#74- 16 Expressions from TV Shows That Textbooks Don’t Teach

Welcome to episode #74 of The Real Life English with Gabby Podcast! In this special episode, you’ll learn 16 popular vocabulary words and expressions that come straight from American TV shows like Friends, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, and more! 

You'll be learning vocabulary like go nuts, to spoil , horn in on, put someone on the spot, kill time and more! You’ll hear how native speakers really use them in everyday conversations.

Plus, BIG news! English Through Media is officially LIVE! This brand-new mini course helps you understand fast English through 40+ PDF lessons by building real vocabulary, building confidence and finally stop relying on subtitles. Grab it now at a special launch price for the next five days!

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Have you ever been watching an English TV show, movie, or listening to some other kind of American media and thought to yourself, wait, what did they just say? I can't understand. If your answer is yes, this episode is for you.
 On this episode of the Real Life English With Gabby podcast, you'll be learning 16 phrasal verbs, idioms, and slang words from popular TV shows that textbooks don't teach, but that Americans use all the time. You'll be learning vocabulary like “close out,” “squander,” “a twisted joke,” “kill time,” 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 [00:01:00] American conversations.
 Are you ready to improve your English skills? Let's jump right in.

Hey, hey, hey. Welcome to episode number 74. Greetings from New York City, guys. Oh my goodness, am I so glad that I can speak again. I officially have my voice back. Some of you may not know this, but I lost my voice for about 10 days. My apologies for the delay in everything—from releasing new podcast episodes to the main thing, which is launching my new mini course, English Through Media.
 It has been a crazy month. Well, let me just say the month of November was crazy. First, my kids were sick, all three of them—even the baby. Unfortunately, it wasn't too serious, but then I caught it. [00:02:00] And it turned into this crazy throat infection, and it turned into what we call laryngitis. Laryngitis is when a virus causes you to lose your voice.
 I went to urgent care doctors. Oh my gosh, it was crazy. I did post a video about it on my Instagram Stories with English With Gabby. Maybe some of you saw it, but oh my goodness, it was horrible. I have not had a throat infection this bad in over a decade—a decade being 10 years. You know me. I love to speak. I'm very talkative. In fact, the word “gab,” G-A-B, in English means to talk or to chat. So my parents named me very well. You know, as a teacher, as a mom, a wife, a content creator—speaking is my life. It was so hard. I had to try not to speak as much as possible, which is almost [00:03:00] impossible for me.
 Even now, you may hear it in my voice. My voice is not completely back to normal, unfortunately, and I'm still coughing. So while recording, I keep having to stop and cough, but I'm so thankful that I can speak again. It was crazy, and it all happened right before our big holiday, Thanksgiving, so it was just crazy.
 But I'm back and I'm very, very happy. My apologies again about the delay in releasing English Through Media. I did not want to release it when I couldn't be on social media speaking, and I had to create so much video content and audio, and I wasn't able to do that, unfortunately. So I delayed it.
 But as of today, with this podcast episode, it is live. So to all of those who sent me messages wondering about the product and why you hadn't heard anything—guess what? It's [00:04:00] live. We're gonna talk more about that later. As I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, all the vocabulary from this episode is from my new course, English Through Media.
 I took a few words from every unit, and I took a combination of high-level and academic vocabulary along with phrasal verbs, slang, and idioms. Normally, you know, I focus on phrasal verbs, slang, and idioms. Sometimes we do other types of vocabulary, but in this course it's all types of vocabulary, including high-level academic vocabulary. So I've included it all in this episode. The course English Through Media—if it's the first time that you are hearing me mention it—it is mostly a listening and vocabulary course. However, we also talk about grammar, body language, [00:05:00] reading—like there's so many components of the course.
 I call it a mini course because it's not a traditional course. It's more like a packet of lessons—PDF lessons—that I created for you so that you can watch a YouTube clip and then do a lesson based on that clip. So it's as though you're bringing the classroom to your house, and you can use it whenever you want.
 Okay, so let's talk about the course for a little bit and then we'll get into the vocabulary.
 English Through Media is a listening-focused course, and it's designed to help you finally understand fast, real-life English—the kind that you hear on TV, in interviews, and in everyday conversations. Inside the course, you will learn how to train your ear to hear English [00:06:00] media, and you'll do it with over 40 PDF lessons that are based on real media clips. They come from TV shows, movies, interviews, TED Talks, and other types of videos that Americans actually watch.
 Each lesson includes listening challenges, vocabulary, vocabulary practice, and other types of activities that help you truly understand spoken English. It's much more than just memorizing words—it’s truly to help you understand spoken English in its natural setting. So if you want to stop relying on subtitles or dictionaries, translators—if you want to feel confident watching English media and also understanding native English speakers, even when they're talking quickly—then this course is perfect for you. I made it [00:07:00] specifically for learners from B1 level to C2 level who want to go deeper and who want a more natural type of English and the confidence to use English in the real world.
 Now, why did I create this course? So, as you know, I'm an English teacher here in New York City, and I've been teaching English here to students from all over the world ever since 2011—so thousands of students. And I teach a lot of different classes. I have taught B2 for 14 years—it's my favorite level, high intermediate.
 But I've also taught, in addition to that—because I would generally teach three classes per day—I've taught A1, I've taught C2, like I teach a lot of different things. So I do teach integrated skills, meaning we learn everything in my class: grammar, reading, vocabulary. But the classes that I also love to teach are elective classes, and [00:08:00] I get to choose the topic.
 And so for the past maybe 10 years, I've taught English-through-media-themed classes, where we use clips and we draw English from those clips. And the reason why I started teaching a class like this is because English learners typically have one main complaint, and that is that when they learn English in a classroom—when they learn English from traditional curriculum and textbooks—it doesn't prepare them for the real world. And here's the example that I always give my students: If you listen to a textbook and you're listening to a dialogue, it'll sound like this: “Hi, Amy, how are you today?” “Hi, Joe, I'm fine. How are you?” That's textbook audio lessons. But then you go outside—“Hey, what's up, Mary? What's really good? How you doing, girl?” And then, “Oh, I'm good, I'm real good, I'm chilling, having fun, going here and there,” and you [00:09:00] just hear people speaking so quickly, using slang, using expressions.
 And so if all you're doing is taking the TOEFL test or taking academic exams in English, then textbook English and classroom English—those will work well for you.
 But for people who need English and want English for social reasons and for work purposes, for professional reasons, you're gonna need the real English. And so that's what's often missing from the classroom. And so to make my own classroom more complete, I started using music, TV shows, movies, interviews, TED Talks—and this helped me make my classroom more complete.
 And I noticed that students really love using media because they consume media all the time. If you love Friends and you love watching Friends, then why not watch Friends while also using Friends to improve your English? And [00:10:00] so that's where English Through Media comes along. I also wanted something that students could use anytime they had free time, because everyone is busy. Everyone has work, family, school, other obligations. So I didn't want people to have to commit to attending a live class. I wanted to bring the class to all of you. And I know that the economy is very difficult right now around the world, so I also wanted to give you something that is not too expensive.
So that's what English Through Media is. It's so cool. Again, you get access to a portal that has PDF lessons. You take these lessons, you click the link—it takes you to YouTube—you watch the clips, and then you do exercises from there, which is really, really fun, really, really cool. And so that's what English Through Media is.
To get more information on the course and [00:11:00] to see example lessons from the course—see how you like it, get more information, get the pricing information—click the link in the episode description. If you're on my email list, you will be getting emails that give you a lot of details about the course.
For the first five days that the course goes live, it's for a special price, and then it goes up to its normal price after those five days. So don't delay.
All right, now let's talk about today's episode. Let's get into this episode, and let me teach you the list of vocabulary that you are going to learn.
Here we go: close out, choke down, go nuts, to spoil something, horn in on, put someone on the spot, to ditch someone, to kill time, to connect [00:12:00] over something, to be bitter, to squander, a death trap, to be inhibited, to be phony, a twisted joke, and to take a dive.
Now, today's episode is a little bit different. Normally I create a story that has all of the vocabulary in it, but today we're gonna be focusing on the words one at a time. I'm gonna be giving you an example and then the definition, and then another example, and I'm gonna be sharing with you what forms of media the words come from—for example, does it come from an episode of Friends or How I Met Your Mother, or a talk show, for example. So that's pretty much how the episode is going to work.

All right. First up, we have the phrasal verb “close out.” This comes from Hot Ones, which is a [00:13:00] fun YouTube show—they interview celebrities and ask them questions while they're eating chicken wings that get progressively spicier. This is really, really fun. The episode that this comes from is with Scarlett Johansson, and this is actually part of Unit One, which is food and drinks.
This is one of my favorite units, and the word “close out”—now let me read an example: “We are about to close out today's episode, but first I have one more question for you.” So listening to the example, based on the context, what do you think “close out” means? Well, in this example, in this context, to close something out means to finish, especially in a strong way, in an official way—kind of like closing out a show or an interview.
So now let me give you another [00:14:00] example, now that you know the definition: “My friend closed out the meeting with a really powerful message.” So again, this is how someone ended something.

Now we have “choke down.”
 “Choke down” is also a phrasal verb, and this also comes from that same episode of Hot Ones, which means that it's gonna probably be about food—and there's your hint. So listen to this example: “I had to choke down the protein shake because it tasted like garbage.” Again: “I had to choke down the protein shake because it tasted like garbage.”
To choke down food or a drink means to force yourself to swallow something that tastes awful. You don't like it, but for whatever [00:15:00] reason, you have to eat it or drink it. Maybe it's medication. Maybe it's something that your mom or grandmother cooked—you don't like it, but you don't want to hurt their feelings, so you choke it down. Here's another example: “She had to choke down the super spicy chicken because she didn't like spicy food.”

Next up, we have the slang expression “to go nuts.” This comes from The Tonight Show by Jimmy Fallon, which is one of the most popular interview night shows here in the United States. And in this episode, Jimmy Fallon is interviewing the famous Chris Evans, who plays Captain America in the Marvel movies. Listen to this example of “go nuts”: “When Taylor Swift walked on stage, the crowd went nuts.” This is actually a slang [00:16:00] expression that I teach in my class during food week.

It's really interesting, really funny, and Americans use this all the time. Were you able to guess the meaning? To go nuts means to get really excited, get crazy, or emotional. So go nuts really means to go crazy, but the way that we use it in most contexts is to go crazy in a fun way — to get excited or emotional.
So if I say, “When Taylor Swift walked on stage, the crowd went nuts,” that means that the crowd was excited, emotional, crazy in a fun way — clapping, whistling, shouting. Now, we can use this in a not-so-nice way. We could say, for example, “Don’t date that guy. He's nuts,” meaning he's crazy. And so, in that context, it means like [00:17:00] actually crazy. It's not a nice context. So you just have to listen when people use this — how exactly they're using it. Example number two is: “My dog goes nuts whenever I get home after a long day of work.”

Next up, we have the verb to spoil something. This also comes from the Jimmy Fallon interview with Chris Evans on The Tonight Show. It has a few different meanings in English, so let's listen specifically to this context: “He spoiled the ending of the movie for me, and now I'm really upset.”
So in this context — this actually comes from the entertainment theme of the course — spoil means to reveal surprise information like the plot of a movie, the end of a movie, or a book, or a surprise. So it's revealing surprise [00:18:00] information before someone can experience it themselves. So “He spoiled the ending of the movie” means someone, like for example, telling you — “Here’s a spoiler warning — if you haven’t seen Titanic,” and then someone says, “Oh my gosh, it's so sad when Jack dies at the end of the movie.”
“Ugh, you just spoiled it for me!” You revealed information before I could experience it myself.
Example number two: “Don’t spoil the surprise. Just pretend that you don't know anything.”

Next up, we have another phrasal verb. This is a three-word phrasal verb, and this is a very high-level phrasal verb. This is something that you would probably never learn in a classroom. If you do, you would probably see it in a C2 article or a C1-level reading from a newspaper: horn in on. This comes from the TV show Seinfeld.
This is actually one of the most popular TV shows in American history, [00:19:00] but it's not as popular internationally as Friends is. But it was on at the same time as Friends, and it was actually more popular than Friends, if you can believe that.
It's a really funny show. I use a lot of clips from this show in the course, so listen to the example: “We were having a private conversation, and he just horned in on it like it was his business.”
So horn in on is when you interrupt, interfere, or insert yourself into a situation where you're not wanted.
So if I say, “He horned in on my private conversation,” it means that I was talking to someone and they inserted themselves — they interrupted, they interfered with it — without me asking them to.
Here's example number two: “Don't horn in on our plans. We want to hang out by ourselves.”

Next up, we have the idiom to put someone on the spot. [00:20:00] This also comes from Seinfeld. This is from the unit all about social life. Listen to the example: “I hate when teachers put you on the spot by calling your name when you are not paying attention. What do you think to put someone on the spot means?”
So to put someone on the spot means to suddenly force someone to answer a question or force them to do something that is uncomfortable. In the example that I gave you, it's like when you're in class and you're not paying attention, and your teacher suddenly calls your name — “Hey Gabby, do you know the answer?” — and all of a sudden you're forced to give an answer when you were not prepared.
Here's example number two: “My boss put me on the spot and asked me to say a few words during the meeting.”

Next up, we have the slang expression to ditch someone. Here's the example: “My friends ditched me at the mall, and I spent an hour [00:21:00] looking for them.”
In this context, the word ditch means to leave someone behind, typically in a sudden way or maybe a little bit unfair — you didn't tell this person that you were leaving.
So to ditch someone is a bad thing, and it's very mean and unkind.
Example number two: “Can you believe that he ditched his date to go play video games with his friends?”

Next up, we have the idiom to kill time.
To kill time also comes from Friends, just like the previous slang word ditch someone.
For example: “Because I was early for my flight, I had to kill three hours at the airport.”
Kill time might sound violent, but actually it just means to do something to pass the time or fill the time while you're waiting for something else.
So when you're early to something, we typically say, “Oh, I've got to kill [00:22:00] time. I have to kill an hour,” for example.
Example number two: “We had 20 minutes before the movie, so we killed time by playing games on our phones.”

Next up, we have the phrasal verb to connect over something. This actually comes from one of the TED Talks that is in the course.
Let me read you the first example: “Her and I connected over our love of reality TV and our hatred of horror movies. That's why we are best friends.”
To connect over something means to bond with someone because you share the same interest, the same experience, or the same likes or dislikes.
Example number two: “They met at the laundromat and connected over the fact that neither of them knew how to fold a fitted sheet.”

Next up, we have a higher-level word: to be [00:23:00] bitter.
Now, you may have heard the word bitter when it comes to food and drinks, like something tastes bitter — coffee tastes bitter, dark chocolate tastes bitter. But this is actually to be bitter. This is a feeling. This also comes from that same TED Talk.
Let me give you the first example: “He’s still bitter that his sister beat him at Monopoly two weeks ago.”
To be bitter means to feel angry or what we call resentful over something for a long time. So this is when you continue to be angry, and the anger gets deeper and deeper and deeper, and you start to dislike the person or the thing that happened.
“He’s still bitter that his parents bought his sister a car but not one for him.”
Example number two: “She's still bitter that her coworker was promoted before she was.”

Next up, we have a high-level [00:24:00] academic word, and that is squander.
Squander.
 This comes from How I Met Your Mother, which is a very popular and funny TV show that is used quite often in the course.
Listen to the first example: “I squandered my entire day watching YouTube videos.”
To squander something means that you waste it. It could be money, it could be time, it could be opportunities — but you misuse it. You don't use it to its full potential, and it's wasted. We often use this, as I said, with time, money, and opportunity.
Example number two: “He squandered his $1,000 bonus at a nightclub over the weekend.”

Next up, we have the word a death trap. A death trap. This is all one word.
This also comes from [00:25:00] How I Met Your Mother. This is in the transportation and driving unit.
Let me give you example number one: “That old elevator is a death trap. It shakes a lot and always gets stuck.”
Can you figure out what it means based on that sentence?
A death trap is something that's very unsafe and something that is very likely to cause injury. So it's basically a trap that you can die in — that’s where the word death trap comes from.
Example number two: “My friend's car is a death trap. The handle comes off every time you pull it.”

Next up, we have a higher-level academic word: to be inhibited.
To be inhibited actually comes from the TV series Seinfeld.
Listen to the example: “I used to be inhibited about speaking English, but [00:26:00] now I love speaking to everyone.”
To be inhibited means to feel shy, not fully comfortable expressing yourself. So when you feel inhibited, it's like something is always being held back. And we use inhibited and we use uninhibited. Uninhibited is the opposite — when you throw away everything that makes you feel shy or uncomfortable.
The next example is: “He's very shy and feels inhibited when he's dancing in public, which is why he doesn't like to do it.”

Next up, we have the slang word to be a phony. Yes, it's the word phone, but instead of an E at the end, it's a Y — and it has nothing to do with phones.
This also comes from Seinfeld.
Listen to the example: “He's such a phony on Instagram. He uses green screens to pretend that he's always traveling, but he never does.”
A phony is another word for someone who is fake. They are pretending to [00:27:00] be something they're not. They pretend to do something they don't actually do.
So in this example, on social media, this person is presenting themself in one way, but their real life is not that way.
Example number two: “She acted like she knew everything about jazz music, but she's a total phony. She just used ChatGPT to pretend to know what she was talking about.”

Next up, we have a twisted joke. This comes from Friends. This is a slang expression: “He made a twisted joke at the party, and everyone just stared at him.”
From the context, we know that a twisted joke is something that makes people feel uncomfortable or surprises people. So a twisted joke is a joke that is dark, weird, inappropriate — it's something that makes people feel uncomfortable, and it's not a good kind of joke to tell.
Example number two: “My [00:28:00] brother doesn’t get invited out a lot because he loves to tell twisted jokes.”

And lastly, we have take a dive. This is an idiom from the TV show Modern Family.
Example number one: “The company's sales took a dive after their public scandal.”
What do you think take a dive means?
To take a dive means things suddenly get worse — things decrease significantly.
Example number two: “The temperatures took a dive during the snowstorm last night.”

Well, there you have it. You just got a sneak peek of English Through Media by learning 16 expressions that come straight from some of the most popular TV shows in the U.S.
I just want to say that if you are [00:29:00] still thinking about whether or not to get English Through Media, definitely try it out.
The lessons are proven — not only are they lessons that I taught to students in person, but I've also had students testing them for the past year in my Real Life English course. And there are also some testimonials on the page.
But more than anything, English Through Media is very convenient for you because whenever you have time, you do a lesson — it'll bring you to YouTube, show you the clip, and then you do the lessons in the PDF.

Again, if you want more information, you want to read more about the details of the course, or if you just want to go ahead and buy the course, just click the link in the episode description and it'll take you to the page that has all of the information.
 Well, I hope to see you inside English Through Media.
Remember [00:30:00] that the price is going to go up in five days. It's at a special launch price right now, and then it’ll move to its permanent price in five days.
Thanks so much for tuning in. See you inside English Through Media.

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 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, so please leave me a review.
Thanks so much for tuning in.