In this mini episode, you will learn an interesting way to use the word “granddaddy.”
Episode 478 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you an interesting way to use the word “granddaddy.” 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
“Hello! This is Elisa from Guangzhou, China. You’re listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 478 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 expression. The expression is “the grandaddy of all (something).” The grandaddy of all (something).
That’s g-r-a-n-d-d-a-d-d-y, of, all, and then something. The granddaddy of all (something).
What does it mean when we use this phrase? When do we use the phrase “the granddaddy of all (something)”?
First of all, what does granddaddy mean? If you haven't seen this word, maybe you can still guess what it means. Granddaddy is another word for grandfather. Some people use the word granddaddy to mean grandfather.
But in this expression, that's not what granddaddy means. When we describe something as the granddaddy of all (something), we are saying that it is the best example of something, or the most important example of something, or the most impressive example, or the most famous example. If we want to say that something is the best example of something, we can call it the granddaddy of all (whatever it is).
Let me give you a couple of examples, and I think you will understand how to use this phrase.
“The Olympics is the granddaddy of all sporting events.” The Olympics is the granddaddy of all sporting events. When I say that, I'm saying the Olympics is the best example of sporting events. Or the Olympics is the most impressive sporting event, or the most important sporting event. It is the best sporting event in some way. The best because it is the biggest, or the first, or the most important, or the most impressive.
Somebody could also say, “Apple is the granddaddy of all technology companies.”
If you say that Apple is the granddaddy of all technology companies, you are saying Apple is the best example of a technology company. Apple is the most important, or the most impressive, or the biggest technology company.
When you want to say that something is the best example of something, or it is the most impressive, or the most important, or the most historically significant, or the first, or the biggest, you can describe it as the granddaddy of all whatever it is, whatever the category is.
And that is “the granddaddy of all (something),” an interesting phrase that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 478 of Everybody ESL. Remember: If you have any 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 Elisa 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!