Vocabulary practice · Episode 101

Review the useful expressions from the episode

Study the episode’s central expressions with English definitions, nuance and examples, plus reviewed support-language versions where available.

B1–B2Everyday EnglishAbout 19 min + dynamic ads5 PDF versions available
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  1. Choose one expression. Read its definition, nuance and examples.
  2. Make it yours. Write one true sentence from your own life.
  3. Return to the episode. Listen for the expression in its original context.

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Vocabulary from the episode

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Expression 1

walk away with

To finish an experience having gained something useful or valuable.

Nuance: A common phrasal verb; here it refers to the practical ideas the listener will retain.

you will walk away with three things.

You will walk away with a practical strategy you can use today.

Expression 2

form an opinion

To develop a judgment or impression about someone or something.

Nuance: Form emphasizes that an impression takes shape, often before conscious analysis.

People form an opinion of you almost instantly.

People often form an opinion before the conversation is over.

Expression 3

be born with

To possess a quality or characteristic naturally from birth.

Nuance: It contrasts an innate quality with a skill that can be learned.

And they are not a charisma you are born with.

Social confidence is not something you have to be born with.

Expression 4

fall into a trap

To make a predictable mistake or become caught in a misleading situation.

Nuance: A figurative collocation frequently used for habits, arguments and common errors.

Including two traps almost everyone falls into.

Do not fall into the trap of talking only about yourself.

Expression 5

feel seen

To feel genuinely noticed, understood and valued by another person.

Nuance: Seen is metaphorical: it refers to emotional recognition, not eyesight.

They feel seen, they feel distinct.

The people we remember are the people who made us feel seen.

Expression 6

catch someone's name

To hear, understand and remember a person's name when it is said.

Nuance: Catch often means successfully hear information that was brief or unclear.

So when you meet someone, catch the name.

Catch the name, use it twice.

Expression 7

light up

To become suddenly active, bright or visibly enthusiastic.

Nuance: Here it describes a positive response in the brain; it can also describe a person's face.

something lights up in their brain.

Her face lights up whenever she talks about music.

Expression 8

follow-up question

A question asked in response to an earlier answer to obtain more detail.

Nuance: A useful conversational and interview term; follow-up functions as an adjective.

Tool three, the follow-up question.

A thoughtful follow-up question shows that you were listening.

Expression 9

go one level deeper

To move beyond a surface answer and explore a subject in greater depth.

Nuance: A spatial metaphor for asking a more personal or meaningful question.

Whatever they tell you, go one level deeper.

One level deeper is where real conversations live.

Expression 10

steal the spotlight

To take attention away from someone else and make yourself the focus.

Nuance: An idiom from theatre, where the spotlight marks the center of attention.

You just stole the spotlight.

He supported her story instead of trying to steal the spotlight.

Expression 11

the one-up trap

The conversational mistake of responding to someone's story with a more impressive story of your own.

Nuance: To one-up someone means to outdo them; the phrase names a subtle form of conversational competition.

Trap number one, the one-up trap.

Avoid the one-up trap.

Expression 12

dismissive

Showing that you do not consider a person, feeling or idea important enough.

Nuance: A useful adjective for a response that appears polite but minimizes another person's experience.

But it can feel dismissive.

A dismissive reply can make the other person stop sharing.

Expression 13

drive with the handbrake on

To make an activity unnecessarily difficult by using a limiting approach.

Nuance: A metaphor: a car can move with the handbrake on, but slowly and inefficiently.

And most people drive with the handbrake on.

Trying to impress everyone is like driving with the handbrake on.

Expression 14

end up

To eventually arrive in a situation, place or activity, often through an indirect path.

Nuance: It is followed by an -ing form for activities: end up working, end up living.

For example, how did you end up working here?

How did you end up living here?

Expression 15

slide off

To fail to have a lasting effect because something is not absorbed or remembered.

Nuance: The literal movement of water sliding off a surface becomes a metaphor for forgettable words.

They slide off people like water.

Generic compliments slide off because they do not feel personal.

Expression 16

specific compliment

Praise that identifies a precise action, quality or detail rather than using a general positive label.

Nuance: Specific praise feels more credible because it proves that the speaker paid attention.

A specific compliment says, I truly saw you.

Ask open questions, give specific compliments.

Expression 17

mirroring

The unconscious matching of another person's posture, movements or rhythm during a positive interaction.

Nuance: A social-psychology term based on the image of a mirror copying what it sees.

Signal three, mirroring.

If you see mirroring, the connection is real.

Expression 18

the peak-end rule

The psychological principle that people judge an experience mainly by its most intense moment and its ending.

Nuance: Peak refers to the emotional high point, while end refers to the final moments.

Psychologists call it the peak end rule.

Think about what the peak end rule really means.

Expression 19

by heart

From memory, with the ability to reproduce something without looking.

Nuance: The fixed expression is learn or know something by heart, not by memory.

Number one, learn your three open questions by heart.

Learn your three opening questions by heart before the event.

Expression 20

come out smooth

To be spoken naturally, fluently and without hesitation.

Nuance: Come out describes how words emerge when spoken; smooth emphasizes ease and flow.

Practice it tonight until it comes out smooth and warm.

Practise the sentence slowly until it comes out smooth and natural.

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