In this mini episode, you will learn the phrase “hit the spot.”
Episode 349 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the phrase “hit the spot.” 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
“Hi, everybody! This is Kirsten, from China. And you are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 349 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 idiom. And that idiom is “to hit the spot.” To hit the spot. That’s hit—h-i-t, the, spot—s-p-o-t. Hit the spot. What does it mean when we say that something hits the spot?
If something hits the spot, that means it gives complete and total satisfaction. It makes you feel completely satisfied. It is the perfect thing to make you feel satisfied.
We usually use this idiom when we are talking about eating or drinking something. But that’s not the only time we use it.
If you want to understand why “hit the spot” means “give complete satisfaction,” you can think of this situation:
Imagine that there is a certain place—a certain spot—on your back that itches. It is itching and it is driving you crazy. And you are trying to reach that spot on your back, but you can’t quite find it. You can’t quite reach it. Where is it? You’re not quite sure.
And then, your friend—your very good friend—reaches over and scratches your back. And your friend scratches your back in exactly the right place, in exactly the right spot. I guess you could say your friend has hit the spot. Your friend is scratching in exactly the right spot to make you feel good, to make you satisfied, to make your itching go away.
That’s a way that you can understand why this expression has that meaning.
Now, let me give you a more typical situation where you might hear someone use the phrase “hit the spot.”
Imagine that somebody has been working outside in the hot sun all afternoon. And they come inside, and they go to the refrigerator, and they grab a bottle of beer, or a bottle of soda, or a bottle of water. Whatever it is. They grab a cold drink, and they open the bottle, and they drink the drink. And they say, “Ahhh! That hits the spot.”
In other words, “That cold drink gave me complete satisfaction. I really needed that. That was the perfect thing for that moment.”
That is “hit the spot,” a common and useful idiom that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 349 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 Kirsten 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!