How to Connect Over Manias, Kicks, and Bugs

This is an All Airs English podcast, episode 2631. How to Connect Over Manias, Kicks, and Bugs. [music] Welcome to the All Airs 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 host, Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl, and Aubrey Carter, the Isles Wiz, coming to you from Arizona and New York City, USA. To get real-time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Airs English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven-day free trial at allyoursenglish.com/app. [music] Are you currently obsessed with anything? On today's episode, we share unique ways to talk about being super into something, whether it's just you or a whole cultural phenomenon. Listen in today. [music] English is part of how you're evaluated, whether you like it or not. It meetings and interviews and 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 allhearsenglish.com/fluencyscore. That's allhearsenglish.com/fluencysore. [music] Hey, Aubrey, how are you? Hello, Michelle. This is so fun. You and I are on the mic. Lindsay's out for a little bit, but you'll still be hearing her voice. We are excited for her and I'm excited to record with you, Michelle. Yes, we're going to have a lot of fun, but Aubrey, are you a fan of the Beatles? I am a huge Beatles fan. My parents were Beatles fans. My husband, my kids, everybody loves the Beatles. And I feel like more than any other band, I could name a Beatles song and I could karaoke it pretty easily. What about you? Yeah, I mean, I used to sing Beatles song with my son for him to go to sleep. A blackbird on boss, baby. It's so sweet. Oh, oh, oh. Yes, I know it. Yep. Yeah, we did in my life. I want to hold your hand all of these things. Do you have a favorite song? Probably. I will. It's like, who knows how long I've loved you? You know, I love you still. What I wait a lonely lifetime if you want me to, I will. I can't sing it, but I can quote it. It's a beautiful song. If you're unfamiliar with, I will by the Beatles. I think it's on the white album. It's just so beautiful. What about you, favorite Beatles song? It's hard to choose, but I do really love in my life. I really do love them. I love the movies and everything in culture yesterday was such a great film, like paying tribute to, I don't know if you saw that, but it was like, what would the world be like if the Beatles had never been a band? And it's such a great movie. I've seen it so many times, actually. Oh, that's awesome. So I mean, I'm guessing, you know, you, you know, about Beatles Mania, right? I mean, I know like my parents were, you know, into the Beatles and they experienced Beatle Mania. So we're actually going to talk not so much about the Beatles, but we can. We're going to talk about the suffix of Mania. And this is a really interesting one because it can apply to many different things. So yes, guys, hit follow wherever you're listening to the All-Ears English podcast. So you never miss anything. All right, Aubrey. So you should be able to tell us what is Beatle Mania? Yeah. It happened in the 60s and the 1960s when everyone was so wild for the Beatles obsessed. It was a cultural phenomenon and formally known as Beatle Mania. Fans would wait in droves, huge crowds waiting for them to come in at an airport or their concerts. People were fainting. Like, they were so passionate and there's nothing like that now. Like, their, their swiftees are intense, but they're not fainting, right? I guess I don't know for sure, but yeah, I mean, maybe for a machining exhaustion, but not from like being so emotionally invested in a famous person. Yeah, I mean, interesting. Beatle Mania is definitely known as just like this really iconic time period and a cultural phenomenon that happened. So let's, I mean, but so, Aubrey, what is Mania? Let's kind of deconstruct this. Yeah, sort of obsessiveness, I would say. I think of WrestleMania, which is just sort of a fun name for like, people who like the, the name for the actual event of going to like these wrestling spectacles, right? But it's, when you, when you talk about like, Mania specifically is a technical term for an obsession for something, right? Yeah. Yeah, definitely. So I mean, but it can be used also when it like kind of a more medical way about an up compulsion, an obsession, things like that. So we're going to talk about this more. But yeah, exactly like WrestleMania, that's a really good example. Sometimes it's just kind of a fun title, right? People are obsessed with it. There's some sort of craze. But I also looked up some other interesting ones. So there's Bibliomania, which is, I'm, yep, obsessed with box. And this is interesting. Every time I looked up Mania, it came up with tulip Mania, which was apparently, you know, Dutch and about tulips in the 1600s. Okay. And still people now, I know a lot of people go to Holland, the Netherlands to see the tulips. And you could call them, you know, tulip craze, or be like, oh, it's tulip Mania time when you have a friend that like, that's all they want to do is go see the tulips. Exactly. So you can say what it is and then add the word Mania. So Aubrey essentially is what you're saying could, could you make your own word? Yeah, definitely. Often I would shorten the initial word. Like I wouldn't say chocolate Mania, I'd say maybe like chocolate Mania, kind of like we say chocolate. Chocolate Macaholic. We'll shorten the first word, especially if it's longer. Because others, there's just too many syllables. Too much. Yeah. Too much. Right. Especially if it's a longer one. I mean, I would say like, for example, I could say right now I'm experiencing Kindle Mania. Right. I got a Kindle. I'm starting to read more. I just, I just want to sit and read. And I can't. But so I could say, oh, yeah, I tough total. I mean, it's interesting because you wouldn't say like I have beat Almania. It's more like that was the name of the actual, it kind of became this formal name, right? It's sort of a name for a phenomenon. So yeah, it is specific the way we use it. A lot of ways sound strange to me, right? If I try to think of something I love, volleyball is a good example. I would never be like, I have volleyball Mania. Right. But if the entire culture, for some reason, became obsessed with volleyball, like sometimes during the Olympics when the San volleyball players are so good and people get really excited about it, then we might be like, maybe we'd name the certain person would be like, we have Keri Mania because we're like obsessed with this athlete who's amazing, right? Would you? I think that's, yeah. I think that's a really good point. I do agree. It feels less awkward. It feels a little awkward to say, I, there's this Mania, like amongst myself because Mania, generally, I would say we do think of it. If you're going to make this up, right? If you're going to use your make up your own word, yeah, I think it is when it's kind of a big cultural thing. A lot of people are involved in it. A lot of people are excited about it. So yeah, I can even be really uncommon for someone, for example, to say I have Kindle Mania. You would just be like, I'm obsessed with my Kindle. I can't put it down, right? There are other ways would say it. If the culture in general, like everyone has a Kindle all of a sudden, then you might be like, we have Kindle Mania. It's bigger. It seems like it's more about a group of people, right? Yeah, I agree with you. I think that that's a really good point. And yeah, I mean, it makes me think of, you know, when iPhones, you know, when they used to come out and it was just this big, everybody would be waiting in line. I don't even know if they do that anymore. But you could say, oh, it's Apple Mania or iPhone Mania. You might hear that on the news, even if somebody's doing, you know, a little piece about it, a lifestyle piece on the news. So very, very interesting. Yeah. So I would say it's less about an individual and more about a group phenomenon. You can use it playfully for an individual, absolutely. But in general, to tack on Mania at the end of something, you're saying that a lot of people are obsessed with it. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely. All right. So we will talk more about this after the break. Okay. Tätin pyöräilyvää teitä valmistavan ornotin vuonna 2013. Mielestäni parasta Shopify saan se, että voimme harjoittaa liiketoimintaa ilman teknistä osaamista. Voimme hallinnoida yrityksen taustajaristeelle mien ja front-endia sekä myydä verkossa, vaivatta. Jos Shopify olisi pyöräilyvaruste, sollisimielestäni itse polkupyörä. Sillä asiat hoidetaan ja meidän liiketoiminta me hoituu Shopify'ssa. Aloita ilmainen kokeilu Shopify piste.com-sivustolla. Mutta se on joo, että on mulla on mulla. On myös mulla on kokeilu ja mulla on kokeilu. Tämä on kokeilu, kokeilu, kokeilu, ja mulla on kokeilu. Tämä on jälkeen kokeilu, jotenkin kokeilu, jotenkin kokeilu. Ja, ja tämä on jatkeen, koska tämä on kokeilu. -Exactly. -It's used very differently here, when it's an obsession or a mental health condition that one person could have. -Right, so it's almost like when it's a more formal, -medical term. -Yeah, medical term. That's more individual. So then there's also pyromaniac, right? -Yeah, which is the desire to start fires. So a person that has this desire is a pyromaniac, and of course we use these very often to exaggerate. I remember my little brother, we always called a pyromaniac, because he just wanted to start the fire when we were camping. And then he would want to play in it in poke, and it would be like, "You're such a pyromaniac." He, of course, wasn't really a pyromaniac that had this obsession. He just liked fire, like a little, like, young boys often do, -or girls. -Yes. -Young kids. It's like, "Ooh, fire." -Yes, exactly. And yeah, it is interesting how sometimes we do for that type of thing, or even pyromaniac. I mean, people do whether or not it's PC, or okay, to say that, that you will hear people saying things, like, I mean, I could imagine, right, if somebody accidentally steals the, is it like they walk out of a store, and they realize that they had something and they're bagged that they were holding, or something like that. They were just looking at it, and they accidentally, and then, you know, I could see them saying to their friend, "Sorry, I'm a pyromaniac." -Or you could joke about it if, like, someone takes a cookie from, like, your packages of cookies without asking, you'd be like, "You are such a kleptomaniac, because you're accusing them of stealing it without acting, asking, but just in a playful, fun way." -Right. And sometimes people even just shorten it to klepto. -Right. -That's right. -Yeah, which, and pyro, be like, "Oh, you're a pyro, or you're a klepto, and it's short for those." -But, of course, you know, these can get sensitive. So be careful with these, because if somebody actually does know somebody with that condition, it could, you know, it is kind of poking fun. It is poking fun, and a mental health condition. So, you know, maybe be careful with these, but it's good to know in case you hear them. So I wouldn't run around and start saying those as a joke, right now. -Yeah, maybe with very close friends, but you're very confident that that's not a concern or not something that would offend them, but yeah, that's true. You wouldn't say it to just a coworker that you don't know well. -Right. Exactly. Then there's also, I don't even know how to say this one. -Trickotilomania. -Trickotilomania. -Trickotilomania. -Trickotilomania. -Never heard of this. I guess it's the urge to pull out hair. I know people who either have the urge to pull out the hair on their head or like eyelashes or eyebrows, so that's very common, I think. -Yeah, so that's definitely, yeah, a condition that people can struggle with. So, but Aubrey, what are some other ways if we're not going to say, "I have Kindle Mania," right? We're not going to say that, so, but what is a way to say that? -Yeah, good point. I love that because, yeah, we really don't use Mania like that for individual things. We might say, "I'm on a X-kick." Like, "I'm on a health kick. I'm on a Kindle kick. I'm on a Netflix kick." Meaning, I like it a lot. I'm kind of obsessed with it. -Exactly. Or, "I've caught the blank bug," right? "Bug," like, when we, a bug in this situation is kind of like the sickness, right? But here, it's not, it's like a virus when we say a bug. But we're not talking about an actual sickness here. For example, you could say, "Oh, I've caught the reading bug." Or, "If somebody really likes the show, "Oh, I've caught that. Nobody wants this bug." -Yes. -Somewhat like that. You could say that. -And it's interesting because, like you said, a bug is usually for an illness, so you would maybe assume this is for negative things that you're addicted to, but it's really not. "I've caught the reading bug. I've caught the French bug." If you're really excited about learning French, is it actually usually for positive things? -Yeah, it is interesting. Yeah, that's very interesting. Or, one more, is I'm going through an X-phase, right? So, I'm going through a horror movie phase. I'm going through a yoga phase, something like that. -Yeah. And this is like, "I'm currently into it. I'm obsessed with it, but I know it's a phase. It's probably going to end." -Right. That's true. So, why is this important for connection, do you think? -Oh, it's so fun to talk about the things we're really excited about right now. We get passionate about it, and we want to hear what other people are excited about right now. For all of these phrases are the perfect way to share that. -Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So, should we do a roleplay? -Let's do it. Michelle and I are friends talking about our upcoming visit to Disneyland. My children actually just went to Disneyland. -Oh! -So, this is top of mind. They went with their grandparents, though. So, have fun. It was actually really nice to not have to go. -Okay. Here we go. I'm on such a Disney kick right now. I can't wait. -Same. I'm not rewatching all my favorites. I've definitely caught the frozen bug. Oh, I love that one. I remember when Frozen Mania was huge when it came out. -Yes. Now my daughter is going through a Milana phase. -Yeah. That's a good one, too. -I actually really love Milana. It's one of my favorites. -Oh, yeah. Nice. Yeah. Well, I always say with movies because my kids do watch, but I always say I've seen all these movies both a thousand times and not at all. That's what I always say. -You watch a little piece of the liner. -Yeah. So, I'm like, this seems like a great movie. I don't know what's happening because I am up getting a snack after snack after snack or putting the laundry in or something like that. -No, I don't know how to get to the point. -Yes, exactly. So, all right. So, I said, I'm on such a Disney kick right now. So, I'm really into Disney at this moment. -Then I said, I've definitely caught the frozen bug. So, I'm naming one movie. I really like it. We're watching it a lot, maybe. So, I mean, I've caught the Moana bug. I've caught the frozen bug. -Then I said, oh, I love that one. Then I said, I remember when Frozen Mania was huge when it came out. So, that's something that you might say because it was a collective experience. Everybody obsessed with it. Just let it go all the time. It hasn't really ended. -No, it's still going, right? With Frozen 2. Of course, everyone's still the Disney princesses and Disneyland being such a big thing. It's died down some, but Frozen Mania is still a real thing. -Yes, exactly. -Exactly. -Then I said, my daughter's going through a Moana phase. So, here, I'm like, she's watching it all the time, but it's probably a phase. It's probably going to die off. It'll be replaced with the next thing that she's obsessed over. -Kids have that a lot. I mean, you think they're going to love Paw Patrol forever and then one day. -I don't like that. -It's over. They replace it with something else. -Exactly. And it's kind of sad. But it's okay. It's life. All right, guys. So, head on over. We also did episode 26/11. That was how to direct someone's attention with enthusiasm. So, listen to that one. Aubrey, what do you think? Takeaways for today. -Oh, man. This is amazing. This is such a great connection episode. Frees is that you can use to talk about what you're really into right now, but new interesting ways to say that. So, I'm excited for you to connect Spark a conversation about what you're going through a phase of, what you've caught the bug for. -Love it. All right, Aubrey. This was so much fun. Thanks for talking about this with me today. And I'm going to go and listen to "I Will" by The Beatles. -Yes. Do it. Everyone out there listening. So good. -Awesome. -Thanks, Michelle. -Bye, Aubrey. Thanks. [music] [music] [music] [music] pohtia kehittymistämme tulevaisuudessa. Kaikki myyntiin tarvittavat työkaluut, kuten varaston suunnittelu ovat kätävästi dashboardissä. Aloita ilmainen kokeilu shopifaippiste komsi vustolla.