202 - Expression: A Shot in the Dark

In today’s episode, we break down the common English expression “a shot in the dark,” which describes taking a guess or making an attempt with little to no information. You’ll hear where the idiom comes from, how people from the U.S. use it, and three real-life examples—from kids guessing ages, to ordering pintxos in Spain, to recreating Banana Kahlúa French toast (with no instructions!). We’ll also go over the joke of the day (“Why did the man take a ladder to the bar?”), cover some advanced terms and phrases, and finish with a pronunciation exercise focused on flap Ts. I highly recommend practicing them to sound more natural when speaking. At the end, I’ll challenge you to think of a moment when you took a shot in the dark. For the full transcript, glossary, and quiz, check out the Academy. Enjoy! Want to take your learning further? ⭐ ⁠Visit the website⁠ for more learning materials. You’ll also find the Academy there, where you can access bonus content for this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You can listen to 202 - Expression: A Shot in the Dark online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

202 - Expression: A Shot in the Dark is an episode from American English Podcast by Shana Thompson.

This episode is 21:10 long.

This episode was published on Dec 11, 2025.

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