In this mini episode, you will learn the common phrase “down memory lane."
Episode 406 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you the common phrase “down memory lane.” 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, everyone! This is Ellie, from China. You’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 406 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 tell you about an interesting and common phrase. The phrase is “down memory lane.” Down memory lane. That’s d-o-w-n, m-e-m-o-r-y, l-a-n-e. Down memory lane.
What does “down memory lane” mean? Does this make you think of anything? Can you guess what this might mean?
“Down memory lane” is about remembering old times. Another word for that is reminiscing. “Down memory lane” has to do with thinking about old times, thinking about your past, thinking about your life when you were young.
You will usually hear “down memory lane” used in a longer phrase, like “to go down memory lane,” “to walk down memory lane,” “to take a trip down memory lane.” If you do one of these things—if you go down memory lane, or walk down memory lane, or take a trip down memory lane—that means you are thinking about or talking about old times. You are thinking or talking about your past. You are thinking or talking about the time when you were young. It always means thinking or talking about your past.
It doesn’t mean thinking or talking about life 100 years ago or 200 years ago or something like that. It means thinking about your own past. And it usually has a happy, positive feeling. It means thinking in a positive way, thinking in a happy way about the past.
Why do you think we say “memory lane” when we are talking about this? What is memory lane? What does that mean?
Memory lane sounds like the name of a street. Here in the United States, streets usually end with the word street or road or lane or avenue. Streets have names like First Street or Maple Street—maple is a kind of tree—or West Avenue or Sunset Lane. Something like that.
The names of streets sometimes end in the word lane, l-a-n-e. This is the same word you see in the phrase “memory lane.”
The idea here, I think, is that when we talk about going down memory lane, we are talking about it as though it is a place we are going. We are walking down this special street in the neighborhood. A street called Memory Lane. A street that is all about your happy memories. When I hear somebody talk about memory lane or going down or walking down memory lane, I imagine them traveling down a street in the neighborhood or traveling down a street in the city.
And for whatever reason, this is the way that we often describe this activity. This is the way we often describe the activity of thinking and talking about happy things from your past, happy memories from your past.
And that is “down memory lane,” an interesting and common phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 406 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 Ellie• 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!