Culips Everyday English Podcast

What does a name really say about a person? In this episode, Andrew and Indiana talk about baby names and the stories behind them. They chat about how naming has changed in North America since the 1950s. You’ll also hear about old-fashioned virtue names, why so many parents today want something different, and the existence of “middle names” in the U.S. and Canada.

Culips Meetup in Seoul!

If you are in Korea, come and meet us in person at the Culips Meetup in Seoul on July 19, from 2 to 4 PM. RSVP here.

To build your fluency, try listening to the episode more than once and saying the new expressions out loud until you feel comfortable using them yourself.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Popular baby name data (U.S. Social Security Administration)

List of Korean surnames (Wikipedia)

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

At opposite ends of the spectrum

A hat tip to (something)

A copycat

Claim to fame

To fit in

To stand out

How do you like your eggs? It sounds like a small question, but the answer can tell you a lot about a person. In this episode, Andrew surprises his co-host Kassy with a list of weird, wacky, and random questions. She hasn’t seen them before, so you get to hear her real, unplanned answers. They talk about all sorts of everyday things, from what they would want to be famous for to how they wake up in the morning, and they use some natural expressions that native speakers say all the time.

Culips Meetup in Seoul!

If you are in Korea, come and meet us in person at the Culips Meetup in Seoul on July 19, from 2 to 4 PM. RSVP here.

To build your fluency, try listening to the episode more than once and saying the new expressions out loud until you feel comfortable using them yourself.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

Infamous

No holds barred

To zonk out

Dogs

Up and at ’em

To come full circle

In this bonus episode, Andrew shares a few quick updates from behind the scenes at Culips and tells a story about following the World Cup as a fan with more than one team to cheer for. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and improve your listening fluency.

Culips Meetup in Seoul!

If you are in Korea, come and meet us in person at the Culips Meetup in Seoul on July 19. RSVP here.

Free study guide: This episode comes with a free study guide for everyone. Download it to review the vocabulary, follow along with the episode, and practice using the new expressions.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

RSVP for the Culips meetup in Seoul

Become a Culips member

Join the Culips Discord server

Have you ever asked the internet about a health problem before asking a doctor? In this episode, Andrew and Anna talk about using AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for health advice, and whether you can really trust them. Andrew shares a small health problem of his own and the answer he got from AI, and together they work out when a chatbot is actually helpful and when it is time to see a real doctor. Along the way they get into how confident these tools sound, who should be responsible when the advice is wrong, and what a visit to the doctor might look like in the future.

Culips Meetup in Seoul!

If you are in Korea, come and meet us in person at the Culips Meetup in Seoul on July 19, from 2 to 4 PM. RSVP here.

To build your fluency, try listening to the episode more than once and saying the new expressions out loud until you feel comfortable using them yourself.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode.

Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To get something checked out

First port of call

To take something with a grain of salt

Off you trot

Hypochondriac

To go through the roof

What do you think is hiding on a 20-year-old iPod that someone forgot in a drawer? In this episode, Andrew and Indiana share three news stories and trends they came across recently. The first is about a woman who buys old iPods and shares the playlists she finds on them, like a small window into strangers’ lives. After that, they talk about a new idea for spending less time on your phone, and a surprising change in what makes food popular today.

To build your fluency, try listening to the episode more than once and saying the new expressions out loud until you feel comfortable using them yourself.

The Best Way to Learn with This Episode:

Culips members get an interactive transcript, a helpful study guide, and ad-free audio for this episode. Take your English to the next level by becoming a Culips member. Become a Culips member now: Click here

Members can access the ad-free version: Click here.

Join our Discord community to connect with other learners and get more English practice. Click here to join.

Stories mentioned in this episode:

iPod archaeology (NPR):

The analog bag trend:

Texture is the new flavor:

Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode:

To come across someone’s desk

Time capsule

To have dirt on someone

To hold something over someone

In vogue

To have hang-ups