Welcome to the very first episode of The Cool English Podcast!

This is the podcast for English learners who want to practice listening to natural, everyday English and learn the sounds, intonation, and rhythm of real spoken English from native speakers.

_{かっこいい英語ポッドキャストの第1話へようこそ！これは自然な日常英会話の聞く練習をしてネイティブから本物の英語の音、イントネーション、リズムを身に付けたい英語学習者のポッドキャストです。}

In this episode, Anthony and I talk about fidget spinners and why they're so popular in Japan and the rest of the world.

_{このエピソードでは、アンソニーと私はフィジェットスピナー、そして日本と世界のその他の地域でなぜそんなに人気あるかについて話します。}

Don't forget to turn on the subtitles if you need them!
_{字幕を見たかったらつけるのを忘れないでください。}

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If you have any questions about this episode, be sure to ask in the comments.

Thanks for tuning in, and good luck improving your English listening skills!

Here's the Script:

Anthony: Hey, how's it going?

Bill: Hey dude what's up? How you been?

Anthony: Not much. I'm good, I'm good. And you?

Bill: I'm, I'm pretty good, yeah. So, uh. So welcome to the, uh Cool English Podcast. And uh, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Bill.

Anthony: And I'm Anthony.

Bill: And you are Anthony. That's that's that's uh...

Anthony: I didn't mix that one up.

Bill: You didn't mix it up yeah.

Anthony: No.

Bill: Alright so, uh, what's the topic today man? What are we gonna talk about?

Anthony: So, yeah that's a good question actually, um, I think that something that I've noticed recently, uh, is uh, something that's called a fidget spinner.

Bill: A fidget spinner, yeah.

Anthony: Have you heard of uh, of those?

Bill: Yeah, yeah I have actually, uh, I've, uh, I've had some of my, uh, my kids, uh students, uh, in my kids classes have, uh, brought them in and I've had to, uh, you know, kinda stop them a little bit because, you know it uh, kind of is a distraction.

Anthony: Yeah uh, me too I've uh, I've had a few students bring them into class and uh, that was really funny when I saw them because uh, they're something that I first noticed on the internet, because there are a lot of memes, or uh, funny pictures on the internet in English about this new craze uh, is what we would call it.

Bill: Right. Yeah I first heard about them from a friend who I uh, who lives in in the U.S. that I talk to uh, usually, actually I talk to about every week, but uh, he has a son and so he mentioned fidget spinners and I was like, what's a fidget spinner?

Anthony: Yeah it's kind of something that you wouldn't uh, naturally understand.

Bill: Right, so um, apparently they're very but they're they're they're very popular uh, recently. Is that right? I mean. This is uh, kind of a new thing.

Anthony: Yeah, it seems like I mentioned before it's like a new craze that's uh, taking off um, in America as well as in Japan and something that I was surprised about is that it seems to be popular uh, actually in, in many countries it's not only something that's that's taking off in America, but also, I, I've, I've been seeing them at almost any shop I walk into in Japan, so I think that's interesting, yeah.

Bill: Really? Yeah I haven't seen them much but uh, uh I don't go shopping that much so.

Anthony: You're a bit of a hermit.

Bill: Yeah but I'm sure I'm sure they're making a killing on those.

Anthony: Yeah I think they are.

Bill: Yeah.

Anthony: So, why do you think that fidget spinners are popular everywhere?

Bill: Well I mean, they're fun to play with.

Anthony: Have you ever played with one?

Bill: Yeah I played with uh, with my students' uh, fidget spinners, and I didn't want to give it back. I just kept spinning it and spinning it I was just, you know the whole almost the entire class went by, the whole fifty minutes and I was still spinning that thing. No, I'm just getting I'm just kidding that didn't happen. But if I had one I would probably play with it all the time you know I probably I probably wouldn't get any work done if I uh, if I bought a fidget spinner.

Anthony: That's a bit extreme. But um, yeah I, I don't know, I think that um, personally I, I'm the type of person that has, that likes to fidget so fidgeting, that's a good uh, way to introduce what fidgeting is. So fidgeting is when you have uh, energy and you, you constantly need to move so, usually I, I often will tap my fingers on a table or a desk, or I know many Japanese students will twirl or spin their pens while they're studying.

Bill: Oh yeah yeah I've seen people do that.

Anthony: So I think, I think that this device, these fidget spinners are trying to give people that do those kind of movements, those kind of things, uh, to give them uh, an outlet as we would say, for their energy, their fidgeting.

Bill: Yeah. And some some fidgeting like uh, so in Japan, some some fidgeting is kind of uh, frowned upon actually. Yeah, do you know the kind of fidgeting I'm talking about?

Anthony: Well I heard, I heard uh, something before I think it was in Japan but um, if you shake your leg that's like money. You're like losing money or something like that. It's some kind of superstition.

Bill: Right that's what I was talking about. I think they call it um, binbozuri or bin...

Anthony: Ohh...

Bill: Something like that. Binbozuri?

Anthony: Binbozuri. I see.

Bill: Yeah I think so. I, I didn't realize it was about money I thought it was just, people didn't like it for whatever reason.

Anthony: Yeah I think it's has to do with maybe some kind of superstition that if you if you shake your leg in that way you're gonna lose money or something like that.

Bill: Oh. Okay. Well maybe I should stop doing it then.

Anthony: Ah, yeah, if you, maybe if you believe in superstition.

Bill: Maybe that's why I don't have any money.

Anthony: Yeah I, so, I think, actually when I first saw um, these kind of devices, these fidget spinners, I thought that they were kind of cool because um, I'm, I often uh, play with things or, you know, click, click my pen, press the button on my pen, or spin my pen, when I'm uh, especially when I'm in class and I'm giving uh, and I'm giving a test sometimes uh, it gets a little tedious to sit there while the students are taking a test so.

Bill: Oh yeah, I get that.

Anthony: I often will, will do some fidgeting, or, or wiggling or moving around and so I think, for me, I think this is a really good invention. I don't have one yet.

Bill: You don't have one?

Anthony: I don't have one no but, I honestly, I was, I was actually thinking of buying one uh, just because...

Bill: Why not?

Anthony: Yeah, why not, right?

Bill: Yeah.

Anthony: Yeah.

Bill: Yeah, I mean uh, I'm sure they're not that expensive, are they?

Anthony: Um, I've seen them on sale for, I think anywhere from five hundred to a thousand yen. There's some like kind of crazy looking ones that are a little more expensive.

Bill: Are they all like the kind of, three sided, it's like a, like a triangle shape.

Anthony: Yeah, triangular shape.

Bill: Yeah.

Anthony: Um, I've seen some that are kinda like, like shuriken, like ninja stars.

Bill: Uh-huh, so four, four points?

Anthony: Yeah pointy. I don't think it really, I think there's all kinds of ones. There's more than four um, there's, there's a lot of different kinds of them. Um, it's actually really interesting, you know, it seems like this industry, this business has kind of popped up overnight. Um, I, it's, it's always amazing to me to think about uh, you know, these companies that just start manufacturing or making these products.

Bill: Right.

Anthony: And, and the speed that they do it because, I think this, this invention only really became popular this past year. And uh, it seems like there's a big demand so the supply is just, it's just um, increasing a lot for so many, there are so many. I went to Korea, actually, last weekend, with my wife and uh, on the little uh, street shops that they have, where they sell items,

Bill: Yes.

Anthony: mostly for tourists, they had fidget spinners in almost every shop that I saw.

Bill: Huh. I didn't, I didn't know that they were, I mean I knew they were popular, but I, I didn't really know uh, when, like, because I don't pay attention to, you know, fashion and trends and like, not much of uh, what's new as far as um, like games and toys and things like that. I pay, I pay attention to uh, technology, and, and some other things like uh, cryptocurrency.

Anthony: Yeah!

Bill: But, but I, I don't pay much attention to things like that so, uh, I didn't know when uh, they became popular. Uh, to me it could have been, you know uh, like a year or two, uh, a, a year or two ago that they became popular, and then I just found out about it, you know, somehow, recently.

Anthony: Yeah the only, I don't really keep up with those kind of crazes or trends either, myself and I, mostly could care less. I'm not really into following trends but, I, I did notice it because I, I like to uh, browse the internet um, and there are, I think I mentioned it earlier uh, what we call memes, in English M-E-M-E.

Bill: Right. Right. Mm-hm. Well, they have, they have memes in Japanese too

Anthony: Oh, they do?

Bill: Yeah but I'm not sure what they call them, actually, yeah.

Anthony: Yeah, I, I don't know either. But, I, they're very popular in uh, in Eng..., English uh, on the English web space on the English internet, and um, I started seeing these things everywhere, like, and I was like, "what are they?" and I, I actually had to Google it because I wasn't sure what it was 'cause people started mentioning them in, in like online message boards.

Bill: Uh-huh.

Anthony: And uh, and I saw it, I saw it that way actually I had actually didn't really know what it was because I, I just saw the word fidget spinner. So then I, I searched for it on Google and, and I was able to find out, what it, what it was all about.

Bill: Yeah, yeah. So they're, they're pretty cool, they're pretty cool little things. I mean I usually, like I said, I don't usually uh, follow toys but actually I, I would prob... if I run across one I might buy it just because I like spinning stuff. I always uh, uh, with my, my kids classes I often uh, I get out the dice and I try to spin the dice. You, have you ever spun dice before?

Anthony: Uh, I don't know about spinning dice, but I, I like to, I like to throw the dice. But um, uh, I think it goes without saying that most adults don't uh, keep up with popular toys unless maybe they have children but um, or, or maybe their, their business is to, is to be a, is working at a toy shop, or something like that.

Bill: Right. Well, yeah, but they're, yeah, there definitely are people who uh, who do keep up with uh, certain, certain kinds of toys you know like action figures or...

Anthony: Collectibles.

Bill: Or like, legos or, things like that. Yeah.

Anthony: But um, anyway.

Bill: Anyway. Um, so I think we should wrap this up uh...

Anthony: Yeah?

Bill: Yeah. I think we've been on here for about, I don't know, fifteen minutes or so. So um, yeah, so, I think this is, you know, a good little conversation. And uh, we will uh, we'll meet again in the uh, the next episode right?

Anthony: Yeah, sounds good.

Bill: A couple uh, of weeks from now right?

Anthony: Yes.

Bill: Yeah.

Bill: So uh, thanks for listening to the Cool English Podcast. And uh, be sure to like and follow on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Steemit. And make sure to listen to English every day so that you can improve your listening and speaking skills and see you next time.

Anthony: See ya.

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Here Are Some Words and Phrases You Might Not Know:

If there are any others in the script that you're not sure about, let us know in the comments.

Words

distraction - 気を散らすもの

meme - ミーム

craze - 大流行

fidget - そわそわする

hermit - 隠者

extreme - 極端

tap - 軽くたたく

twirl - くるくる回す

spin - くるくる回す

outlet - はけ口

shake - 揺さぶる

superstition - 迷信

device - 装置

wiggling - 小刻みに動く

pointy - 先のとがった

cryptocurrency - 暗号通貨

collectible - 収集価値がある

Phrases

mix ~ up - 混同する

taking off - 上向く

make a killing - 大もうけする

just kidding - ただの冗談だよ

I'm the type of person that - 私は〜のような人

frowned upon - 冷やかな目で見られる

I didn't realize - 気づかなかった

has to do with - 関係がある

something like that - そんな感じ

get tedious - 飽き飽きする

I get that - 分かる

all kinds of - いろんな

pop up overnight - 突然現れる

big demand - 大きな需要

pay attention - 注意する

I'm not really into - 苦手

following trends - 流行について行く

run across - 偶然会う

it goes without saying - 言うまでもない

things like that - とか、そんなもの

wrap 〜　up - 終わる

かっこいい英語は英語を勉強するだけでお金がもらえるSteemitブログです。

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Cool English is a Steemit blog where you can get paid to study English.

I'm Bill. Thanks for reading Cool English! If you like this article, how about following me here on Steemit? You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter, too. (But you'll never get paid there!) Also, if you have any questions or just want to say something about this post, go ahead and leave a comment below, and maybe you'll make some Steem!😉

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「１０選かっこいい英語の「頑張って」の言い方のまとめ　10 Ways To Say "Ganbatte" In Cool English

「「I'm Gonna」と 「I'll」は全然違う。。。場合もある　Sometimes "I'm Gonna" and "I'll" Are Totally Different

６選かっこいい英語の「実はね〜」の言い方のまとめ - 6 Ways To Say "実はね" In Cool English