In this mini episode, you will learn the useful expression “day job.”
Episode 333 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the useful expression “day job.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“This is Ilahe, from Azerbaijan. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 333 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 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 and useful expression. And that expression is day job,. Day job. That’s day: d-a-y, job: j-o-b. Day job.
Can you guess what a day job is? It sounds like it is a job that you do during the daytime, but that’s not exactly what it means. It’s more specific than that.
A day job is a job that you do during the day that is a regular kind of job. when what you really want to do is something more creative.
For instance, if somebody really wants to be a professional musician, but they have a hard time finding work as a musician, they probably have to have a day job. They probably have to have a regular job where they can earn enough money to pay for all of the things they need while they try to become a musician.
We usually talk about creative or artistic people having day jobs. A day job is a less interesting job that you have while you try to pursue some artistic or creative career.
And one thing that unkind audiences say to musicians or comedians who they don’t think are very good is “Don’t quit your day job.”
In other words, unkind audiences might say, “You are not very good at being a musician or a comedian or something like that. You should make sure that you keep your regular job, the job where you actually earn some money.”
It’s not a very nice thing to say, but that has become a kind of set expression: Don’t quit your day job. That is kind of an insulting or unkind thing to say to a creative or artistic person who is performing.
And that is day job, an interesting and useful expression that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 333 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Ilahe 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!