hey Aubrey how's everything going today excellent I've been having a great morning actually I I
don't know do you ever just like wake up in a really great mood yeah better than others today
was really good well I'm glad to hear that yeah it definitely happens to me Sunshine really helps oh
yeah is it a sunny day today actually it's not so that's funny it's a little bit a little cloudier
which is a good thing in Arizona because it's always sunny right I love it yeah yeah yeah I
have a question for you here Lindsay this is going to be so interesting today but I'm wondering have
you ever been lost oh oh I'm trying to think no nothing I can really think of right now
um I guess there's been like a few like things where I thought maybe I was lost and I wasn't what
about you it sounds like you have a story oh yeah just briefly I was I was hiking by myself actually
which is probably never wise but a slap canyon near Moab and I thought it was about a two mile
Loop and I hiked and I was I had hiked about seven miles and after about two or three miles I started
really being worried because it was supposed to loop back to the trailhead turned out I just
didn't realize it's actually an eight mile Loop so I wasn't really lost I was on the trail but I
thought I was for a few miles which was very scary and even though you know it was only about an hour
I can't imagine being lost for days especially you know an unfamiliar area we are excited to
get into this this um Jonathan acostos his name recently was featured in the news he was lost in
the Amazon jungle and survived 31 days he's from Bolivia I'm so amazed but also kind of horrified
to think about what it would be like to go through that yeah I love survival stories well obviously
especially when they end in a good way absolutely I think it Taps into a lot of human emotions
um Aubry I hope you don't go hiking in Moab by yourself anymore it really reminds made me think
of the movie with James Franco where he ended up like cutting off his arm do you remember like he
went to Morris I think yeah I think it was in Utah somewhere you went mountain biking crazy dude like
I can do anything and then he falls into a canyon and gets stuck there and he's there for like a
week and he has to cut off his arm to get out of the Canyon it's crazy so please don't make a Story
Don't hike alone guys no I know I think that's the only time I ever did because I like woke up early
everyone was still asleep and we had um gone to these slot canyons the day before and my little
twins were babies and had fallen asleep in the car so everyone hiked the [ __ ] Canyon but me I
had to stay behind with the babies yeah so I felt like oh they all did this hike it was safe it was
pretty easy and and I thought it was like about two miles because it didn't take them very long
turned out they just sort of went in and came back they didn't do the whole Loop so anyway it felt
safe because I you know I was a little familiar but still it's still not a good idea don't hike
alone all right that's our PSA our Public Service Announcement well let's get into this story more
so this guy was hiking in the Bolivian jungle right close to the Amazon or essentially it is
the Amazon I've been to that part of Bolivia before actually and it is technically I think
in the Amazon or right on the border of it that's what it was reported as it said lost in the Amazon
jungle which I I haven't been there myself but I've seen quite a few films that feature that area
and it seems like it'd probably be the scariest place just the all of the animals and snakes and
everything that could potentially happen I would be thinking of the whole time yeah the Amazon is
probably one of the wildest parts of the whole world yeah and being by yourself we don't know
what kind of survival skills he had so give us a little more detail how did he get separated
and what happened what how did it so this is a very breaking news right now because we record
a little bit in advance police are certainly are currently sort of investigating talking because he
was separated from four friends when they were out hunting in Northern Bolivia and so we don't have
a lot of details yet I'm wondering how much will come up you know you guys listening might want to
to look into it because I think more and more will come out to find out sort of details about that so
he did have a gun with him but he had very limited ammunition and he ended up having to use his last
bullet to scare away a group of peccaries which I hadn't heard of this animal sounds like a javelina
here in Arizona a pig like mammal but when there's a CR a group of them of course that's deadly
oh scary I think I'd yeah it's like a wild hog or something I think yeah oh it sounds terrifying and
jaguars geez that seems like this stuff of movies to me doesn't it and being stalked by a Jaguar oh
but he survived 31 days I am so inspired by this story he ate worms and insects he collected rain
water in his shoes so he clearly had good survival instincts possibly some training I don't know if I
could survive 31 days alone in the Amazon I'd like to believe I could but it's doubtful there's no
way I would survive I have zero survival skills like I would I would die the first day or two
yeah out for the count right I loved that he um was very emotional about the fact that people
continued to search for him for this length of time right he was found by a group of friends and
locals that were still searching after 31 days he heard them and started yelling and running toward
them and this is how he was rescued and if people hadn't continued had given up hadn't continued he
likely would not have survived oh thank God thank God okay so in today's episode you know we're
pulling in a current event that's interesting and everyone is going to take well I think it's human
nature to care about survival right when we're in those moments we do everything we possibly
can to survive it's like something that kicks in to the human brain and so when we hear these
stories it's almost like we're transported to being that person being chased by a Jaguar right
there's something we really connect with this guy absolutely right our adrenaline starts to to
increase our heart races a little bit imagining because we have that human connection right the
solidarity of knowing we potentially could be in his shoes so it could be in that same position
100 100 I've seen a lot of documentaries of Everest I watched these I don't know why I'm just
fascinated by survival documentaries right where like especially Adventure Travel and Adventure
Sports like hiking you know places in yeah Asia there's lots of stuff have you have you read
that book about um Everest what is that by John krakauer it's a really good story they've made
it into a film as well right I haven't read the book but I did see the film and it was I I feel
like they I know why you are attracted to those stories right because not only is there the sort
of fear and excitement adrenaline but also it's very um motivating to be inspired by what someone
else is able to survive yeah and you have you get kind of a glimpse into what you could do or what
this person it's a story of yeah human Triumph exactly so I would imagine our listeners might
want to watch documentaries like this or talk about this story in English absolutely right yes
right if you see something like this in the news just like Lindsay and I did it's so interesting
to talk about right you say did you hear about the guy who got lost in the Amazon jungle and survived
for 31 days that's the best kind of conversation like how interesting is that to to chat about and
and to be inspired by yeah I love it so today we're going to share we're going to share some
idioms that our listeners can deploy in these conversations yeah exactly right if you have
that conversation with someone there are some great idioms in English about being in a very
difficult situation or making the best of a tough situation and you'll want to use these idioms to
make the conversation that much more interesting yeah let's get into it so the first one is one
that I feel like is I feel like this expression has been around forever it just feels very classic
right and the expression is in Dire Straits to be in to be in Dire Straits right the 2B verb here
guys it means really just to be in serious trouble trouble or having a major difficulty right exactly
right we'll give you a couple example sentences for example when I forgot to bring water on the
hike I realized I was in Dire Straits right oh my gosh I was in trouble I was in a difficult
situation yeah and I hope you didn't also forget to bring water on that hike in Moab
luckily not in Arizona we're pretty good about like you have to have water there people have
actually perished from not having enough water on a hike in the desert oh my gosh places in the
west it's no joke on the East Coast you leave your water at home you'll probably be okay but in the
west I mean yeah right Giardia but you won't die at least yeah die of giardia but right which is
worse all right so here's another sample sentence I feel like I'm in dire straits because I've been
assigned a project at work that I don't feel qualified for yeah so what what's the threshold
in your mind Aubrey for using this expression yeah so like how serious does the situation have to be
um it definitely needs to be an actual like difficulty or struggle it can't be like Oh
I'm in dire straits I've forgot my um phone but I went and got it right it's something that's not
a big deal but I do feel like there are times at work where I feel like I'm in over my head right
I and then I think this would be appropriate to be like I'm kind of in Dire Straits I'm stuck in
this situation right I don't I feel like I've been assigned something I don't feel qualified
for it I'm not sure what to do that can definitely qualify but you're right it needs to be a pretty
serious situation it's not something we use to like make light of something right so pretty
serious either like you're physically in trouble or like you said you're concerned because you're
worried that you know your reputation at work is in is in danger or something like that right
exactly yes so what's number two okay so this one is to be at one's Wits End right I'm at my Wit's
End which is that you're worried or confused or annoyed and you so you don't know what to do next
um so let's share this I use this a lot I'm at my wit's end with my children a lot I think is when
I say that I bet so maybe that's annoyed right or just sort of like oh right I'm worried yeah
it could be worried or annoyed I think both yeah yeah it depends on the context because we do use
it for both okay I love that at once I like how these phrases are kind of classic sounding today
right they're classic um or one of the members of my team so this is at work one of the members
of my team isn't pulling their weight I'm at my wits end all right so nice and I love that um
bonus pulling their weight right meaning they're not accomplishing what they're assigned they're
not doing their fair share to say someone isn't pulling their weight I'm at my Wit's End meaning
and that could be both right I'm worried about the outcome I'm frustrated by this team teammate yeah
and it's important to note here with wit's end it's the end of something so with the team thing
you really wouldn't use this on the first day of the team meeting when you've just been assigned
to that team right it doesn't make any sense maybe one would say maybe I'm frustrated I'm frustrated
it has to really be it's quite a we're not going to say a certain amount of time but it has to feel
like it's been going on for a while I think yeah I can see that and but we do use it here's another
example when I was hiking right um I might say I wandered up I wandered off the trail and I was at
my Wit's End when I couldn't find it and that just means like I was really extremely worried pretty
quickly right you wander off the trail for a good you know a few minutes I think you could say like
oh I'm at my Wit's End and so that's a good point though you wouldn't if you're a little frustrated
with something at the beginning we wouldn't say this it needs to be like Oh I'm really worried or
I'm really frustrated because this has been an issue for a little while right it has to match
the seriousness of the situation your situation hiking was serious because like you were in danger
being lost potentially right so that yeah as soon as you're really worried oh you're what's that
yeah yeah exactly so that's a good example all right okay Aubry we have a third and I
like this one what is this tough it out which I can definitely imagine Jonathan right who's
in the news this man from Bolivia this is what he did right he for 31 days he toughed it out
this is to deal with a difficult situation without becoming less certain of your goal or plan and I
guess you know hopefully hopefully he believed that he was going to survive be rescued either
way you're toughing it out if you're not giving up yeah you have to keep your belief right you can't
give up you really can't give up wow so here's some sample sentences our tent started leaking
when it rained but we toughed it out all night so what does that mean so you just kind of slept in
the water yeah but you're like there's nowhere else we can go We're Not Gonna hike out in the
night it's this has happened to me before we're in a tent and it's leaking on us so we just kind
of move our sleeping bags to the edge to try not to be dripped on and you just tough it out like
you just sleep with the water coming in there there's nothing else you can do yeah that's the
worst I know any other samples and then you can say unfortunately we're on a very tight budget for
this project but we're just going to have to tough it out right so that might mean like our budget
is not what we would like but we're just gonna make the best of the situation and tough it out
yeah so as you guys can see in this episode we've had examples for the business world and for just
your world your social life outside of work so all these phrases do work in both places right
absolutely we use them in business English we also use them with just friends and family talking
about hiking getting lost right they're applicable for both absolutely okay let's do a role play so
here you and I are discussing a challenge that I recently faced here we go are you ready yes
okay I missed a flight coming home yesterday and there were no other available flights I was at
my wits end oh no what did you do it sounds like you were really in Dire Straits yep to
make matters worse there were no hotels available so I had to tough it out and sleep at the airport
it sounds like this past holiday season when I was trying to get back oh man did you have
to sleep in the airport I've never had to do that I've never had to do that so but we had
flights canceled three four five times delays up to eight hours at a time I feel like this happens
a lot around the holidays right and it could be that staff has requested time off and not been
allowed it so they call in sick and they're just super short staffed yeah I think I think Southwest
had like a disaster with their computer system is what happened there that'll do it too they didn't
keep their infrastructure up to date so now they have to update that stuff yeah for sure let's go
through this so you first used I was at my Wit's End and this is applicable here right if you get
a flight canceled you're trained to get home for you know a holiday important time or work
and there are no other other flights I would be at my Wit's End oh my gosh so many people this past
holiday literally missed Christmas and Powerless like they didn't they had to go home like they
went to the airport trying to get somewhere for for the holiday and ended up just going back home
after waiting in the airport for a couple of days I mean it happened to my neighbors they went to
Florida and then they missed their flight and so Christmas was just waiting for them at home when
they got there like December 27th third oh my gosh it was a disaster yeah so that's a great example
of you know so many people in the airport were at their wit's end between December 24th and you know
January 3rd because it went on for quite a while I feel like this is really where someone's true
character shows like are you able to remain you know kind and respectful to like airport workers
when you are at your Wit's End that is a skill it's not easy it's not easy easy a lot of us get
frustrated and impatient oh for sure and then let's see okay and then going back to our role
play here guys oh no what did you do right it sounds like you were really in Dire Straits is
the next thing that you said I'll bring it so I'm empathizing here right you're sharing this awful
thing that happened to you if you tell me you were at your wit's end this applies to be like
oh no it sounds like you were in Dire Straits what happened right and it's empathy right this
is empathy this is connection having something we talk about this a lot on others English when
someone shares something that's serious or funny or anything you need to be able to reflect back
guys with another vocabulary word that mirrors that that level of seriousness right yes and this
is the perfect example right if you have now that you have this vocabulary you'll be able to do that
someone shares this intense frustrating experience and you'll be able to have something to to say to
let them know that you're feeling their pain ah that is huge that is such a connection moment
and then the last thing right there were no hotels available so I had to tough it out just and sleep
at the airport yeah yeah right so just making the best of a difficult situation there are no
hotels what are you gonna do you tough it out you sleep on the chair exactly what should our
listeners keep in mind as we finish up today yeah so I love the idea of following Jonathan's example
right he persevered in this extremely difficult situation and the same is definitely applicable
for you guys with your English right you're here you're listening to an amazing podcast
learning this great vocabulary you're going to face challenges in your English learning journey
and you can't let them hold you back yeah let's tough it out let's tough it out with our English
guys and then that final piece that I think is so key is like I said before the ability to respond
with an equal kind of a vocabulary word that matches right we well that's what kind of human
connection is is sort of matching someone it's the mirror neurons absolutely it would be sort
of a misconnection if all you could say is like oh that sounds terrible yeah you're not if you
instead have this interesting vocabulary to really share oh it sounds like you were at your Wit's End
I'm sorry that happened that's really elevating the connection yeah that's gonna deepen it I love
it so good okay Aubry this has been a really good one guys hit follow on the allers English podcast
and also Aubry where else can our listeners find you you're all over the place where yes if you
happen to be studying for IELTS you definitely want to follow the IELTS energy podcast Jessica
and I are recording over there two episodes every week with all of the strategies vocab you need to
get the score you need on the IELTS exam yeah it is such a good way to prep for IELTS you
know we don't have to be bored when we prepare for this important exam actually we shouldn't
because we can get a higher score you know our brain is we're engaged if we're learning in an
interesting way for sure we've got it over there for you guys so go to the search bar right now
type in IELTS energy and you will see that show pop up hit follow right over there good stuff
all right Aubry I'll talk to you soon thanks for hanging out see you next time bye foreign [Music]