WEBVTT 00:00:00.200 --> 00:00:03.819 Hello and welcome to English as a Second Language 00:00:03.819 --> 00:00:16.899 podcast number 25. Welcome to English as a Second 00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:23.839 Language podcast number 25. My name is Dr. Jeff 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:28.859 McQuillen coming to you from Los Angeles, California. 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:34.340 and the Center for Educational Development. If 00:00:34.340 --> 00:00:37.700 this is the first time listening to our podcast, 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:48.079 please go to our website at www .eslpod .com 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:52.240 to find out more information about this podcast. 00:00:53.799 --> 00:00:59.689 Today's podcast is about problems at work. Lucy 00:00:59.689 --> 00:01:04.650 and I are going to talk about a problem that 00:01:04.650 --> 00:01:08.689 Lucy had at work and how we thought we should 00:01:08.689 --> 00:01:13.629 solve it. Listen to our conversation and then 00:01:13.629 --> 00:01:17.049 I'll talk about some of the expressions that 00:01:17.049 --> 00:01:28.250 we used. Now let's get started. Can I pick your 00:01:28.250 --> 00:01:34.370 brain for a minute? Sure. What's up? Well, I 00:01:34.370 --> 00:01:39.030 have a sticky situation at work, and I wanted 00:01:39.030 --> 00:01:42.510 to get your input. You're always so tactful. 00:01:43.370 --> 00:01:48.670 Thanks. I'm not sure I can help, but I'll give 00:01:48.670 --> 00:01:54.390 you my two cents. Well, it's like this. There's 00:01:54.390 --> 00:01:58.530 this guy I work with. who is always making jokes 00:01:58.530 --> 00:02:03.969 about the boss. Don't get me wrong, I like a 00:02:03.969 --> 00:02:07.670 good joke now and then, especially about the 00:02:07.670 --> 00:02:13.310 boss. But sometimes he goes too far. What do 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:18.169 you mean? Well, just the other day, he got a 00:02:18.169 --> 00:02:21.830 picture off the internet and cut and pasted the 00:02:21.830 --> 00:02:26.740 boss's head onto it. Let's just say it was a 00:02:26.740 --> 00:02:32.599 very unflattering picture of him. Hmm. That's 00:02:32.599 --> 00:02:37.099 really unprofessional, but it sounds harmless 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:43.020 enough if he kept it to himself or just showed 00:02:43.020 --> 00:02:48.240 it to a few friends. That's just it. He didn't 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:52.590 keep it to himself. He attached the picture to 00:02:52.590 --> 00:02:57.530 an email and sent it to the entire company including 00:02:57.530 --> 00:03:02.229 the top brass. You're joking, right? No, I'm 00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:05.889 not. This is what I mean when I said he goes 00:03:05.889 --> 00:03:11.610 too far. He just doesn't know when to quit. Is 00:03:11.610 --> 00:03:17.729 he a friend of yours? No, not really, but I don't 00:03:17.729 --> 00:03:21.099 want the guy to get fired. He's actually a good 00:03:21.099 --> 00:03:26.539 person. He's just clueless, that's all. Well, 00:03:27.080 --> 00:03:32.080 that's a tough one. Let me think about it. Maybe 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:36.340 there's a way to get him to cut it out before 00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:42.699 he gets fired. Thanks, I appreciate it. Oh, it's 00:03:42.699 --> 00:03:47.180 no big deal. Let's go get a bite to eat. Sure, 00:03:47.520 --> 00:03:56.060 sounds good to me. Now let's talk about some 00:03:56.060 --> 00:04:00.500 of the expressions that Lucy and I used Lucy 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:05.879 started by asking me if she could pick my brain 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:12.139 To pick somebody's brain is to get their opinion 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:18.379 to get their advice To ask them what they think 00:04:18.379 --> 00:04:24.480 Lucy said that She wanted to ask me about a sticky 00:04:24.480 --> 00:04:31.300 situation at work. A sticky situation means a 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:38.139 difficult situation. A situation that is possibly 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:44.579 embarrassing or difficult for someone to talk 00:04:44.579 --> 00:04:49.560 about. That's a sticky situation. It's a sensitive 00:04:50.409 --> 00:04:56.050 situation. Lucy wanted to get my input. Input 00:04:56.050 --> 00:05:01.629 means my advice, what I think. Just like in a 00:05:01.629 --> 00:05:05.149 computer processor there's input, that's what 00:05:05.149 --> 00:05:09.730 goes in, and output, that's what goes out. Here 00:05:09.730 --> 00:05:15.949 we use it to mean advice or opinion. Lucy complimented 00:05:15.949 --> 00:05:21.560 me by saying that I was tactful. To be tactful 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:26.899 means to always say the right thing to never 00:05:26.899 --> 00:05:34.279 give Anyone offense to never insult anyone someone 00:05:34.279 --> 00:05:40.500 who is very good with words and doesn't Cause 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:44.399 problems with other people we sometimes say they 00:05:44.399 --> 00:05:48.680 are tactful They know how to say something without 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:54.899 the other person getting mad. Lucy said that 00:05:54.899 --> 00:05:59.379 this person was making jokes and that she didn't 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:05.180 mind a good joke now and then. Now and then means 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:10.939 the same as every once and a while, which means 00:06:10.939 --> 00:06:16.939 not every day, not all the time, but sometimes. 00:06:17.399 --> 00:06:24.019 So they're really synonyms for sometimes. Lucy 00:06:24.019 --> 00:06:28.899 mentioned that her friend sometimes goes too 00:06:28.899 --> 00:06:36.259 far. To go too far means to do something that 00:06:36.259 --> 00:06:41.620 would normally be okay, but do it too much. Do 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:48.550 it in such a way that it Hurts other people or 00:06:48.550 --> 00:06:52.769 bothers other people You don't want to go too 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:57.769 far in Joking about your friend because your 00:06:57.769 --> 00:07:03.970 friend could get mad So to go too far is to to 00:07:03.970 --> 00:07:10.629 go more than what you should Lucy said that her 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:15.009 friend got a picture off the internet and cut 00:07:15.129 --> 00:07:20.189 and pasted the boss's head on it. To cut, of 00:07:20.189 --> 00:07:24.110 course, means, like a scissors, you cut something, 00:07:24.829 --> 00:07:30.589 a piece of paper. And to paste means to attach, 00:07:30.829 --> 00:07:35.230 to put something on, usually with glue. But in 00:07:35.230 --> 00:07:40.410 computers, cut and paste, like on a word processing 00:07:40.410 --> 00:07:45.399 program, Microsoft Word, for example, To cut 00:07:45.399 --> 00:07:49.420 and paste means to take something from one place 00:07:49.420 --> 00:07:54.079 and put it in another place Lucy said that the 00:07:54.079 --> 00:08:00.160 picture of her boss was very unflattering To 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.000 flatter means to compliment to say nice things 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:10.139 about a person unflattering means unkind words 00:08:10.139 --> 00:08:16.600 not nice words There's no verb to unflatter There's 00:08:16.600 --> 00:08:21.319 only a verb to flatter, but we can use the expression 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:25.399 as an adjective. It's unflattering Meaning it's 00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:30.439 not very nice. I Mentioned to Lucy that it would 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:35.080 be What the here her friend did would be harmless 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:39.799 enough? That is to say doesn't cause anyone any 00:08:39.799 --> 00:08:44.610 harm harmless or doesn't cause anyone any problem 00:08:44.610 --> 00:08:51.470 or injury if her friend kept it to himself to 00:08:51.470 --> 00:08:55.490 keep something to yourself means not to show 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:59.129 anyone else not to share it with anyone else 00:08:59.129 --> 00:09:03.809 it's like keeping a secret keep it to yourself 00:09:03.809 --> 00:09:07.769 will sometimes say meaning don't tell me I don't 00:09:07.769 --> 00:09:13.029 want to know Lucy's friend sent this unflattering 00:09:13.029 --> 00:09:19.250 picture to the top brass in her company. The 00:09:19.250 --> 00:09:25.350 top brass means those who are president, vice 00:09:25.350 --> 00:09:30.370 president, chairman of the board, CEO, chief 00:09:30.370 --> 00:09:34.169 executive officer, all of the most important 00:09:34.169 --> 00:09:39.120 leaders in a company. The term actually comes 00:09:39.120 --> 00:09:43.600 from the military. We talk about the top brass 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:48.159 in the military, meaning the generals and those 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:51.200 who are admirals and leaders of the military. 00:09:52.500 --> 00:09:56.700 But we also use the term now for anyone who's 00:09:56.700 --> 00:10:02.379 a leader, particularly in a company. Lucy said 00:10:02.379 --> 00:10:07.379 that her friend just didn't know when to quit. 00:10:07.950 --> 00:10:12.870 To know when to quit means to know when to stop 00:10:12.870 --> 00:10:18.330 to know that You can't do anymore that you should 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:24.090 stop doing what you're doing For example, I love 00:10:24.090 --> 00:10:30.690 eating potato chips Sometimes though. I don't 00:10:30.690 --> 00:10:37.419 know when to quit and I eat a whole bag Lucy's 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:43.600 friend is described by her as being clueless. 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:49.259 Clueless is a somewhat informal expression. To 00:10:49.259 --> 00:10:53.980 be clueless means not to know what is happening, 00:10:54.220 --> 00:10:58.840 not to know what is wrong. Someone who is doing 00:10:58.840 --> 00:11:03.159 something wrong but does not know it, does not 00:11:03.159 --> 00:11:10.659 realize it. clueless it implies it it means in 00:11:10.659 --> 00:11:14.799 part the person is not very intelligent is a 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:21.419 little stupid if they're clueless I said that 00:11:21.419 --> 00:11:25.799 the whole situation that Lucy describes is a 00:11:25.799 --> 00:11:30.399 tough one a tough one here means a difficult 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:35.710 one Someone asks you your opinion and it's a 00:11:35.710 --> 00:11:40.669 very difficult question. You can say, hmm, that's 00:11:40.669 --> 00:11:44.929 a tough one. Meaning it's a very difficult situation 00:11:44.929 --> 00:11:48.769 to solve or a very difficult problem to solve. 00:11:51.269 --> 00:11:54.850 I suggested that maybe there was a way for Lucy's 00:11:54.850 --> 00:12:00.059 friend to cut it out before he gets fired. To 00:12:00.059 --> 00:12:04.120 cut something out, to cut it out means to stop 00:12:04.120 --> 00:12:09.200 it, to not do it anymore. Sometimes you'll hear 00:12:09.200 --> 00:12:12.899 kids say, children say that to each other. Cut 00:12:12.899 --> 00:12:20.840 it out, cut it out means stop it. I said that 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:26.620 in responding to Lucy's thanking me, I said it's 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:35.080 no big deal. It's no big deal is a informal way 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:40.100 of saying it's no problem Sometimes when someone 00:12:40.100 --> 00:12:45.179 thanks you you can say you're welcome But informally 00:12:45.179 --> 00:12:49.519 we sometimes say oh Don't think about it. Don't 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:54.289 worry about it. It's no big deal meaning it didn't 00:12:54.289 --> 00:12:57.710 cause me any problems. It's a polite way of saying 00:12:57.710 --> 00:13:02.889 you're welcome, a slightly informal way. I suggested 00:13:02.889 --> 00:13:07.049 at the end that Lucy and I get a bite to eat. 00:13:07.649 --> 00:13:12.690 To get a bite to eat or to grab a bite to eat 00:13:12.690 --> 00:13:17.750 means to go out to a restaurant or somewhere 00:13:17.750 --> 00:13:22.679 to get food for lunch or for dinner. Usually 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:28.279 it implies a small meal, not a big dinner, but 00:13:28.279 --> 00:13:31.679 going out to lunch is usually you can say, let's 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:36.179 get a bite to eat. That's going to do it for 00:13:36.179 --> 00:13:40.399 today's ESL podcast. Before we end our podcast, 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:49.139 a couple of announcements. Eric and Greg who 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:55.360 gave me some good technical help. And so thank 00:13:55.360 --> 00:14:00.320 you both for your help. I also want to ask all 00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:04.919 of you to email us. Tell us where you live and 00:14:04.919 --> 00:14:08.200 who you are. We would love to hear from you. 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:18.960 Our email address is eslpod at eslpod .com. That's 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:28.169 eslpod .com. Remember that we keep our most recent 00:14:28.169 --> 00:14:32.970 two podcasts, the latest two podcasts, are always 00:14:32.970 --> 00:14:39.029 on our iTunes feed, our podcast feed. We also 00:14:39.029 --> 00:14:43.909 keep the last five podcasts on our website where 00:14:43.909 --> 00:14:48.169 you can download them. We thank you for listening 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:53.480 and hope to see you tomorrow on English as a 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:57.399 Second Language podcast. This is Jeff McQuillen 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:01.580 from Los Angeles, California. See you next time. 00:15:06.039 --> 00:15:09.179 ESL podcast is produced by the Center for Educational 00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:12.220 Development in Los Angeles, California. This 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:14.879 podcast is copyright 2005.