Learn English Vocabulary Daily #14.3 — British English Podcast

Hello and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast.

My name is Anna and you're listening to Week 14, Day 3 of Your English

Five a Day, a series that aims to increase your active vocabulary by

deep diving into five pieces every day of the week from Monday to Friday.

We start today's list with a verb and it is to marinate.

Marinate.

We spell this M A R I N A T E.

Marinate.

To marinate something is to pour a marinade, so that's slightly different

spelling, marinade over meat or fish, and then it's left in this marinade.

I used to get these two words mixed up.

So, the verb is marinate and the marinade with a D is the sauce in

which you soak your meat or fish.

You can even marinate vegetables or tofu.

It's quite useful to marinate tofu because otherwise it's quite bland, isn't it?

It doesn't have much taste.

So, that you marinate in order to add flavour to something meat, fish,

tofu, vegetables, whatever you like.

Have you marinated anything recently?

Here's an example sentence.

"I need to marinate the ribs for our barbecue tomorrow, if I leave them

overnight, they'll taste amazing as all the flavours will have infused."

Next on the list is the adjective or adverb, al dente, al dente.

This doesn't sound very English, does it?

But it is one of those phrases or words that we use in this country quite often.

So, al dente, we spell this, A L, al.

And then the second word, D E N T E, dente.

Al dente.

So, al dente describes pasta or other food that has been cooked so

that it's still firm when bitten.

So, it has a bit of a crunch or a crisp texture because it hasn't been overcooked

or cooked to a point of being soft.

Now, I am not really a fan of al dente pasta and certainly not

a fan of al dente vegetables.

I like my vegetables to be quite soft and easy to eat, but these days I'm

getting better at eating al dente vegetables because my partner loves

his vegetables to be cooked, al dente.

Here's an example sentence.

"Please can you make sure the broccoli is al dente?

There's nothing worse than eating soggy vegetables!"

Next on our list is a noun and it is connoisseur, connoisseur.

Now, this one does have a tricky spelling.

We spell this C O N N O I S S E U R.

Connoisseur.

Connoisseur.

So, there are lots of letters in there that we are not pronouncing.

Connoisseur.

Now, a connoisseur is a person who knows a lot about and enjoys things

like food, drink, the arts, et cetera.

So, if you know someone who is really clued up about the arts and enjoys going

to the theatre and knows everything that's going on in the theatre world

and really has a deep knowledge and appreciation, then you could say

that he is a connoisseur of the arts.

Or, if a lady is an expert when it comes to food.

Maybe she is a chef in a very posh restaurant that does fine dining.

Then, you could say,

"She is a connoisseur."

Don't invite her around for dinner because your very soggy

vegetables will not please her.

She is a connoisseur when it comes to food.

Right.

So, are you a connoisseur?

I would love to be a connoisseur of the food.

But, I still have a lot to learn.

So, let's have an example sentence.

"Now, I'm no wine connoisseur but that Malbec is just delicious.

Was it an expensive bottle?"

Next on our list we have an idiom and it is as cool as a cucumber.

So, if someone is as cool as a cucumber, then they are very calm and calm in

a way that's potentially surprising, calm during a very chaotic situation.

Cool as a cucumber.

In case you are misunderstanding what I'm saying, let me spell this out for you.

We have cool, C O O L, cool.

As a, A S, space, A.

Cucumber, C U C U M B E R, cucumber.

As cool as a cucumber, which is an interesting saying because

cucumbers are only cool really because you put them in the fridge.

So, you could replace cucumber with anything else that

is typically refrigerated.

When I think of cucumbers being cool, I always imagine someone

trying to relax with slices of cucumber covering their eyes.

Have you ever tried to do that?

I've tried to put cucumber on my eyes and I find it excruciating.

I find it so uncomfortable.

I can't bear it.

It makes my eyes just stream.

Makes them water so much.

I think I have extremely sensitive eyes.

Here's an example sentence.

"How are you always as cool as a cucumber in the kitchen?

I'm normally running around spilling sauce, knocking pans and

making a complete mess of things."

So, yes, the idiom means to be relaxed, usually during a

chaotic situation or event.

I guess when I've had to deal with a room full of children and trying to

direct them in a performance and being completely in control and guiding

everyone and holding it together then in those situations, if I'm prepared,

then I am usually as cool as a cucumber.

Okay.

Moving on to our last word for today, I say 'word', it's actually a phrasal verb.

We have dig in, dig in, dig in.

I'm spelling this D I G, dig.

Next word, in, I N.

Dig in.

Now, to dig in means to start eating, to start eating.

You would never separate this phrasal verb, it would always be together.

Dig in.

And it's normally a statement or a command, or a request,

"Come on, dig in!"

So, you're just saying,

"Get going, enjoy it, eat the food that I've put in front of you, dig in."

Here's an example sentence.

"I've made your favourite chicken and white wine pie tonight,

dig in before it gets cold."

OK, so that's our five for today.

Let's do a quick recap.

We had the verb marinate, which is the action of pouring a sauce, called a

marinade, over meat, fish or vegetables in order to add extra flavour.

Then we had the adjective or adverb al dente, al dente, which is pasta

or other food that has been cooked so it's still firm when it's bitten.

Then we had the noun connoisseur.

If someone's a connoisseur, then they know a lot about and really enjoy things

like the arts or food or wine, or any kind of drink actually, not just wine.

You could be a beer connoisseur or a gin connoisseur.

Next we had an idiom, cool as a cucumber.

To be as cool as a cucumber is to be able to remain calm

during a chaotic or crazy event.

Then we had the phrasal verb dig in, which is a request to start eating.

So let's do this now for pronunciation.

Please repeat after me.

Marinate.

Marinate.

Al dente.

Al dente.

Connoisseur.

Connoisseur.

Cool as a cucumber.

Cool as a cucumber.

Dig in.

Dig in.

Brilliant.

Okay.

So, I have just seen that the sofa is on fire and I say to you,

"Please come and help me.

The sofa's on fire!"

And I'm running around like a headless chicken.

I'm going crazy and panicking and I'm really scared.

But you just walk in without a care in the world.

You grab the fire extinguisher and you put that fire out and you are so calm.

What idiom could I use to describe you at that moment?

Cool as a cucumber.

To thank you, I'm going to make you some pasta and I'm going to cook that pasta

so that it's still firm when you bite it.

How would you describe the pasta?

Al dente.

Now for tomorrow's meal, I'm going to soak tofu in a special sauce

to give it some extra flavour.

What am I doing to the tofu?

Marinating it.

I'm marinating it.

To marinate.

And when I do present you with your food, I'm going to

command that you start eating.

What phrasal verb will I use?

Dig in.

Dig in.

And when you taste it, you're going to critique my food, because you know a lot

about food and you really enjoy your food.

I might describe you as a food...

connoisseur.

Fantastic.

Alright, let's put all of these words and phrases together in a little story.

I don't know about you, but I love a good dinner party.

Whether I'm hosting or attending as a guest, there's always a fantastic

buzz in the air, along with some amazing smells from the kitchen!

I'd like to share my first big event with you, it was for my

friend's wedding a few years back.

We hadn't been neighbours for long, but as they were still building

their house, we offered to host the wedding party and meal at ours.

I don't think I knew what I was letting myself in for!

Now, I'm by no means a connoisseur in the kitchen, but I do love cooking,

and so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to practise

and show off my culinary skills.

I had my 'to-do-list' written out and ready to go.

I made salads, sandwiches, canapes, vol-au-vents and a

whole host of other finger foods.

I was as cool as a cucumber and everything was under control.

Then it was time for me to marinate the meat for the barbecue.

Oh no!

I'd forgotten to get the sauce I needed to add to my herb and spice mix.

Now, usually, at this stage I would have been in a complete state of

panic but that particular day I had woken up with a spring in my step.

I was feeling unusually happy and confident.

So I took a deep breath and thought, "How do I do this?"

After a quick look around in my kitchen, I put together a selection of

ingredients I already had, and voila!

A perfect sauce!

On the big day, all the food I had painstakingly prepared was displayed

on the beautifully decorated tables.

The pasta dishes were cooked to al dente perfection and I was proud to see

everyone digging in with such enthusiasm.

Needless to say, that wasn't the last wedding I was asked to cater for.

And that brings us to the end of today's episode.

I do hope you enjoyed it.

Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.