Have you ever looked up from your phone and realized that an hour just disappeared? In this Catch Word lesson, Andrew and Indiana teach you how to tell someone to “touch grass” and how to describe a person as “terminally online” or “chronically online.” They explain the difference in tone between these expressions, why “touch grass” can sound like a real insult, and when each one is appropriate to use. 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 touch grass Terminally online / Chronically online To be cooped up To be wrapped up in something A break with reality To get the last word

Have you ever traveled to a city far from home and felt like you had already been there? The same coffee shops, the same clothing stores, even the same songs playing inside the cafes. In this Chatterbox episode, Andrew and Anna talk about hyperblanding, the idea that fashion, music, food, and design all over the world are slowly becoming the same. The word comes from a 2026 trend report, and you can read more about it here. Listen to the full conversation to learn what hyperblanding is, decide if you agree with the idea, and build your English fluency at the same time. 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: A myriad of To get under someone’s skin To regurgitate Been there, done that To ride the wave Variety is the spice of life

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

Have you ever loved something your partner just won’t try? For years, Andrew’s wife said no to baseball. In this bonus episode, he finally gets her to the ballpark and finds out what she really thinks. Listen along to learn some vocabulary that will help make your English more natural and to improve your listening fluency. Study resources: Become a Culips member: Join the Culips Discord server: Get the interactive transcript and vocabulary glossary here: Glossary expressions: To brush something off To prod To level with someone To put yourself in someone’s shoes To come around To look the part To pay through the nose A who’s who Nosebleed seats To be priced out

What if there were a copy of you at work, answering emails and joining meetings while you slept? After Anna read a BBC article about people who are building AI versions of themselves, she brought the idea to Andrew, and the two of them talk about what these “digital twins” could mean for the rest of us. They look at the same question from three sides, the worker, the boss, and the business owner, and they keep coming back to one worry. If a company has a copy of you, do they still need you? Read the original BBC article on digital twins here: 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: The bottom line To not sit right with someone Joe Blow The cat’s out of the bag M.O. (modus operandi) Dog-eat-dog

Have you started seeing videos that celebrate Chinese culture all over your feed, like someone swapping coffee for green tea? Andrew and Indiana noticed this trend too, and in this episode they teach three pieces of China-related slang and ask why it is all happening now. Their answer touches on the Djo song that went viral on TikTok, the move from TikTok to RedNote, soft power, and Canada’s anti-tariff billboards in the US. To build your fluency, listen for how the hosts define each expression, then try using one 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 from this episode: End of Beginning by Djo: RedNote: Canada’s anti-tariff billboards: 🔑 Key expressions Keep an ear out for these phrases during the episode: Chinamaxxing A baddie You met me at a very Chinese time in my life To age out (of something) A false alarm Soft power