#72- 18 Military Words Americans Use for Business and in Everyday Life

Welcome to Episode #72 of The Real Life English with Gabby Podcast. In this episode inspired by Veteran’s Day, Gabby teaches 18 military phrasal verbs, slang words and idioms that Americans use at work and in their everyday lives. In this episode, you'll learn how to use military language with confidence!

Also, don't forget that this episode includes a free Study Guide that will help you practice what you learn in this episode! It includes:

• Definitions and example sentences
• The full transcript
• Practice exercises that will challenge you

and more!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] On this episode of The Real Life English with Gabby podcast, I'll be teaching you 18 phrasal verbs, slang words, and idioms — all about military vocabulary that's used for business. You'll be learning vocabulary like stand down, in the trenches, in the line of fire, take no prisoners, and more. Let's get to it!

Hey there! Welcome to The Real Life English with Gabby podcast. I'm your host, Gabby — your fun and friendly English teacher from the one and only New York City. My goal is to teach you phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang that will help you speak English confidently and understand real American conversations.

Are you ready to improve your English skills? Let's jump right in.

Hey, hey, hey! Welcome to episode number 72. How are you [00:01:00] doing in your part of the world? Here in New York City, things are great — but the temperatures are getting colder as we get closer and closer to the winter season.

The month of November here is always what we call a toss-up. A toss-up is a situation where the result could go either way. So the weather in November is sometimes super warm, or sometimes it's super cold.

Today was the coldest day in six months, and the real-feel temperature — because of the wind we have in New York City — felt like negative six Celsius. Can you believe that? And it's only November! Thankfully, for the next two weeks, it won’t be this cold again. But for now, we’re just prepping for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, which are only two weeks [00:02:00] away. Isn’t it crazy how quickly this year has passed?

Wow. This past week, we had one of our many holidays. We have a lot of holidays throughout the year — a lot of days when we don’t have to work or go to school — and this week we had Veterans Day. Veterans Day is a national holiday where we honor and thank the men and women who have served in the U.S. military. That consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Those are the five main branches of the American military.

Now, what is a veteran? If you’ve never heard the term veteran, it’s someone who has served in the military, whether in a time of war or a time of peace. And this day is really about showing our appreciation for their service and [00:03:00] sacrifice. So even if you never fought in a war, if you served in the military — we use the expression serve in the military — then this is the holiday when we celebrate those people.

You may have heard the nickname vet. So we say, “He’s a vet,” or “a veteran.” The word vet can also apply to a veterinarian, which is an animal doctor. Typically, when you hear the word vet, you have to listen for the context to see if we’re talking about the doctor or the soldier.

Now, Veterans Day might sound kind of familiar to you, and that’s probably because we have another holiday that honors the military — which is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is at the end of May, and it’s one of our biggest holidays throughout the year because it’s like the unofficial kickoff of summer. Memorial Day is much bigger than Veterans Day.

Veterans Day [00:04:00] honors living veterans who served in the military, while Memorial Day honors every military member who has ever lived — from 1776 up until now. So they’re slightly different. On Memorial Day, we’ll look back in history and say, “Oh, we’re so grateful for the soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, and World War II.”

So yes, believe it or not — well, I’m sure you can believe it — the United States has two national holidays that honor military people. And you know, here, the military is very well respected because it’s purely voluntary. So people who volunteer for the military — we usually see them as very brave, very courageous, and willing to protect their country. [00:05:00]

Now, the military is a very heavy topic. I understand this. Unfortunately, my country — though I do love my country — I acknowledge all of the bad things my country has done throughout history. And I know that our military has hurt many other countries around the world. So it’s a really heavy topic.

Even though I really want to teach military vocabulary, I don’t really want to focus on the military itself. That’s why I took a different approach with this episode — and it works out really well! So instead of just saying, “Hey, let’s talk about the military,” it’s, “Hey, let’s talk about the very popular military vocabulary that we use every day, especially in business.”

So it actually works out very, very well. In business, for example, [00:06:00] you might hear people say something like, “We’re gearing up for a launch,” or “Our team is on the front lines.” These phrases might sound a little bit intense, but they’re totally normal in everyday conversation — especially in the workplace, in meetings, and in marketing.

So in this episode, we’re going to look at 18 military slang words, phrasal verbs, and idioms that Americans use all the time in business and in daily life. You’ll learn what they mean, how we use them, and how you can start sounding more natural and confident when you use them too.

Now, before we get into the episode, I want to tell you two really important things. The first one I’m really excited to talk about. In two weeks, I’ll be launching a brand-new mini course called English Through [00:07:00] Media.

As you know, I’ve been an English teacher here in New York City since 2011. During this time, I’ve taught thousands of students from all over the world. I always teach integrated skills — a regular, traditional class where you learn everything: grammar, speaking, listening — but we also teach more focused, specific skills in elective classes.

And one of the classes that I’ve loved teaching through the years is a class called English Through Media. In this course, I would use different forms of media to teach English — anything from YouTube clips, TV shows, and movies to TED Talks — in order to teach English fluency.

You see, textbooks and classroom learning are great. They’re highly beneficial — whether you do it online or in person — highly beneficial. But these [00:08:00] classes often miss the real-life English that you’re exposed to in the real world.

For example, students often say, “You know, I love learning English, but when I go out on the street, I feel totally lost. When I talk to an American, I feel lost. When I watch an American TV show, I feel lost — because they’re using different vocabulary and speaking really quickly.”

For this reason, I always encourage my students who are learning English and who really want to improve to watch English TV shows and movies every single day — even if it’s just one short 20-minute show.

I’ve learned that using media to improve your English is like a shortcut — it’s a shortcut to learning English. And you know what? I notice a difference when my students watch American TV shows and movies. I notice how [00:09:00] quickly their English improves.

You see, English media shows real-life English — how native speakers use English every single day. It shows you everything from pronunciation and intonation to body language, interactions between people, and social norms. It also shows how people actually use grammar.

Of course, vocabulary is so much different when you’re on the street talking to native speakers. Imagine watching your favorite shows, your favorite movies, interviews with your favorite celebrities — and improving your English while doing it!

In my mini course, I give you 40+ PDF lessons that you can use to improve your listening, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and more — all while learning real English from TV shows, movies, and other forms of media. It’s the [00:10:00] shortcut to fluent, natural English — and it’s actually fun!

And because it’s Black Friday, the launch price is going to be really great. Stay tuned for more information. If you’re already on my email list — like if you get the study guides every week — you’ll get the information.

I will also have some information here on launch day, so stay tuned for that. The second thing I wanted to remind you about is the free study guide that comes with this episode. It has everything you need to remember what you learn in the episode. It contains the transcripts, the words, definitions, example sentences, and practice activities so that you can practice what you learned. To get the free study guide, just click the link in the episode description.

All right, now let's take a look at the vocabulary you'll be learning in today's episode. We have: gear up [00:11:00] for, rally the troops, take no prisoners, in the trenches, under fire, marching orders, on the front lines, drop a bomb or bombshell, battle-tested, take flak, in the line of fire, fight your own battles, boots on the ground, stand down, go AWOL, raise or wave the white flag, a loose cannon, drop your guard or let your guard down.

Now I'm going to read you a story that will have all of this vocabulary in real-life context. Listen as I read and try to guess the meanings of the words as you listen for context clues. After I read the story, we'll review [00:12:00] all of the definitions together and hear some new examples.

All right, so let's get to the story. Here we go.

It was Monday morning at Miller Marketing, and everyone was gearing up for the company's biggest product launch of the year. Marta, the team manager, was known for her no-nonsense approach and for taking no prisoners. She called everyone into a quick meeting.

“All right, team,” she said. “Time to rally the troops. We've got three days to make this campaign a success.”

Ben, the new intern, was already in the trenches editing social media posts. Jenna, the graphic designer, was stressed out and under fire because Marta had given her a lot of tasks, but her computer [00:13:00] kept crashing.

Marta handed out everyone's marching orders. “Ben, handle the TikTok and Instagram ads. Jenna, fix the issues with our website, and I'll talk to the client.” Everyone nodded like soldiers on the front lines.

By lunchtime, the pressure was on. The client dropped a bombshell—they wanted to change the main slogan of the campaign.

“Are you kidding me?” Marta said. “We are too far in to start over.”

Ben tried to calm her down. “Hey, you're battle-tested, Marta. You've handled worse.”

But soon everyone was taking flak from the client for making small mistakes. The whole team felt like they were in the line of fire.

So Jenna said, “Marta, should we call in some help from corporate?”

But Marta [00:14:00] answered, “No. Let's fight our own battles. We've already got our boots on the ground, and we’re almost there.”

Finally, after 12 hours, Marta told everyone to stand down and go home. “We don't want your families thinking you've gone AWOL,” she said. “We've done enough for today. Tomorrow, we’ll be back in action.”

The next morning, Ben showed up early and finished the video edits himself. When Marta arrived, she was really impressed. “Nice work, Ben,” she said.

Then suddenly, the client emailed again—another surprise change.

Marta said, “Ugh, that's it. I'm raising the white flag. We'll do what they want.”

Just as things seemed calm, Jenna came in. “Who approved the background change? It's awful!” she yelled. [00:15:00]

Marta looked at Ben. “She's a bit of a loose cannon right now. The client wanted a change.”

But in the end, the campaign launched perfectly. When the numbers came in, they were better than expected. Jenna smiled and congratulated the team. They all laughed. Finally, they were able to let their guard down.

They'd survived another marketing battle. They were tired, but they were proud and ready for the next one.

The end.

All right, now let's get to the vocabulary.

First up, we have a three-word phrasal verb: gear up for. Now we can say “gear up,” but typically we say “gear up for.” To gear up for something is to prepare or get ready for [00:16:00] something that's big or important.

For example: We are gearing up for the product launch next week, so everyone's working overtime.

Next up, we say rally the troops. This is an idiom. To rally the troops means to bring people together and motivate them to take action. “Troops” is another name for soldiers, but we often use “troops” for groups of people. We typically use this in sports when you're talking to your team, at your job when you're talking about your coworkers, or maybe at school with your classmates.

So anytime you want to motivate people and bring them together, you can say, “It's time to rally the troops.”

For example: The manager rallied the troops to meet their deadline.

Next up, we have take no prisoners. This is [00:17:00] an expression, and it means to be extremely determined, really tough, and not show mercy. Don't go easy on anyone—you’ve got to be your tough, normal self.

For example: Our manager takes no prisoners when it comes to making deals. That’s why his company is so successful.

Next up, we have in the trenches.

A trench is like a big pit or hole that soldiers build and get into to shoot from there. If you've ever seen a military movie, you’ll see soldiers in a pit shooting from it.

What we mean by in the trenches is when you are deeply involved in hard, detailed work. You are there on the battlefield, even if it's just a work battlefield.

For example: Our customer service team is really in the trenches handling all the complaints that people give.

Next up, we have to be under fire. “Under fire” means to be criticized or pressured for something. We use this a lot in the media.

For example: The president is under fire for his comments.

In the military, being “under fire” means people are shooting at you, but in everyday use, it means to be pressured or criticized.

For example: The CEO has been under fire because the company missed its quarterly goals.

Next up, we have marching orders. “Marching orders” are clear instructions or very [00:19:00] direct commands to do something, often from a boss or higher-up—anyone who is leading you.

For example: Before we left the meeting, we all got our marching orders for the next phase of the project.

Next up, we have the idiom on the front lines.

The “front lines” are the first batch of fighters that go into battle. So when you're fighting on the front lines metaphorically, it means to be in the most active or challenging part of a situation—you are in the most difficult position.

For example: Our support staff are on the front lines dealing with customer issues every single day.

[00:20:00] Next, we have drop a bomb or a bombshell.

This means to reveal shocking or surprising news.

For example: The client dropped a bombshell when they said they wanted to change the whole campaign.

Next up, we have battle-tested.

When you are battle-tested, it means you’re proven to be strong, reliable, and effective after difficult experiences.

For example: Our new manager is battle-tested. He's been working for over 30 years.

Next up, we have take flak. “Flak” is criticism or blame, so to take flak from someone means to receive criticism or blame.

For example: The marketing team took a lot of flak for our social media failures last year.

Next up, we have in the line of fire.

To be in the line of fire literally means to be in the path of a bullet or bomb. As an idiom, it means being in a position where you might get criticism, blame, or pressure.

For example: Because he’s the manager, he’s always in the line of fire during press conferences.

Next up, we have fight your own battles.

This means to handle your own challenges or conflicts instead of relying on others.

For example: You need to fight your own battles if you want to grow as a leader.

We also use this for family: “No, I don’t want my mom fighting my battles for me—I want to fight my own battles.”

Next up, we have stand down.

To stand down means to stop or take a break after intense work or effort. In the military, it means to stop fighting or take no action.

In business or everyday life, it means to take a break or stop after intense work.

For example: After finishing the campaign, the whole team was told to stand down and take the weekend off.

Next up, we have go AWOL. AWOL means “absent without leave.” In the military, that’s when a soldier disappears without permission. In daily life, it means someone disappears or doesn’t show up when they’re supposed to.

For example: She went AWOL right before the final deadline and didn’t answer any calls, texts, or emails.

Next up, we have raise or wave the white flag.

The white flag represents surrender. In the military, holding up a white flag means you surrender and won’t fight anymore.

So, to raise or wave the white flag means to admit defeat or stop fighting for something.

For example: After hours of arguing with her client, she finally raised the white flag and agreed to do what they wanted.

Next up, we have a loose cannon.

A cannon is a big type of weapon that shoots cannonballs. A loose cannon describes a person who is very unpredictable—they might say or do something that causes problems.

For example: You never know what Jake’s going to say in meetings—he’s a bit of a loose cannon.

Next, we have drop your guard or let your guard down.

This means to relax and stop being cautious or defensive. Typically, dropping your guard or letting it down can be a bad thing, meaning someone tricked or took advantage of you.

For example: I can’t believe I let my guard down and got tricked by the scammers.

Or it can mean you relax after stress: After the presentation went well, we all let our guard down and celebrated.

And lastly, we have boots on the ground.

This means people who are actively doing the real, hands-on work.

For example: We need more boots on the ground if we’re going to reach our goals.

Can you believe it? You just learned 18 phrasal verbs, slang words, and idioms that you can use every single day in English.

Now I'm going to give you some homework so that you can remember everything I just [00:27:00] taught you.

Step one is to go and download the study guide.

Step two is to pick seven of the vocabulary words and expressions you just heard in the episode and try to use them.

There are a lot of ways to use them: you can write them in a notebook, write someone an email, or text them to someone. But what I recommend is to use them in sentences. Record yourself in an audio message or talk to someone and be intentional about using the vocabulary.

The more you use the vocabulary in real-life contexts, the more naturally and confidently you’ll be able to use them in everyday life.

Well, that’s a wrap for today’s episode of The Real Life English with Gabby podcast.

Be sure to download today’s study guide so that you can learn how [00:28:00] to use this vocabulary confidently.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe for more weekly adventures in English learning. Also, I’d love to hear from you—please leave me a review.

Thanks so much for tuning in.