In this mini episode, you will learn the expression “over the top.”
Episode 284 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the expression “over the top.” 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
“This is Marwa from Iraq, and you’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 284 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
In this episode, I am going to teach you an interesting phrase. And that phrase is “over the top.” Over the top. That’s over—o-v-e-r, the—t-h-e, top—t-o-p. “Over the top.”
What does this phrase mean?
Usually we use this phrase to say that a situation or the way somebody is acting is too much. It is so much that it is unreasonable or somehow inappropriate. It’s so much that there’s something wrong with it. Maybe it is annoying, or maybe it’s just strange. Or maybe it just seems wrong.
Let me give you an example of a situation where someone might use the phrase “over the top.”
Let’s say that one of your friends is having a birthday soon, and another one of your friends is planning a birthday party. That friend did so much to prepare for the birthday party. They put up balloons and streamers and all kinds of other decorations. And they invited fifty people to come to the party. And they have so much food you can’t believe it.
You might look at this room with all of its decorations, and you might look at all of the guests—fifty guests—and you might consider all of the planning that went into this party. And you might tell your friend, “I think this is over the top.” I think this is over the top.
In other words, “I think this is too much. I think you did too much. This is not reasonable. We were going to have a small birthday party, and you turned it into this huge celebration. This is over the top. It’s too much. It’s unreasonable. It’s so much that I think there’s something wrong with it.”
That’s what “over the top means.” It describes something that just seems too much. It’s so much that it’s unreasonable or inappropriate somehow.
And “over the top” is a good, useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 284 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments or suggestions for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Marwa recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode, and until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!