[00:00:00] On this episode of the Real Life English with Gabby podcast, I'll be teaching you 21 slang words, phrasal verbs, and idioms about sports competitions and the Olympics. I'll be teaching you words like underdog, burnout, clutch, neck and neck, a dead heat, 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 26. This is an [00:01:00] Olympic special. I am so excited about the Olympics. Are you excited? The USA is going through a lot of crazy stuff right now. Okay, yes, it's crazy politically, but it's just crazy. We've got so many things going on that Americans are extremely worried about or scared for, so we need these Olympics to take our minds off of all the crazy stuff that's happening. I know that some of you are probably experiencing similar situations in your countries right now, and you can understand how I feel. But my goodness, things are getting crazy in the USA.
But let's talk about the Olympics. A lot of people tell me, a lot of my students [00:02:00] say that Americans are extremely patriotic. And I do believe that that's true. Anytime you come to the USA, you see American flags everywhere. You see them hanging in front of houses. You see them hanging from a storefront. You even see people wearing American flag bikinis at the beach. But none of that compares to two specific times. One is the 4th of July, Independence Day.
You will see American flags everywhere. Dogs will be wearing it. People on the beach will be wearing it. We'll have American flag towels, American flag underwear. Guys, we have American flag underwear. And most people own at least one pair or have owned at least one pair in their lifetime. [00:03:00] I know for many of you, that's crazy.
I often ask my students because they always comment about how many American flags they see on a daily basis. They are shocked at the number of American flags that they see every day. And it's very interesting when I talk to a lot of my students about it, and they say that this is not typical in most of their countries. A lot of my Europeans have told me it's not typical. Now in Latin America, I do know it is very common. As you know, my mother is from Colombia, as I've mentioned before. And every Colombian I know has at least one flag bracelet or earrings or something similar. So I do know in some countries, this is typical. A lot of my Asian students told me that they do have flags. Like my South Korean students and Japanese students tell me they do own some things, but they don't [00:04:00] really display them. But at Olympic time, or for the World Cup or any big football, soccer competitions, I have heard from students that yes, they do display flags. They paint their faces, you know, a lot of different things. So you guys understand how that goes. But, like I said, 4th of July, every single year, we have American flag everything. And we have parties for 4th of July and barbecues, and we make American flag desserts. I have had so many American flag little cakes. It'll have white frosting on top, and then they'll put blueberries. They'll make strawberries the lines in our flag. People get so creative. It's very interesting.
We love themes here. A lot of people have Olympic watch parties. Kids at summer camp, they have an Olympic theme and so everything is American flag. So, yes, we are very excited [00:05:00] about the Olympics. And, I'm sorry that my country is going to beat some of your countries, and then some of your countries are going to beat the USA. And it's just going to get crazy. But I'm excited. The Olympics is just so great. And Americans get very, very competitive with sports.
Speaking of flags, it is always funny to me during the Olympics that so many different countries have red, white, and blue. When I'm watching the Olympics and I see someone and they only have red, white, and blue, I'm like, hmm, is it France? Is it Russia? Is it South Korea? Is it Chile? What country is this? And then I have to look for the flag. So it's very funny. Red, white, and blue. Oh, my gosh, there are so many countries that are red, white, and blue.
Okay, let me tell you all about the 21 words and expressions that I'm going to teach you right now. A nail [00:06:00] biter. The goat. A front runner. To warm up. The underdog. To go the distance. To pull ahead. To keep up with. To burn out. Clutch. Catch up. Give it your best shot. To throw in the towel. To step up. To be neck and neck. To knock out. To podium. A dead heat. A medal haul. Doping. A blowout.
Before we get started with the story and the definitions, I just want to remind you that there is a study guide waiting for you. This study guide is going to have the full transcript, definitions, example sentences, and practice activities. The absolute best way to really learn what I [00:07:00] teach you in this podcast is by practicing. Repetition is the key to really learning English and being able to speak it naturally and confidently. In order to get the study guide, go to the show notes or the show description and click on the link. All right, let's get started with the story. Here we go.
The stadium was alive with excitement as the world gathered to watch the greatest track and field event of the Olympics. The race promised to be a real nail biter, with top athletes competing, including the goat, Emma Larson. Known for her incredible speed, she was the obvious front runner in this race. Emma began to warm up before the race, [00:08:00] focusing intensely as she prepared for the race of her life. Among the competitors was Jackie Munoz, the underdog who had fought hard to make it this far in the competition. No one expected her to reach the finals, but her determination to go the distance had surprised everyone.
As the race started, the athletes sprinted forward. Emma quickly pulled ahead, her experience and skill becoming clear to everyone watching. But surprisingly, Jackie wasn't far behind, trying to keep up with the rest of the runners. Halfway through the race, Emma experienced a slight moment of doubt. She felt her energy disappearing and feared that she might burn [00:09:00] out before the finish line. Just then, another competitor, Sarah, known for her clutch performances, made a really big move, catching up to Emma. The two of them ran side by side, making this a very interesting race. Behind them, Jackie was giving it her best shot, determined not to throw in the towel. The race was becoming more and more competitive as they got closer to the end. Sarah and Emma were neck and neck, but Emma's years of training and her ability to step up under pressure helped her maintain the lead. In the final stretch, Jackie found a burst of energy and managed to knock out another competitor from a [00:10:00] podium finish. It looked like it might be a blowout with Emma in the lead, but Sarah and Jackie were right behind her, making it a close finish, a thrilling ending to this fantastic race. As they approached the finish line, it became a dead heat between Emma and Sarah. Both of them crossed the finish line, too close to tell who won. The people in the crowd held their breath, waiting for the official results. After a few tense moments, the announcement came. Emma had won gold by a fraction of a second, securing her status as the GOAT. Sarah took silver, and Jackie, the underdog, proudly stood on the [00:11:00] podium with her bronze medal.
Emma's victory added yet another gold medal to her impressive medal haul, and Jackie's performance showed that even the underdog could achieve greatness. This also was an extremely clean race. There were no cases of doping, ensuring that the integrity of the competition was strong. Each athlete had given it their all, proving that with hard work and determination, they could keep up with the best runners in the world and catch up even when the odds were against them.
In the end, the race wasn't just about winning. It was about the spirit of competition, pushing your limits, and stepping up when it mattered most. The end.
So let's talk about the [00:12:00] definitions of all the vocabulary that you just heard in the story. First up, we have that this race was going to be a real nail biter. A nail biter is a very exciting or tense event, often because the outcome is uncertain until the very end. So throughout the entire event or competition, we are nervous. We're anxious about who is going to win and what the result is going to be. This comes from people biting their nails when they're nervous.
So this kind of game, this kind of activity, it's going to make you bite your nails because of how straight, because of how scared you are. So we don't say I'm going to be biting my nails while watching this.
Next up, we have [00:13:00] one of the words you're going to hear all the time. You're going to often hear it linked to Simone Biles. Those of you who live in the United States and are watching American media will absolutely hear "the GOAT." Now, in some other countries, if you're watching the news in your language, you may not hear this as much. But "the GOAT" is "the greatest of all time." It is an acronym, meaning that each letter represents a word. So, no, "the GOAT" is not the animal. "The GOAT" just means "greatest of all time." And "the GOAT" is referring to someone who's considered the best in their sport. So, for example, Messi and Ronaldo—some people would consider them "the GOAT" for soccer. For basketball, "the GOAT" is none other than [00:14:00] Michael Jordan. For tennis, many people say that "the GOAT," for women, is going to be Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.
I love tennis, by the way. My favorite player is Rafa. In tennis, there are three GOATs. I do love Roger Federer. Honestly, I do. I really like Roger Federer. He was considered "the GOAT" for a long time, and then Rafa and Djokovic. Djokovic is my least favorite of the big three, but all three of them can be considered "the GOAT."
And so, we love to say that someone is "the GOAT" and then we debate about it. Anytime Americans are talking about sports, we're going to bring up "the GOAT."
Next up, we see the word "front runner." I'm going to talk about the "front runner," and I'm going to also talk about the "underdog." So, the "front runner," or we also say "the favorite," so we could say Emma is the favorite to win, or we could say Emma is the front [00:15:00] runner. This is the leading competitor in a competition, in a sport, but we can also use "front runner" for any kind of candidate, any kind of competitor. We use this also in politics. So, sports and politics. If there is a candidate in politics, in an election, who is the favorite to win, we say they are the front runner. Now, the opposite of a front runner is the "underdog." This is one of the most common words in sports. The underdog is the competitor who is believed to have a very small chance of winning. And we have an expression: "everyone loves an underdog." So, if you have two players, let's say, playing tennis, or if you have a baseball team playing the number one baseball [00:16:00] team, it's very common here to cheer for the underdog.
We also have the phrasal verb here "to warm up." So, Emma was warming up before the competition. "To warm up" is a phrasal verb, but we can use it as a noun: "a warmup." This is to do light exercises, light activities that are preparing your body for more intense activity coming up. So, we do a lot of stretching during this time, muscle stretching, and that is preparing for what is coming.
Next up, we have the expression "to go the distance." To go the distance means to complete a task or to endure or keep going to the end, especially in a race or a competition. He went the distance. He [00:17:00] stuck with it and did not quit.
Next up, we have a few phrasal verbs. The first one is "to pull ahead." This is to move into the lead position in a race or a competition. We could say, "The runner from Portugal pulled ahead of the runner from the USA."
Next up, we have a three-word phrasal verb, meaning there's a verb and two particles at the end: "keep up with." To want to keep up with other runners is to maintain the same speed, the same level, the same pace. So, "come keep up with me" means that you are at the same level, at the same pace in your journey.
Next up, we have another phrasal verb: "to burn out." To burn out means to become [00:18:00] exhausted or to lose enthusiasm due to a long period of stress, a long period of activity. Burnout—it's like your battery is dead, and you need to recharge it.
Next up, we have the word "clutch." Clutch means performing well under pressure or in critical moments. So, we say, "Oh, he's clutch," "she's clutch." That means that this person does extremely well under pressure and they deliver. It's like making the winning shot in basketball or kicking the winning goal in soccer, hitting the home run that wins the baseball game. So, to be clutch means that you do well under pressure and that you deliver on your promises.
Next up is "catch [00:19:00] up," which could be "catch up with" or "catch up to," but let's talk about "catch up." So, catch up is to reach the same level or position as others after you have fallen behind. So, you started together and then you kind of got a little bit behind, but now you want to be at the same level. So, we're going to say "catch up."
Next up, we have "to throw in the towel." This means to give up or admit that you have been defeated. We say, "Oh, I don't want to throw in the towel just yet. Let me try a little bit more." This means to quit.
Next up, we have "give it your best shot." Jackie was giving it her best shot, determined not to throw in the towel. "Shot" is like an opportunity, a chance. To give something your [00:20:00] best shot is to try as hard as you can. You put 100% of your effort and your energy into something because you really want to get it.
To throw in the towel, on the other hand, is when you quit. You give up or you admit that you are defeated. There's no chance for you to win. And so, that's it. You're just throwing in the towel. I'm deciding to not do this anymore.
Next up, it says that Sarah and Emma were "neck and neck." Neck and neck actually means at the same level. It means that there's a tie. No one is winning. They are at exactly the same level. There's another expression that means the same thing, which is "a dead heat." It says, "As they approached the finish [00:21:00] line, it became a dead heat between Emma and Sarah." A dead heat also means that it is exactly even. There's a tie. We don't know who's going to win just yet.
Next, it says Emma's years of training and her ability to "step up" under pressure helped her to maintain the lead. "Step up" here is a phrasal verb, and it means that you take on a challenge. You accept a responsibility at the right time when you have to, even when something is extremely important or crucial. We say, "Wow, she really stepped up."
And the next one is another phrasal verb: "knock out." It says, "In the final [00:22:00] stretch," which means the final parts of the race, Jackie found a burst of energy. She got a lot of energy and she managed to knock out another competitor from a podium finish. "Knock out" is a really common phrasal verb that we hear in boxing, but in a lot of sports we use "knock out." To knock out means to eliminate a competitor from a competition. So, she ran past this other athlete, and because she passed them, they're now not able to get a top spot. To knock out in boxing, for example, he knocked him out or she knocked her out, means that you hit someone so hard that they become unconscious and they [00:23:00] drop to the floor.
Now, here's something crazy. I'm going to give you another definition of "knockout." The slang definition of "knockout" is to fall asleep. So, for example, I might text my friend, "Hey, I'm sorry I missed your call. I knocked out early last night." But again, in the context of this story, for sports, to knock out or be knocked out is to be eliminated. So, we could say, for example, "The USA was knocked out of the competition. Unfortunately, they lost and they are no longer a part of it." And she knocked out another runner so that they couldn't get a podium finish.
Okay, so let's talk about this word "podium," because you're going to hear it all the time if you're watching the Olympics in English. So, a podium is a physical platform. It's a physical thing. It's a platform where the top three competitors stand to receive their medals. So, at the end of the race, the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners will [00:24:00] be standing on top of a platform that has three different levels: gold on top, then silver, then bronze. That is called the podium. However, we've kind of turned it into a verb of sorts, because we'll say, "He really wants to podium." And so, we've turned it into a verb, meaning that this person wants to get into the top three. They want to finish in the top three. And so, that's why it says that she knocked her out from being able to podium. She passed the third athlete. The third runner, and now that runner is going to be fourth place and she's going to podium, but the other runner is not.
Notice here by the way. It says Sarah took silver. So we use the word win, right? So it says Emma, won gold. Okay. , Sarah took silver. And so [00:25:00] we use the word take for medals. Yeah, my team took gold. Woo-hoo. And this is a very common way to talk about. A win. In any sport? Oh, we took second place. We took last place, unfortunately. We can say. We won. First place. We got first place. We took first place. But we don't say that we won. Any other position? if you're in third place, you wouldn't say we won third place. We say we got third place. , we took third.
Emma's victory added another gold to her impressive medal haul. We're going to be using this expression a lot. A, medal haul. Is a total number of metals won by an athlete. Or team, and it's interesting because the word haul. Now, this is not H a L L like the hallway. It's not that. It's H a U. [00:26:00] L. And to haul something is to pull something.
We reviewed this in a previous episode. But to haul. Is to take to carry. To move sometimes to transport in a vehicle. So here in the United States, we have a moving company called U haul. And if you've ever come to the U S you might see trucks that say U haul and on social media, actually, you may see this verb a lot. Like, , book haul, grocery haul. Here's my Amazon haul is a very common word right now. And so a medal haul is how many medals have you brought in? have you won?
it says that the race was clean and that there was no evidence of doping. This is slang for use of performance enhancing drugs by athletes. So doping is basically using [00:27:00] drugs. but in the context of sports, Doping is like I said, using illegal substances that will increase your performance. And we always say, oh my gosh, there was a doping scandal.
Or he was a part of a doping scandal. She was caught doping. The word dope is slang for drugs. , which is where that comes from. But it's interesting. Because. The word dope can refer to marijuana or heroin. But in this context, it's specifically for performance enhancing drugs or even just illegal. Substances.
Lastly, we have the phrasal verb. Blow out. , but in the context of this article, It's used. As a noun. it says it looked like it might be a blowout. With Emma in the lead. , a , blowout is a competition where one [00:28:00] person or one team. He wins by a really large margin. So, , if a soccer team football team wins five to one, it's a blowout. , in a race, if someone finishes by more than, , five seconds, it's a blowout. And so a blowout again is a competition where one side wins by a very large number.
Well, That's it for the words that you learned in this episode?
You just learned some really, really valuable. English vocabulary that you can use. Right now, if you're in an English speaking country, Go talk to someone about the Olympics or if you're in your own country right now. Find a friend who speaks English. Who's learning English alongside with you. And go practice with them. Or go write some sentences with the words that you just learned. I wish all of your teams, the best of luck in the Olympics. I [00:29:00] can't wish you too much luck because then my country won't win medals. So. Go enjoy watching the Olympics. And any time you hear the goat. I want you to think about me. Okay. And think about the podcast.
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.
