This is an all ears English podcast, Episode 15 36, Special delivery for English idioms to up your level.

Welcome to the All Ears English podcast downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts. Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer, and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl coming to you from Colorado and New York City U.

S a are you getting deliveries more often now in today's episode?

Get for fun ways to use the word deliver in English.

Hello, Lindsey, how are you? Hey, Michelle, I'm feeling good, how are you? I'm so excited about the Android app coming out really soon. You know, we are aiming for this week is our goal for the Android app to be out so our listeners can finally get the transcripts right inside the app as they listen to the show?

Yes, yes, yes, absolutely. I'm really excited about that, too, because I know it's like we always get our listeners saying, oh, one of the Android app coming.

And it's so it feels so good to be like, OK, here, here we go. Here it is. Like we're going to do it. Yeah. You know, it only took two years, but finally we have it, guys, and it is awesome. The iOS users are loving it. And now you guys finally have the chance to become premium members in the Android app. So get on the list first so you make sure you get a exclusive email from me when it's ready.

So go to all your English dot com slash android. We're also going to be notifying this list for beta testers. So if you want to be on the inside of all English and become a beta tester with us, what a cool opportunity. Get on that list to all English dot com slash android.

Love it. Oh, okay.

So, wow, today we are going to be talking about idioms and terms with the word delivery because so much depends on getting things delivered, especially nowadays. Right. Lindsy. Oh my gosh. That's all. That's pretty much the only way a lot of us are shopping nowadays. Yeah. Amazon is taking over the world. That's another topic for another day.

I yeah exactly. I mean, yeah. Like lindsy I mean how much stuff do you get sent to. So I get a lot of stuff.

I don't, I'm not like I don't love to shop but I end up getting stuff I well I guess in our house like between me and everyone else in the household I suppose most days there's a delivery.

Yeah. Three, three times a week for a week. It's often.

It's pretty often. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I would say like something like I feel like I've almost become so conditioned to just getting stuff by delivery that it's all. Do you almost feel like a little sad on the days.

You don't. I don't. I'm not there. Thank goodness I'm not there. But I would say that my dog gets the most deliveries, you know, and my son gets the most deliveries. Yeah. It's always like, yeah, there's just everything at your fingertips at any time. So like so I mean you got things on Amazon a lot I'm assuming. Yeah.

Oh for sure. For sure. It seems like everything's on there now but I don't get my groceries delivered. I still am going to the grocery store once a week just trying to you know, I should be doubling up on the math honestly, but I'm just going there with my mask on, ready for battle, going in and just try to do a big trip. And just a warrior warrior. Are you getting your groceries delivered these days? Yeah, I got them.

I got them delivered.

It's just it's too it's too much like with the baby and stuff like I can't really get them to wear the mask to well. So I can't really. And then, you know, it's just, you know, it's a mixture of time and then just, you know, pandak so no, that makes sense.

I think it's brilliant. Why not. Why wouldn't you have your groceries delivered. Right. I mean, jeez, what a pain going to the grocery store. Yeah.

Well the thing is I live very close to a grocery store on one of the great things about moving to where I moved to is that I live so close to a grocery store and now I don't go.

Yeah, well, everything's changed.

Yeah. You know, so things will be different, but yeah. So deliveries. So groceries, Amazon deliveries. What else. Well I mean in the U.S. lindsy I mean we had, we had mail in ballots for the election.

Oh yeah. It was really the first time. I mean there always had been absentee ballots, but it was really the first time that a large percentage, a portion of the electorate did vote by mail. Pretty cool, though.

Yeah, exactly. So there were a whole lot of stuff about the post office at that time and and beyond. And yeah. So another thing and then obviously food delivery. I mean, when the pandemic was first starting, we didn't even get we didn't even order in from a restaurant because we were too scared. We didn't know how things were transferred. I mean, what about you, Lindsay? Yeah, that's true.

Know for a while we weren't getting takeout, but now we like to support local businesses as much as we can. So we'll try to actually go to the restaurant and pick stuff up if possible, instead of going through the delivery apps. You know what I mean? Just because they take so much of a car, I know from the restaurant and I feel so bad. Yeah, I know.

I know. We try and do that as much as we can as well. Or sometimes like, you know, or I'll just call the restaurant directly sometimes instead of going. But sometimes I get lazy and I'd be honest, but I try.

So yeah, that's a little bit about our experience with us. So let's talk about some idioms that are related to delivery, idioms, expressions, words.

So, yes, what's what's the first one, Lindsay? All right.

So a special delivery, a special this is kind of has I know this kind of makes me think of the nineteen fifties a little bit this term special delivery, right.

Yeah. I don't know why. How is this used? Yeah, well, I mean, basically, it's an important delivery. I also hear it when a baby is born. Do you ever hear that like a delivery?

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, yeah, yes. I mean I mean now I mean, I feel like everything's a special delivery because.

And also, you know, you pay more to get delivery at important days or important time. So that might be a special delivery. So let's say like a you spent a lot of money, like you might say, like, oh, this is this is special delivery. I got that special delivery, right?

Oh, yeah, for sure. Like rush delivery for that. I mean, another episode we could go into those technical terms at the at the post office. Right. I need to overnight this right.

To something. Yeah. That's good. OK, I like it so. Yeah. So all right. So here's an example. I could say wow, I just found out you have a special delivery downstairs. You have to go see it, right.

Yeah. Or I heard your special delivery came can. Congrats. What is her name. Right. So that's cute. That's cute. Right. So you're saying, oh you got a baby. I heard your baby arrived. What's your baby's name. So very. And you know, this is important for listeners to know, right? Because if someone says that to you and you've just had a baby, you don't want to say, I didn't get any packages.

Didn't exactly. I was at the hospital. I didn't get any packages. What are you talking about? Oh, my gosh. Yeah. So this one is a very even though it kind of be a little old fashioned sounding, it's important to know I lost.

So the next one is to deliver on something.

Yes. Yeah. So yeah. So to do what needs to be done or what you have to do lindsy. Do you say this.

Oh yeah. For sure. For sure. To deliver on something it means that you know, you can get it done and this is very valued in the business world or in the working world. You can put yourself in a job interview as I can deliver on this. I can get this done. Oh, I can take care of these things. Right, exactly.

I mean, this is actually makes me think about our app, right? So it's like, oh, like our, you know, listeners asked. We are delivering on our, you know, on our promise or, you know.

Yeah, that's true. Absolutely. We are we've gotten it done and now it's going to be ready for you guys very soon. So here's a quote. Here's an example. It's important to deliver on your promise to help her with her job interview. So maybe in this case, you promised your friend or colleague that you'd help them prepare, OK? And now you have to actually fulfill that promise and be there and do what you say you're going to do.

Integrity. That's the key to trust me.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly, exactly. And then the next one is just to deliver. Right. It's just some pretty much the same thing, but it doesn't necessarily have to be delivered on something. Right. So it just mean, like, I did a good job and for some reason I didn't write something here. But, you know, you could basically say like, oh, did you see her presentation? Yeah, she really delivered.

Oh, yeah, I like her. It sounds very native and natural guys. So use that instead of saying she did a good job. Right. Don't say that it's boring. Say something interesting.

OK, I have that connection with your colleagues. OK, so good. Exactly.

And then we have one more. And this is also in a song. And again, who knows if it came from the song or became this, but what is it really. Oh so this term signed, sealed, delivered.

So this is. Yeah I think that's an old song from the fifties, probably. Right. Or the sixties.

I am not sure when, but it's played a lot at weddings is it. Yeah. There are certain songs that are always played at weddings. Yeah.

Half of them are just super cheesy. Yeah. Yeah but I like this one. Yeah. Yeah. So how would you use that in an actual sentence Michelle.

Well I mean it's about something being real or official or done right. Like it's signed, sealed, delivered. It's like it's over. We did it, it's official. So you could say something like OK, so I guess the car is all mine now. Signed, sealed, delivered. Got it.

And I guess in a wedding context, they might play that after Reiby, when you're walking out of the street, you've got the ring on the finger, rings on the fingers and it's done. It's taken care of. Right.

So exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So signed, sealed, delivered. That's a good one. So Lindsay, should we put it all together on roleplay?

Let's do it, Michelle. Let's do it. So here we are roommates and we're about to get the mail. Yeah. OK, Michelle, there's a special delivery for you at the front door.

Oh, my goodness. A diamond watch. Wow. My mom is so thoughtful.

Seriously, she delivered. Yeah, really.

I guess I'll officially send her her gift now. Signed, sealed, delivered.

I have to make sure I deliver on my promise to send my mom a good gift this year since I forgot last year. Well, don't forget Lindsay.

Yeah. Wow. That's a generous mother you have. Yeah I know. I haven't gotten any diamond lunches. Yeah, no.

All right. So here we used a few of these. Right. I said. Well, there's a special delivery for you at the front door, maybe, for example, you got a text where you had to sign for it or something because it's a high value item.

Oh, does that ever happen to you? I don't know how it works with your apartment, but every once in a while I get to my apartment and there's something on the door that says like that they were there, but I needed to be signed for. And then you have to figure out how to get it.

Oh, yeah. Sometimes you have to go down to the post office or arrange a time for them to come again. It does happen sometimes, but I tend not to get super high value items by mail. No, it's not even for a high value.

I remember once it was literally we didn't know what it was like. We had no idea what it was. And then I, I, I had to find a special time to go to the post office. And once they didn't have it and it was sent back and I still didn't know what it was, it was like some trash, some just like junk mail.

Well, that's bizarre. That's so yeah.

That's like the worst. So whenever I see those notices on my hand up my building door, I know you have to beware.

Yeah.

All right. Interesting. So, yeah. And then you said so special delivery and then my mom gave me and that's amazing. And you said seriously, she delivered it. So she did a good job.

That's fun. So that's kind of playing around with language and saying, wow, that's an amazing gift she really delivered.

Right. Exactly. Exactly.

And then what did I say? And then you said, I guess I'll officially tender the gift, sent her her gift now signed, sealed, delivered. So that's just kind of fun. You're just playing around kind of quoting that song a little bit. Just having fun with that. Yeah, exactly. And yeah, it's amazing. Yeah. I mean, I hope I would send my mom a good gift though to that for sure.

And then use that. I'll have I have to make sure I deliver on my promise to send my mom a good this year since I forgot last year. So. Right. So to do it do what needs to be done, what do you have to do and deliver on your promise. Exactly.

So important, so important to do what we say we're going to do. Right. So that people will trust us. Exactly. That is so important. Yeah. I love it.

So what's the takeaway for today, Michelle. This is great. Yeah. Well, I mean, today we talked about, you know, idioms, expressions with the word delivery or deliver.

Right. These are really useful. But we also talked about, you know, things getting delivered within our culture, especially nowadays and what we use, what we don't use. And, you know, how our lives have been impacted by delivery in the past two years.

I know it'd be interesting, guys, if you want to come back to our blog and come back to Episode 15 36 and just let us know, you know, how has your delivery how have your delivery patterns changed for the pandemic? Why are you getting her groceries delivered or what are you doing now at home?

I'd be interested to know. Yeah, to me too.

Well, oh, my gosh. This this was a lot of fun. Lindsy and guys, remember, go to all areas, English, dotcom, android, and find out when you will get a special delivery of a new.

Exactly. Get on the exclusive list guys. That is the list that we will email when the Android app is available. The very first list to hear will be that list. So you want to be on that one. OK, all in English dot com slash android.

Good. All right. Have a good one.

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