigeon. I said, “Well, I’m just saying what some people might say. Maybe he’s not actually hero.” Then Dan jokes and says, “You sir, are not a patriot.” So, what is a patriot? A patriot is someone with a very strong support or love of their country. It tends to be a very positive kind of term. If you call someone a patriot, it means that you recognize they’ve done something wonderful for their country. They love their country. They have put their country in high regard and they are willing to sacrifice their life for their country.

Now, there’s another word that has a similar meaning but a little bit more of a negative kind of meaning and that is “nationalist”. A nationalist is also, like a patriot, someone who loves their country but at the expense of other countries. Very often, it’s a very competitive type of attitude. A nationalist is someone who loves their country but thinks that other countries are not nearly as good. They put their country first. They don’t care about other countries. A patriot may very well care about other countries. They may feel that other countries are also worthy of great respect but they love their own country first. They’re similar in meaning, nationalist and patriot, but nationalist is a little bit more negative than the term patriot. How about you, are you a patriot? Are you a nationalist? In your country, is there a difference between the two in the way that you talk about those terms?

1. pretty cool

The next one is “pretty cool”. This is something I use quite frequently actually. I’m talking about pigeons and I tell Dan, “Actually, I love pigeons. I don’t know if they’re noble or brave, but they’re pretty cool.” That just means, I really like them a lot. Something that is pretty cool, means it’s very good. It’s something that you respect. It’s something that you like very much. It’s pretty cool. I have a friend Bob, he’s pretty cool. Some people think he’s a little strange, but I think he’s pretty cool. I like him. I respect him. He’s pretty cool. A few days ago I saw a movie, it was a pretty cool movie. I liked it. I liked it a lot, it was pretty cool. So this is a word you can use all the time if you want. It has a little bit of a casual feeling to it. It’s slightly slang, but you can use it quite frequently and people will understand you quite easily. It’s pretty cool, right? Some of these phrases are pretty cool, huh?

1. dude

The next one is “dude”. Dude. Dan says, of course talking about this bird, Cher Ami, who many people thought was a male but when she died they found out he was actually a she. She was a female and Dan says, “That was quite sexist.” and of course Dan says “Oh, look how brave this pigeon is, must be a dude.” He’s pretending to talk as if he were the people from the 1940s. When they see a brave pigeon, they just automatically attribute maleness to the pigeon. They don’t even think that it might be a female. Must be a dude, and dude is another word for man or male. It has a very casual meaning. It’s used very, very frequently. I’m sure you’ve heard it many times in conversation but it means man. Man, guy, dude. It has a colloquial feel to it, so be careful when you use that, you should know that people will interpret your meaning as very, very casual, certainly not formal. “Hey dude. How you doing?” “Oh, wow! Dude!” That’s another way of exclaiming something. If something surprises you, you can say, “Dude!” So it has a different meaning there. It could mean something really surprising or amazing, “Wow! Dude! That was a cool movie.” “Dude, I don’t know, that’s pretty cool.” Like this.

1. over the top

All right. The next one is “over the top”. Something that’s over the top. We’re talking about the fact that this pigeon, Cher Ami, got injured in one of her flights and they gave her a wooden leg, a prosthetic leg. I say, “Wow, that’s a little over the top there.” Because usually we make an effort to make prosthetic legs and arms for people who have lost them, to do it for a bird, at first thought, seems very over the top. It means kind of extreme. Beyond what is normally accepted as something normal. If something’s over the top, it’s extravagant. It’s extreme. Most people, when it’s their birthday, people give them a birthday card, they sing Happy Birthday. Maybe they’ll give them a birthday cake with candles but if it’s your birthday and someone buys you a brand new car, that’s a little over the top. That’s not normal. That’s a little bit extreme. So, you can use that phrase when you’re talking about something that goes beyond our normal expectations. Sometimes in a silly way or a crazy way, it’s over the top, like this.

1. good old

The next one is “good old”. I like this phrase. I use it all the time. Good old. We’re talking about our dogs and I asked Dan, what was his dogs name and he says it was Michi. I say, “Okay, Michi. Mine was Cassie. Good old Cassie.” So, I put this in front of usually a person or in this case an animal. Someone who has a name or it could go in front of a name of something or event or place, basically a noun. Good old whatever. It’s a way of remembering something in a very positive and nostalgic way. It’s a way of expressing good feelings towards something in your past. Generally speaking in your past. It could be in the present but usually it’s in the past.

So I’m thinking back to my dog Cassie and I remember her. She was a wonderful dog, she was very loyal, she was very playful and friendly. She was a cute dog. I have nothing but fond memories for her. Good old Cassie. I remember my grandfather, he passed away probably 10 or 15 years ago. He was such a nice guy. He had a difficult life but he lived it well. He lived to a ripe old age of 93. Good old grandpa. Yeah, I miss him. Good old grandpa. So, anyone that you haven’t seen in a long time, that you have good feelings towards, you miss that person, you might say good old. Good old Bob. Good old Nancy, like this. So use that when you want to refer to someone who you have respect for, that you have good feelings for but maybe who’s no longer around.

1. far-fetched

The next one is “far-fetched”. Far Fetched. This one’s kind of similar to over the top but maybe slightly different. In this case, we’re talking about dogs and the history of dogs and humans and how one theory is that dogs played a key role in helping humans to become domesticated. To stop moving around and stay in one place and develop agriculture and develop civilized societies. I, sort of, question that notion, that idea. I say, “Yeah, I wonder. It sounds a bit far-fetched to me. There must be other factors. It’s not like dogs created all of civilization.” So, far-fetched means very extreme. Above and beyond what we may consider to be true or normal. Sometimes this could be a synonym for over the top. I think that’s over the top, it’s far-fetched. It’s a little bit beyond what I would think is what actually happened. Probably dogs played a very small role in humans becoming civilized, perhaps, but in fact, I bet it was not a very significant role. I bet there were many other factors that led to humans becoming civilized. Dogs were certainly not the major factor. So, to think that there influence was that significant, sound far-fetched. A little bit over the top. Beyond what should be considered normal or correct, like that, it’s far-fetched.

1. come to think of it

The next one is “come to think of it”. This is collocation, phrase that is quite common. Dan uses this. We’re talking about this cat that kept visiting the gravestone after the death of it’s master and Dan says, “That’s amazing actually. Come to think of it, that didn’t occur to me.” Of course, what he’s talking about is the fact that going to the gravestone, there should be no connection with the human because the cat never went there before. So, if this is true, it appears that there’s some kind of abstract conceptualization, this means just in the mind, of death. Some sort of idea of death that remains. That some of that persons spirit remains in the area and that’s where the love is. So the cat frequents that place. So, he says, “Come to think of it, that never occurred to be before.”

We use this phrase when you make a realization in the moment. So, before Dan never really thought about that but as he’s talking to me, it comes to him. It arrives into his consciousness, this idea springs up and it appears in his mind as he’s speaking. It’s a way of expressing a realization that happens in the moment. “Yeah, you know, come to think of it …” meaning I’m just thinking of this right now, “that never occurred to me. Come to think of it, it might be correct. It might be true.” This is a good phrase to use when you make a realization in the moment of something you never had thought of before.

1. that’s the thing

We’re getting close to the end here. “That’s the thing”. That’s the thing. This is a good phrase to use. It’s also common and people use it and has a slightly colloquial feel to it. But Dan says, “You know, that’s the thing with this story. There’s people trying to adopt the cat and give the cat attention and love,” and I say, “Yeah, but the cat doesn’t want that stuff because it’s attached to it’s owner.” So, that’s the thing. When you use this phrase, you’re talking about something that captures your attention. Something that moves you. Something that interests you about another thing. So you might say, “Yeah, you know, that’s an interesting story but that’s the thing with this story. That’s the thing that’s most interesting. That’s the thing that captures my attention.” You can use this phrase with just about anything. If you’re speaking of, let’s say, a person that you know and you’re talking about that person’s personality, that persons habits and maybe the person’s name is George. You say, “You know what, that’s the thing with George. He … Even though he’s a difficult person to get along with, he always recognizes the goodness of others. He always says good things about other people even though he’s difficult to get along with. That’s the thing about him. That’s the thing I like. That’s the thing that interests me. That’s the thing that makes me want to continue my relationship with him. That’s the thing.” So, that’s a good phrase to use.

1. into the weeds

2. bogged down

Okay, there’s one more thing, right towards the end. We’re talking on and on about the cat and what might be happening with the cat and we’re speculating and we’re kind of going off on a tangent. Which means we’re sort of … the topic of conversation is starting to drift away from what might be considered the normal stream. Dan says, “Yeah, I think, we’re getting into the weeds here.” And I say, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s not get bogged down.” So if you imagine traveling down a river, you want to stay in the middle of the river. That’s where the current is, that’s where the water is deepest but if you kind of drift off into the weeds, you’re getting into a place where the water is shallow. It might be difficult to move easily down the river. You might get caught in the weeds, you might get bogged down. So, to get “bogged down”, means to get stuck. Actually the word bog is another word for swamp, which means a very wet area of land that’s saturated with water and very muddy. It’s easy to get stuck if you’re in a boat or if you’re trying to walk through it. Your feet can sink very deeply into the mud of the bog and you get bogged down.

So to get bogged down, means to get slowed down to where you can’t make progress. You can’t move forward. Sometimes we get bogged down with work. Or, we get bogged down with too many responsibilities. Or you get bogged down with some kind of problem or some kind of distraction. It’s something that prevents you from achieving what you want to achieve. It slows you down. It bogs you down. Have you ever felt bogged down? I’ve felt bogged down from time to time.

1. wrap this up

All right. The very last thing is, Dan says, “Let’s wrap this up.” I say, “Let’s not get bogged down.” And Dan says, “Yeah, let’s wrap this up.” So, to “wrap this up” means, let’s end this. Let’s end this conversation. Let’s wrap this up. Let’s wrap it up. Of course, I have the image of someone wrapping a present that you’ve just purchased at the department store. They’re wrapping it up for you, so you can take it home. That’s the end of the shopping experience. They wrap it up for you. So, let’s wrap this up. Let’s end this. Let’s move on to something else. Let’s wrap it up. “Come on guys. It’s getting late. Let’s wrap this up.” So, I’d like to use that phrase right now. We’re at the end of this vocab commentary so let’s wrap this up. Let’s finish it and we’ll see you next month.