Is there a story your family loves to tell about something you did as a kid — one that gets retold at every gathering?

A natural way to answer

There's one about me announcing to a whole restaurant, very loudly, that I needed the toilet. My parents still find it hilarious. It's become a bit of a running joke in the family, and honestly, I've made my peace with the fact that I'll never hear the end of it.

Key phrases to use

• live something down — to make people forget about something embarrassing you did“I'll never live it down.”
• trot out — to repeat a familiar story or excuse, often too often“He trots out the same old story every time.”
• grin and bear it — to endure something unpleasant without complaining“There's nothing to do but grin and bear it.”
• a running joke — a joke that is repeated and referred to over a long period“It's a running joke between us now.”
• hear the end of it — to have something stop being mentioned (usually in the negative)“I'll never hear the end of it.”
• blow out of proportion — to make something seem far bigger or more serious than it is“The whole thing got blown out of proportion.”