Native English Expressions | Ep.18

Do you feel lost when listening to native speakers? It’s likely because textbook English isn’t enough. Welcome to Native Expressions Ep.18.

Real conversations are full of idioms, phrasal verbs, and cultural nuances. This series curates authentic expressions directly from podcasts and YouTube videos to help you sound more natural and confident.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 1 – 10

virtue signaling

showing moral opinions mainly to look good to others
She avoided virtue signaling and focused on explaining her real experience online.

let results speak

to prove something through outcomes, not words
Instead of arguing online, she chose to let results speak.

anonymous

not showing your real name or identity
People often feel braver online when they stay anonymous.

talk trash

to insult or speak badly about someone
Some users talk trash online because they feel anonymous.

get used to

to become familiar with something over time
She had to get used to harsh comments after posting videos online.

negative feedback loop

a cycle where negative reactions cause more negativity
Constant insults can create a negative feedback loop that is hard to escape.

on the flip side

used to introduce the opposite point
On the flip side, confidence can change how people respond to you.

make yourself a victim

to see yourself as powerless or unfairly treated
When you make yourself a victim, others may treat you that way.

act like prey

to behave in a weak or fearful way
If you act like prey online, some people may try to attack you.

project

to show your thoughts or feelings to others
People often project their anger online without realizing it.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 11 – 20

flip it

to change something to the opposite way
She decided to flip it and see criticism as motivation.

respect the hustle

to admire someone’s hard work and effort
Even if they disagreed, she could respect the hustle behind the success.

ethical and moral compass

a person’s sense of right and wrong
Their ethical and moral compass guided how they built their career.

scoreboard

results or success that show who is winning
In business, the scoreboard matters more than opinions.

overwhelmed

feeling stressed because there is too much to handle
New creators often feel overwhelmed by too many platforms.

get something rolling

to successfully start a process
Posting consistently helped her get things rolling online.

diversification

spreading efforts to reduce risk
She used diversification by sharing content on many platforms.

law of average

the idea that results balance out over time
Trusting the law of average made her content strategy feel safer.

tornado

a very strong, violent wind that causes damage
The sudden crisis hit the team like a tornado and changed everything fast.

breeze

a light, gentle wind or something that feels easy
The wind was just a breeze, so walking outside felt comfortable.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 21 – 30

get rolling

to start moving or begin to work successfully
Once she posted regularly, the project started to get rolling.

survivorship bias

focusing only on people who succeeded and ignoring failures
She warned that success stories online often hide survivorship bias.

anomaly

something unusual or not normal
Going viral from one post is an anomaly, not a standard result.

portfolio theory

the idea of spreading risk across different options
Using many platforms follows basic portfolio theory.

rule of diversification

not putting all effort into one place
Creators reduce risk by following the rule of diversification.

accusations

claims that someone did something wrong
She faced false accusations online without clear proof.

ludicrous

so strange it is hard to take seriously
The online accusations sounded ludicrous to her.

refute

to prove that something is false
She struggled to refute rumors spread online.

annoyed

slightly angry or bothered
She felt annoyed by constant negative comments.

gnarly

very unpleasant or aggressive
A gnarly commenter kept attacking her online.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 31 – 40

trolled

attacked or provoked online for fun
Creators often get trolled when they gain attention.

go ham

to put extreme effort into one thing
Some people say to go ham on one platform only.

burn out

to become exhausted from too much effort
She diversified so she would not burn out.

endurance sport

something that requires long-term effort
She treated content creation like an endurance sport.

sprint

a short effort done very fast
She avoided treating her career like a sprint.

aside

a comment added briefly, not the main point
He made an aside before returning to the main topic.

tagging

mentioning someone online so they are notified
He kept tagging her in posts to get her attention.

pissed

very angry or upset
It was hard to tell if he was pissed or just quiet.

pouring

putting a large amount of time, money, or energy into something
He was pouring a lot of money into social media marketing.

get lapped

to be passed by someone faster or more hardworking
If you do not work every day, others will get lapped you.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 41 – 50

take shots

to try many times to succeed
The speaker told them to take more shots.

northstar

a main guiding goal
She said she has no single northstar.

brand matters

an important reputation or image
The teacher helps students build a brand that matters.

rather be A than B

to prefer one thing over another
She would rather be rich than famous.

obsess on something

to think about something all the time
To earn more, you must obsess on brand.

on the back of something

using something as a foundation
She built businesses on the back of her online following.

reputation

what people think about someone or something
A business reputation drives revenue.

tune in

to watch or listen
The host asked people to tune in.

ultimate differentiator

the key thing that sets you apart
Brand is the ultimate differentiator today.

acknowledge

to accept something as true
Some investors will not acknowledge this change.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 51 – 60

capital

money used to invest or start a business
Capital alone is not enough today.

distribution is king

reaching people matters most
She said distribution is king now.

cringe

a feeling of embarrassment
She felt cringe sharing her first content.

look silly

to seem foolish
Others may say you look silly.

the normal thing

the usual or expected way
She said not to do the normal thing.

have no attention

to not be noticed
A great product can fail if you have no attention.

ego thing

something done mainly to feel important or admired
Building an audience should not be an ego thing.

personal brand

your public image and reputation
A personal brand helps you reach customers.

unfair advantage

a strong benefit over others
Owning distribution gives you an unfair advantage.

walking ad platform

someone who can promote things using their own audience
She became her own walking ad platform.

Native Expressions Ep.18 | 61 – 70

face adversity

to deal with difficulties
She had to face adversity early on.

two sides of the coin

two opposite views of one situation
There are two sides of the coin.

fame

being widely known by many people
She gained fame through online content.

Excel junkie

someone who uses spreadsheets all the time
She was an Excel junkie before fame.

spice up something

to make something more interesting
She joked that using certain bold words can spice up the conversation.

have a chuckle

to laugh quietly
She had a chuckle at the difference.

hater ratio

the number of critics compared to supporters
Fame brings a high hater ratio.

hell hath no fury like

used to describe extreme anger
She said hell hath no fury like an unhappy man online.

harder burden

heavier responsibilities
Men often carry a harder burden.

trolls

people who post offensive comments online
trolls try to get reactions.