This mini episode reveals another “Secret of Native Speakers.” This one is a common way we use the words “warm” and “cold.”
Episode 191 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that reveals another Secret of Native Speakers: an unusual way to use the words warm and cold. (Find other Secrets of Native Speakers in episodes 66, 69, 81, 102, 117, 131, 162, and 166.) Send your questions about English and your suggestions for future episodes to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello. This is Basmah from Saudi Arabia. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 191 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts, on the Stitcher app, and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let's get on with this mini episode.
The episode
For today's episode, I have another... Secret of Native Speakers. That's right. It's another Secret of Native Speakers. These are interesting things that all native speakers learn but are probably not found in textbooks. And today I want to talk about an interesting way that we use the words warm and cold.
We can use the words warm and cold to mean that somebody is getting closer to or farther away from the right answer.
I think the first place native English speakers hear warm and cold used in this way is in a common game that we play when we are kids. One kid hides something somewhere, and another kid or other kids try to find it. If the people who are trying to find it are getting closer to the hidden object, the person will say, “You're getting warm” or “You're getting warmer.” Then, as the people keep searching and trying to find the thing, the other person will say, “Oh, you're getting warmer” or “You're getting colder” to mean that they are getting closer to or farther away from the hidden thing. So, warm and cold—or warmer and colder—can mean “you are getting closer to the right answer” or “you are getting farther away from the right answer.”
Here's another example of warm and cold used in this way: Let's say that your friend tells you that he has bought a very expensive bike. He has bought a very expensive bicycle, and you ask, “Well, how much did it cost?” And your friend says, “Why don't you guess? Guess how much money I spent on this bike.” And you say, “Um... Let's say $200. I guess that you spent $200.” And your friend says, “No, it was more than that.” And you say, “Was it $300?” Your friend says, “You're getting warmer.” That means you're getting closer to the right answer. So you say, “Was it $400?” And your friend says, “You're getting warmer.” And you say, “Was it $500?!” Your friend says, “No, you're getting colder.” And finally you say, “I don't know! Was it $425” And your friend says, “Yes! That's right. The answer was $425.”
So, your friend was using warm and cold—or warmer and colder—as a way of saying, “You're getting closer to the right answer” or “You're getting farther away from the right answer.”
It comes from a game that we all played when we were little kids. But you will hear adults using warm and cold in this way, too.
And that is this episode’s... Secret of Native Speakers.
Outro
And that's the end of episode 191 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have any questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions about the podcast, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can use at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Basmah recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to everybodyESL@gmail.com. I'll be back soon with another episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. Goodbye. I'll see you soon.