AEE 2581: Go Wild With This Trending English Word

0:00This is the All-Ears English Podcast episode 2581. Go wild with this trending English word. 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. To get real-time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All-Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven-day free trial at allyoursenglish.com board slash app. Lately, we are hearing the word wild everywhere.

1:04What exactly doesn't mean? It means a few things. Find out more today. English is part of how you're evaluated, whether you like it or not. In meetings, in interviews, in negotiations. The question isn't whether your English is okay or good enough. It's whether it's working for you. Is it getting you the promotions and the salary raises that you deserve? If not, this is the year to do something about it. Our free two-minute fluency quiz shows you your true English level. B1, B2, or C1, and where you can level up for real-world success for your career or your global life in English. Take the quiz now for free at allyoursenglish.com slash fluency score. That's allyoursenglish.com slash F-L-U-E-N-C-Y-S-C-O-R-E.

2:10Hey, Lindsay, how are you? Fantastic, Michelle. How are you? How's it going? I'm good. I'm good. Want to hear something wild? Yeah, of course. We've been podcasting together for over 10 years. That's so wild. I can't even believe it. It's so crazy. Yeah, it is crazy. We must love podcasting. We must, we must. Today, we are going to talk about the word wild, which came up on a recent episode of Business English, I believe. But yeah, we're going to talk about this because it's such a common word. And Lindsay, you mentioned that you feel it's pretty trendy, right? Yeah, I like to observe what words people are using. So it feels like people are using this a lot nowadays to just to put emphasis on something. Do you agree? Yes. And I realized even since planning this episode that I've used it several times. And yeah, it's just it's just very common. I think even more than like five years ago or seven years ago when we first started this show,

3:14I don't think it was trending then. And now it is. So there you go. There you go. Like to keep our listeners updated on what's trending. So that's why you guys should go ahead and hit the follow button right here in all there's English. So don't miss a single episode of our show. We published five days a week, including sassy Saturdays. So we'll be your companion if you're walking your dog in the park or wherever you're headed, maybe going to the beach in the summertime. Go ahead and hit the follow button on all ears English wherever you are listening or subscribe on YouTube. All right. Yes. Good. Perfect. All right. So let's get to it Lindsey. So wild has many definitions. But the main one that we're going to talk about today means surprising or crazy or shocking or incredible in some way. Yeah, we're taking out the wild that means wild animals right from the zoo or like in like Safari and Africa or something. But I did recently rewatch the movie Wild with Reese Witherspoon. Have you seen the movie or what you've talked about it before?

4:16No, I've never. Okay. Have you read the book? No. Yeah. I recommend both. I think the books better. But for some reason, I must have been really emotional when I watched the movie because I just balled this time that I watched the movie. It's good. It's good. I mean, you know, it's a good story and I think the use of that word in that title means two things. I think it means wild. Like she was hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. But so there was wild animals. There was wild. She was living in the wild. In the wild. But she was also like trying, she had a wild heart kind of in a way. And like she had wild feelings about her mother's death, the complexity going on inside of her was also kind of wild. She was kind of a double use of that meaning of that title. So yeah, my point is the word wild is using a lot of other ways that we're not talking about today. But we'll get into the trendy way it's being used now. Yeah. Yes, exactly. So yeah, let's talk about some context. I mean, one way would be to introduce a

5:20story, right? So when I said, want to hear something wild, right? It's, you know, I said, oh, about it. So I'm basically saying, you want to hear something incredible or crazy or shocking in some way. So yeah, let's do a little role play here. So Lindsay, want to hear something wild? Yeah. Kindly is selling her house. Whoa. Yeah. So you're just going to say, you know, whereas maybe 10 years ago, you might have said, want to hear something crazy or want to hear something interesting. But now you're saying, want to hear something wild, right? It's trendy. It's trendy. What's another way that you might hear it to react to something, right? So we need to have an appropriate reaction when someone says something to us. So for example, I can't remember the last time I had chocolate. I've been trying to avoid sugar. And I feel so much better. That's wild. Good for you. So that's wild is a common way to react. So it doesn't like here,

6:20I'm not saying it's not a negative thing. I'm just saying, oh, that's wild. Like that's so interesting. That's so incredible. Yeah. That's wild. And you might be saying a little something about yourself too. Like I would say that because I don't think I could really just eliminate sugar. Right. You know, I like my ice cream too much. So some of it artists of this word might be saying for us, that's really crazy, like not crazy, but like that's really extreme, right? Yes. Exactly. So they could have like a lot of kind of undertones here. But basically you're saying that's wow. It's like, right, because it's another way of saying, wow, it's like saying, wow, because if you're also giving up sugar and someone says that to you, you're not going to say that's wild. You're going to say, oh, I get it. Right. I totally get it. Right. Right. Yes. Yeah. It says a little something about you too in some contexts, I think. I mean, and the other way you can use it is to describe something. So here you might say,

7:20it's wild. Right. Yeah. So for example, so what has it been like your new job? I really like it. I'm not used to such a positive work environment. It's wild. So you're emphasizing here that's really different from what you had before. Right. It's unique. It's incredible. You know, it's contrast. Right. Exactly. So yeah, it's a very versatile word can have a lot of meanings. I agree. Really useful. Actually, that's why it's trending. Yeah. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to progressive and save hundreds because progressive offers discounts for paying in full, owning a home and more. Plus, you can count on their great customer service to help when you need it. So your dollar goes a long way. Visit progressive.com to see if you could save on car insurance, progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates,

8:21potential savings will vary, not available in all states or situations. All right, Michelle. We are back. I mean, there are, and so we're going into these other meanings of wild that I sort of touched on when I talked about the title of that book slash movie with Reese Witherspoon. Right. What would be one? Well, also would be like uncontrolled, right? So, I mean, yeah, that is where like a, yeah, like a, well, actually, that's coming up later. So, but uncontrolled, I'm maybe a little crazy, a little hectic. So my kids go wild anytime they are near candy. Yeah. And this ties in with what I was saying earlier because the character, the main character, Cheryl Strayett, I'm sure some of our listeners have read the book or seen the movie. She was like, she had problems with drugs and she kind of had like a, she had a wild period in her life, right? Where she was out of little out of control. And control. Yeah. Another, another piece here would be energetic or lots of emotion, right? To go wild, right? To go wild. So her family went wild when the

9:23Dean called her name for graduation. So is this a good thing or a bad thing? This is a good thing. So here they're cheering, you know, you know, when you've been to a graduation ceremony and you know, there are some families that just like go wild, you know, some are just clapping at some like, woo, like they're signs and it's always kind of fun to see those reactions. But, but I mean, wild. I mean, it could also be like a bad thing actually, which I didn't really like, oh, he went wild when I told him that I, that I got fired. I mean, we acted out of control, right? Like so the more the uncontrolled or crazy. Yeah, we talked about with raising kids. You know, when kids have a meltdown, that could work for that situation, I suppose, right? If the kids just screaming, like, no, I want my ice cream. You know, he went wild. That could, that could fit there or an adult could also have their own version of that. You know, an adult state to pry it out sometimes too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Like an adult temperate

10:27tantrum or just yelling at someone or whatever it may be. So yeah. And then it just goes back to the one Lindsay that you've been talking about out in the wild. So right, this is about like not being domesticated. A wild animal. Yeah. So you have to be careful because there are wild animals. So yeah. And yeah, I mean, there, there's a lot here. And we might even be doing a follow-up. We'll see. But you know, the way that we wanted to focus on this is that first definition, right? Like the reacting the trendy ways. But we did want to bring to light some of the other ways that it might be used. Yes. So it's so you got a full picture of this word. And maybe we'll do more with this. Yeah. And kind of a more techy trendy way that I've seen wild being used in a subcategory of not domesticated is sometimes when people are making like technology products,

11:29they talk about the use of the product in the wild. That doesn't mean this product's going out to hike the Pacific crest trail right with the bears, right? It means like in the natural environment of users, right? And not even just in like a techy way. But sometimes, you know, I might say like, oh, I mean, I might even say to you like, oh, I've heard that expression in the wild. Yeah, sure. And you're in your uncontrolled daily life. Like, yes, nothing that's a staging environment in a way, right? Yes. Yes. So that's kind of a little asterisk for our listeners that really want this niche meaning here. So good. Let's should we do a role play, Michelle? Let's do it. Okay. So we're not going to use all because that would be wild. Here we go. We're meeting for the first time in a long time and we're friends. That sounds wild. Let's do it. All right. So yeah. All right. Go for it. All right. All right. Lindsay. Oh my gosh. When is the when's the last time I saw you? Oh my gosh. I think it was four years ago. That's wild.

12:32I know. I just can't believe it. Seriously. When I told Tony, we were meeting. He went wild. He was so excited. He misses you too. One, here's something wild. Always. I might have a job opportunity in your area. That's supposed to sound like I'm happy not to get about. I think I sounded a little scared. And this could fit for like coincidences. It reminds me of the time when I ran into my best friend from high school in the airport in Shaldogall Airport in Paris. My partner and I were traveling there and her and her family were coming and like we're just in the same airport on the same flight at the same time randomly. That was wild. You know. Wild. Yeah. I mean that is wild. Yeah. They're so I mean it's that's why people love this word because it's just can be used for everything. It fits everywhere. Go at bed. Yeah. It's surprising. Don't become the person that uses it too much of course. Don't be the wild person that's constantly dropping it, right? Don't go wild with wild. Don't go wild with wild.

13:35Oh I love it. That might be our title for today. Maybe it will be. Yeah. Let's break it down Michelle. So what did you say first? I said when's the last time I saw you and you said I think it was four years ago and I said that's wild. So what do I mean by that? That's crazy. I can't believe it means you're saying I can't believe how fast the time's gone by. Yeah. And that we and it's been so long that we didn't see each other for so long. You could be saying a few different things but you're just saying you're shocked. You're shocked about the fact that it's been four years. And then you I said I know I can't believe it. And then you said seriously when I told Tony we were meeting he went wild. So how did he react Michelle? What did he do? So this is interesting. I mean like if we need it depends on our tone of voice and the information we give next. So I could have it could be that Tony hates you. Right? I could say that oh and I told Tony we were meeting he went wild. Like it could be like yeah. Yeah. So like it's so angry. But here I said he went wild. He was so excited. He misses you too. So

14:36you really got to listen for that context. That's true. This is a word that can really go in a lot of a lot of different directions. So it's context context context. And then I said oh I want to hear something wild. Now I'm saying you want to hear something unexpected. Right? Yes. Yeah. And then you said you might have a job opportunity in my areas. So I'm excited. Nice. I love it. This is such an important episode that we did today. Yeah. So I'm sure listeners are hearing this everywhere now. You know here in 2026 maybe next year it'll be gone. But for now we can ride the wave of the trend of the wild trend. The wild trend. What's another episode our listeners could check out? Guys check out episode 2570 that was settle in with Lindsay and Michelle. Nice. And I mean that is the takeaway. We want to bring you not just long time phrases that are always going to build connection. But also trendy phrases can build connection too because there's this like identifying with someone else when you use a trendy phrase you feel closer to someone because you recognize that phrase in a way. It's hard to articulate that

15:39but I think our listeners know what we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So this both connection too. There you go. Yeah. Well this is fun Lindsay. And again guys maybe we'll do some more on this word in the future. So definitely hit follow and thanks for talking about this with me today. All right. Good stuff today Michelle. I'll talk to you soon. Have a good one. All right. It's your fight. Bye. Thanks for listening to all ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz go to all earsenglish.com forward slash 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. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Brewing Company. No matter how you do game day on the couch in the crowd or manning the snack table athletic brewing fits right in with a full lineup of

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