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Idioms at Work

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547 views46 pages

Idioms at Work

Uploaded by

Patricia Lombardi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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| AT WORK AYOM LY SWOIGT 906717 604 anguage Teaching Publications bal 1) 7} The French, Spanish, Italian and German given in this book was Prepared ineach case by more than one native speaker ofthe language, The atrerenre Which are made are intended only to bea help in understanding the language ihe Particular context in which it occurs inthis book. It is not sugested ie the foreign language equivalents are exact equivalents of the English idioms, A Toss uP sen 1. Time Expressions a. at the eleventh hour b. every now and then c. it’s high time d. once in a blue moon e. in the nick of time £ in no time g. in the long run ‘4h. om the double i, for the time being j. out of the blue Fill in che blanks with the best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents below each situation 10 help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. [hear you've given up sailing, Not completely. I still go —____, but I’m much more interested in windsurfing nowadays. Irs more of a challenge, but I still go out in a boat occasionally. from time 10 times sometimes: de vex on cuando di cameo in tanto de temps en temps ab und 2u - Hi, Pete. I see you're still driving that old wreck. I thought you were going to buy a new car. No, I've changed my mind. But I'm getting rid of my car. I'm going to use taxis in future. Really — thar’ll be much more expensive. No, T think i'l actually be cheaper. How do you work thet out? fin the end; in the final result 4 la longue ala larga auf lange Siche alla hong - Thear you had 2 pretty rough weekend. ‘Yes we had a bit of 2 fire at home. What happened? ‘We went shopping and left a heater on. Itshort-circuited and started 2 fire, We arrived IB to call the fire brigade before-it-was a real disaster: ‘That must have been terrible! cat the last possible second juste 8 temps Justo a tiempo gerade noch rechesetig iusto in tempo Michael, the boss wants to see you in his office right away. OK. Pll be there in a couple of minutes. I just want to finish this letter. You'd better forget the letter and get in there - You know he hates to be kept waiting. fast; quickly au plus vite; surlechamp ex seguidas inmediatamente schnelltens; aber mit Tempo! itmmediatemente What beautiful flowers! ‘Thank you. My husband sent them for our anniversary. Lucky you. [love flowers but I have to buy them for myself. I’m lucky if T get them from my husband. He can’t even remember the date of our anniversary. Well, nobody's perfect. very rarely sts rarement; ‘muy de ves en cuando; tous les 36 di mois cada af bitesto cinoma in hundert Fahren; ogni morte di papa einmal ale Jubeljiahre . I wish Jack was here: Why? ‘This tape recorder is making a funny noise and I need it now. The last time ippened Jack fixed it Let me have a look at it. I may not be as fast as Jack but I can probably fix it. ‘Thanks, that’s very kind of you. of doing something) on wr ron de temps ow minuto; al instante “a i mine P as hie é Gh. AS ~ Bothering her about that again isn’t going to change anything, The decision was final. I still want to put my point of view. I'm convinced it was the wrong decision. Well, I'd drop the matter if I were you. ‘avoid making more trouble on the same izmue ‘pourguci remuer le passé do dejas tal cual swarum will du sclafende Hunde perch® stuzizare il cane che dorme? ‘wecken? With the Bonus Account you get 1% extra interest, but you have to giveamonth’s notice if you want your money, with the Ordinary Account you can have your money immediately but you only get the normal interest. With the new Golden Account you get EEE eae all the adoantages vous maces que det avantages haben Sie mur Vorteile todas las ventajas i vantaggi di naramsi BENDING OVER, BACKWARDS, 53 9. Complaining or Commiserating pull the wool over other people’s eyes a stab in the back (-) » pay lip service to [orsoney) | |. fed up to the teeth with Gas) Vi get away with murder 4 That's below the belt. talk behind (his) back ‘1 ) ff take (someone) for granted fob (someone) off isn’t pulling (his) weight wor BR me ao op Fillin che blanks with the bese idiom from the lise above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. I know what I'd do to those kids next door if they were mine. J agree. They're complet: It’s high time their parent ; eS ee Young parents are all the same these days. Anything goes as far as they're concerned, do bad things without being punished $'0% tirer impunément sie erlauben ihren alles salirse con la sua lasciare fare toto quello che vogliono 54 eee HITTING BELow THE BELT . Pm (1) Linda Brown; the boss thinks she’s a great worker because, whenever he’s around, she really tries to impress him. But when he’s not there she doesn’t do any work at T hate people like that who try to (2) » but I suppose one of these days he's going to find out the truth. (Y) arayed by someone's Behaviour over a long period of time decsive someon sinking well of them (Y) hasta las narices engatar a alguien (2) jetene de la poudre aux yeux ‘de quelgu'an (1) ich habe die Nase gestrichen voll mit (2) einem Sand in die Augen streuen (2) gettare fumo negli occhi * (Laverne fin sopra i capelti 55 PS s . You seem to have upset Roger. He says you promised to pick him up at the station and then you forgot all about it. Pm afraid so — I was busy, it just slipped my mind. He’s prenty annoyed. He says it’s not the first time you've forgotten. Oh come on! —__. There was a misunderstanding about three years ago. I don’t think he should mention that again after such a long time. that goes against one's sense of justice and sportsmanship est wr eoup bas 3 um pope bajo; no hay derecho das ist unter der Gizrtellinie questo @ un colpo basso |. How are things going on the selection board, Sue? Don’t talk to me about that board. I’ve had enough of them. Why? ‘Well, they talk about equal opportunities a lot, but when it comes to making a decision on a candidate, it’s a different story. They bring in all kinds of things that have nothing to do with your ability to do the job. I agree with you. It’s not enough to a principle. You've got to do something about it. show support by words but not by actions lancer des paroles en Pair ansar palabras al viento Lippe (i en Primi) ere apr . It’s about time somebody told Jack that every member of a team has to do his share of the work. ve just spent half'an hour trying to get an answer toa very simple (1) cen’ do hit far share of he work (2) discuss him when he isn’t there () i eft passa por (1) mo comple cm la pane quel (©) parler dere aon dos ‘orrespond mo hice faite (2) hablar asus expels (0) er simon Bias nich eet) ofa a ua (2) hiner inom Riches pets) pera fale et > (iy question from the Town Hall. bet the first person told you to call another number, and then they told you somebody was out, then they gave you some vague answer that didn’t mean anything. Exactly, they must think the public are stupid. They couldn’t TT insisted on being given the proper facts, but it was hard work and took a long time. satisfy me with unsatisfactory iormation me rensoyer comme un malpropr —— malinformarme mich niche mic leeren searicarmi 8. 58 Gosh, I really miss Rachel, This new secretary doesn’t seem to know what’s going on half the time. ‘Mm, P’ve noticed. P'm really sorry now I didn’t tell Rachel what a good job she was doing. Well, we all . Maybe she wouldn't have ieft if we'd told her how much we appreciated her. ook the benefit of her good work without commenting om it (on considerait ga comme acquis no hemos apreciado su trabajo ‘haben sie als Selbstverstindlichkeit non appreszare il suo ‘lavoro ‘angenommen (od. betrachtet) How’s Colin feeling about what happened last night? Pretty bad, I’m affaid, and I don’t blame him. At least thirty people promised to vote for him but didn’t in the end. And they were people he trusted completely. ‘Yeah. When they voted for Peter it was for Colin ‘That's politics, I guess. an act that hurt a friend or a orusting person tun coup de couteas dans le dos wa puialada por la espaldas tuna mala jugada ein Dolehstof una pugnalata alla schena; 10. Meeting People .. feeling a bit under the weather . have a night out on the town . talking shop . Thanks all the same. a. b. c. 4 e. [don’t feel up to £ put (my) foot in it g. to put (someone) out h. It’s a small world, isn’t it. i, to bump into (someone) j. Talk of the devil! Fill in the blanks with the best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. Good night, Dick. It was a great party. Thanks for the invitation. T hope you aren’t leaving already. It’s still early. T think Fd better get home to bed. Pm —_______ Thad a touch of the flu last week, and I've had a very busy week, I hope you don’t mind. Oh no, of course not, I hope you're soon all right again. Don’t worry. I'm sure an early night will cure me. stighaly Je ne suis pas en forme; no me siento bien Je ne me se sents pas bien igh file mich erwas angeschlagen nom mi sento in forma 2. 3. 60 Mike (to Ann) ...andas for Andy, he spends a lot of time hanging about the typing poo! talking to the girls... Ann Girls! You've said the magic word, Mike. (Andy arrives) Mike Onn tena an eee Tea eneaTaaee SEE Tee T was just telling Ann, here, about you. ‘Andy Nice things, I hope. Mike Of course, what else? (Expression wed when the person you have just been talking about arrives.) Quand on parle di loup on hhablando del rey de Roma en voit la quewe wer man vom Teufel spriche! pari del diavolo e spuntano le coma (A few minutes later) ‘What are you looking so guilty about? You know me and my big mouth. I just again. Who did you insult this time? ‘Well, I was talking to that tall girl over there, Ann, and telling her about the people at the office and. . . uh . . . well nobody told me she was Andy’s fiancée . . . Aw Mike! I can't take you anywhere! made a social mistake “jai mis les pieds dans le plas meri la pata Pai faie une gaffe ins Fetndpfchen getreen ho fatto una gaffe WELL IT'S CERTAINLY A SMALL WORLD ISN'T IT. |. Get out your dress. We're going to What are we celebrating? Pve just been offered that job in Bristol. Great! Now that’s worth celebrating. Give me ten minutes and Till be ready to go. {go out wo celebrate on na faire le fte celerar ausgehen som 2x feiern; dorsi alla pasza gioia einen draufmacken 5. Where are you going to, John? ‘The Central Station. Jump in. We'll give you a ride, I’s on our way home. ‘That's OK. My wife’s picking me up in a couple of minutes. senna (Polite expression used sthen you completely refuse an incization or off) ‘merci quand mime gracias de tds modos srotedem vielen Dank grazie lo st50 6. Come on, come on. This is a party, not the office, You've been sitting here talking about work for the last hour. Come on and join the party. OK. We're coming. But you have to promise you'll stop ———_____—- speaking about your work parler du boulot itber dio Arbeit reden de hablar del erabajo parlare del lavoro 62 7, Excuse me. The restaurant seems to be full. Do you mind if we share this table? ‘No. Have a seat... For heaven's sake! Pete Fraser! Fancy meeting you so far from home. Frank Harris! I thought you'd be slaving away backat the hospital. ‘Me to! I dida’t know you were planning a holiday. Imagine us eee each other in Rome of all places. Q ———____—_ 5 (1) meeting by accident (2) (Expression wed when you meet someone you koe wham you did nor expect 10 sce there) (1) somber sur (2) que le monde est peit (1) me encontre con (2) qué pequeio es el mundo; 21 mundo es wn pariuelo (1) cairns hier iter den Weg (1) inconeraci per caso Taufen eirden (2) die Wels ist dock Bein (2) come 2 piccolo it mondo 8. Do you fancy going to the concert at the City Hall tonight? One cto (1) eee eeune car out again. Pve hada really rough day atthe office. Pm very tred. ‘Well, shall I come round and pick you up? I's on my way, anyway. ‘Are you sure? I don’t want (2) ———_______—— No, that’s fine. I'm sure you'll enjoy the concert when you get there. It'll help you to relax. (1) don’s have the srength 10 (2) inconvenience you (1) je ne suis pas on forme; me me sens pas de taille dranger (2) molestarte habe Reine Lust; ich bin (1) nom me la sento di nicht dazu fakig (2) ich wil dir eine Umstinde machen (1) no tiene ganas de (2) non voglio scomodarti 63 TEST 2 Chapters 6-10) This ia test of some of the idioms in chapters 6-10. An English equivalent is given for each item. ‘The exact number of words required is indicated each time by the number of blanks. ‘Use this test to check what you know either before or after you have studied Chapters 6-10. ‘The answers are on page 96. n e rs . It isn’t a crisis at all. It’s only a minor problem. You're Don’t believe everything Shirley tells you. You should Pye got to find a job that pays more than the one I've got now. ‘We're up to our ears in debt and we ‘can’t earn what it costs 0 Foe ‘thinking a small problem is a big one what she says rot believe all she says . typed that report five times because Mr. Robertson kept making changes to it. But then, when he asked me to do it again with double spacing instead of single spacing that _ Ttold him he could type it himself ‘the final problem in a series of problems ad 2 2 x . It’s not enough to We agreed to have a night out on the town to enjoy ourselves not to talk about work. Let’s stop discussing work . It’s high time someone told Gordon that each member of a team has to do a fair share of work. Ma, I’ve noticed he isn’t on our team, doing his share of woork You'd better hurry up and buy your tickets for the annual dinner. They're selling quickly 2 principle. ‘You have to prove you believe it by your actions. shows support by words only and not by actions 4% You mean to say he charged you twenty pounds for a five pound ticket. ! shar robbery cy seme by Qe tor son wo choo or dcite 11, Claude will do everything possible for his staff. He'll to help any one of them. ate @ great effort wwhata suprise (1) _——__ our next door neighbours while camping in France this summer. xting by accident 2: Expression used when you meet friends where you did not expect to see them.) ‘ap John Richards is really deceitful. He doesn’t do any but he’s fooled the boss into thinking he’s a great worker. stand people like that who. others into thinking well of them house is really badly constructed. The builder obviously tried to Keep his costs down. 5 omething in the cheapest way 6 15. 16. i. I don’t think it's worth arguing about. It’s not very important. I think we're - arguing about small, unimportane details Me and my big mouth. I really today. I was telling somebody in the office how badly the ‘boss treated his secretary and when I turned around, there he was, standing in the doorway. made a social mistake ‘You two obviously don’t see eye to eye but surely you can find that you can agree on. «2 compromise . They tried to with “I'm afraid he’s out of the office”, but I insisted on getting some hard facts. satisfy me with an unsatisfactory anscter 67 11, Giving or Seeking Information read between the lines keep me posted off the top of my head ask point blank speak off the cuff give me a rundown off the record spilled the beans drop you a line don’t beat about the bush vee mp pes P KEEPING HIM POSTED Fill in the blartks swith che best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. Bad news, Stephen. Our after-dinner speaker just called to say he can’t come because the airport’s closed. You'll have to fill in for him. Please find somebody else. You know I’m no good at making speeches even when I have time to prepare them. I'm even worse when T have to 68 Say, Bob, what was the Director’s answer when you asked him if the rumours were true? He was pretty vague, I’m afraid. Maybe your question wasn’t direct enough. It couldn’t have been more direct. J ______if there would be any redundancies in the next few months. asked directly frai demandé carrément; Pai demandé & brilepourpoine ich habe rundheraus gfragt le pregunté directament ho chiesto chiaro e tondo 3. (A week later) OK Bob. We know you were called up to the Directors’ meeting this morning. What did they say about redundancies? Well... uh... you see . . . it seems that for the tim: at least and . . . if the marketing report confirms the trend and provided Come on, Bob. Gi We want a straight a be redundancies or noi point. —___. to the question. Are there going to don’t avoid the question ne tournez pas autour du pot schlech might wie eine Katze um den hein Bret no te ways por las ramas nom perdiamaci in chiaccahere; tion menare il cam per Pai 69 4. Things seem to be going quite well in our Caribbean offices. Did you read their latest reports? Yes, I did. On the surface, things seem to be going well but if you T think you'll find there are some problems. guess shar is lefe unsaid sez entre les lignes szwitchen den Zeilem lesen dees entre leas legge fra le righe 5. Good luck on this trip to the Far East. ‘Thanks, Frank. ['l have a full report for you when I get back next month. T know we'll have a complete report in a month but I'd like to get some feedback before then, so, eh? Don’t worry. P'll ring you and let you know how things are going, make sure I am informed tiensmoi au courant manténme al dias ‘manténme al corriente fhalten Sie mich auf dem laufenden enim al corrente 70 __} . That seems to take care of the busine . We're really going to miss you two, after all these years having You as neighbours. Now you're going to be five hundred miles ° away in the north of Scotland. Don’t worry. As soon as we're settled, Pll ——_____ and let you know how things are going. write you a letter Ze vous Serivai en mot 1 escrbiré twerde ich tas von mir héren lassen i serfverd due righe mn the agenda, But before you leave I'd like each of you to (1) —_____on your major cts. Let's start with you, Shirley. How long will it ake before the new computerized system completely replaces the manual one? T'mafraid I didn’t bring the ‘reports with me and I don’tremember the exact dates for the completion of the various phases . . Tj ‘want a guesstimate. @ — Pa sey the new system will be in place within three months. Pll check the details and let you know this afternoon. (1 give me a summary © from memory ‘me donner un aperca 2 mémoire mir einen Uberblick geben cdem Stegreifgesprochen (1) me hagats un resamen ne 8. Hey, you promised you wouldn’t tell the boss we took Friday afternoon off. Don’t blame me. I didn’t tell him. It was Ernie who But he was with us! ‘He must have felt guilty and decided to confess. admitted something a vendu la mache nicht dichagehalten hat se le excaps ‘ha euorato il saceo Come on, John. We're old friends. I promise I won't print it unless it’s announced officially. ’s_ strictly — If into the newspapers before the Minister announces ‘ll be in serious trouble. confidential; not to be published a confidencial confidesiale confide ganz im Vertrauen 12. Things Going Wrong stumbling block to start from scratch throw a spanner in the works can’t get the hang of it A STUMBLING BLOCK ina rut going round in circles caught on the wrong foot upside down is in for Fe, le seraping the bottom of the barrel wir Re mp Bp gp Fill in the blanks beloaw each sitwat the best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents ielp you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. Are you busy at the moment? Busy? We're snowed under. Overtime every day. We were really by that order from Spain. It arrived the same week that the holiday season started. wxprepared ris de court desprovis auf dem falschen Bein ercischt 2 arvivato tra capo e colo 2. What made you decide to apply for that job in Belgium? “Well you know, I've been working for the same company for ten years now. I like my work but I feel Pm —_____ SEES BONY 7 The job just isn't as interesting or challenging as it used to be. In that case a change will probably do you good. in a dull rowine ea deviont routinier Jim gleichen Trott (sein) 4 esté haciendo una rutina ‘mi sto fossilizzando 3. Am I glad to see you! What's the matter? It’s this new film projector. I’ve been trying to thread a film for the last twenty minutes but I just ~ Tcould put a film on the old projector in no time, Dut this one’s got me beaten. Let me have a try. don’t know how to make it work no sé como hacerlo funcionar; sai pos le tour de main ane no le encuentro la maria homme niche auf den Drok som s0 da come farlo funcionare SCRAPING THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL... 14 4 How are the negotiations for the new pay deal going? ‘They've broken down completely. The union side walked out yesterday. ‘That’s a surprise. The last I heard everything was going well. The Union (1) —________. They suddenly demanded a four-day week. We can’tagree to that. That's (2) pp nti Redo EEE eed DES EREREE (1) cued a difficulty 2) the problem poine «a mis des batons dans les roues (1) provocd um problema Qkehic (2) al punto problematico (1) sourf wns einen Kraippel szueiichen die Beine (2) das steht der Sache im Weg; 2b sags etalo eine Hiirde * ‘What's in the crate? I don’t know. I can’t get it open. Tm not surprised. It’s — ‘You're trying to open the bottom. Turn it over. It’s easier to open from the top. : de cabeza; al revés sottasopra 5 76 . When’s Phil due back from his holiday? Not for another couple of weeks. Why do you ask? Pm aftaid he i ‘unpleasant surprise. They've reorganized his section out of existence. is unable to avoid; will certainly get a certginement ov0ir; peut Sattndve & ‘om sche (cine Bice Uberaschurg) decor se va a encoutrar pa incomtro a HANG OF IT! . Any ideas on what to do about sales in France? They are not going ‘well this year. More newspaper ads? Bigger discount to the dealers? Oh come on, th need some new ideas, something really different. ideas which are only just of acceptable quality haciendo uso del ilvimo recurso val lich das Letzte vom questo 8 toccare il fondo Look, it’s been a long day and we’re all tired. I don’t think we're going to solve all these problems today. . ‘Wait a minute. I think we came up with some pretty good ideas. ‘That was a couple of hours ago. Since then we've been repeatin, the same things. Were - Let's leave it till tomorrow. Our minds will be clearer in the morning. talking without any progress (on tourne en rond air Bewegen uns mur im Kreise déndole eueltas al asunto i stiamo affannando senza risultati |. I've tried to rearrange the desks to find space for two more people, but they won’t all fit. Why have you left Peter’s office as it is now? ‘Well we can’t change everything! With this sor of problem it’s best . It usually saves time in the end. 10 begin from nothing recommencer & zéro volver a comensar desde el principio ganz von come anzufangen ricominciare do zero 7 13. Contradicting or Disagreeing beside the point barking up the wrong tree Pve got a bone to pick with you. So what? doesn’t hold water @) take exception to Come off it! . is at odds with i, putting the cart before the horse j. that’s all very well and good but Pope oP Pe Fillin the blanks sith the best idiom from thelist above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1, Hold on a minute. There's no point discussing how we're going to give the course before we establish the course objectives. You're right. We're ____. Let's set the objectives first and then we can discuss how toachieve them. getting things in the worong order fon met la charrue devant les boeuf haciendo las cosas al revés zéumen das Pferd vom Sckwanz auf mettere il carro davanti ai buoi 8 | | 2, Hello Roger. How are things? Sally Langton — my favourite personnel officer. Just the person I wanted to see. PO Oh-oh! What have I done now? ‘You promised to find me a temporary typist two days ago and Pm still waiting. have something t reproach you about Sai un pets compte & rigler avec toi tengo una cuenta pendiene contigo ‘ch habe ein Hithnchen mit dir 24 rupfen ‘ho un conto da regolare con 12 3... . so, in the light of the two points I've just made, Pm sure you'll agree that the decision needs to be looked at again. ql) i, Max! You're getting carried away with your own rhetoric. P'm not convinced, whether Dick agrees or not is (2) Ir’s totally irrelevant. And as for your second point, the theory you're basing it on is full of holes — that argument simply 8) ——_____ 7 . Wait a minute, Anne, I (4) — that remark — the theory is fully set out in Psychology Tomorrow. Perhaps you should read it! (1) don't talk nonsense; stop being ily (2) is not om the subject (3) is faulty (4) disagree with, and am anayed by (1) arréte de dire des bétises (2) sans rapport avec le sujet (2) ne vent pas debout (9) je me suis pas accord avec (1) deja de decir toncerias (2) no tiene nada que ver (8) no tiene base (4) no admivo (2) ma dai, nom essere stupido (2) hat niches damit zu tu (2) non ha niente a che vedere (3) ise miche hieb- und srichfest (8) non sta in piedi (Q) ich nekrme (die Bemerkung) bel (4) non ammetto (1) mm mach mat hatblang! 79 get action you're ‘What makes you say that? Because it’s the union that make all the decisions in this area, choosing the song course of action ous cous rrompez royalement cestais enguivocados vous cous meitez Je doigt dans Poeil estais en un error thr seid auf dem Holzweg state bussando alla porta sbagliaca I've GOT A BONE TO PICK WITH You. 80 . Tell me, Mrs, Stevens, what made you decide to withdraw your child from his previous school and bring him here? basically because I find that their whole approach my own views on how children should be brought up. is in conflice with ne concorde pas avec no concuerda cons cextd on desacuerdo con geht gegen; widersprechen contrasta con - Doug, the chairman wants the financial reports for the first quarter. ‘Well, he can’t have them until we find out which set of figures is correct. We're working on it night and day and I’d say that we'll have the problem sorted out within a couple of weeks. it won't satistiy the chairman. He wants those figures today. ‘Then he can have both sets. that’s fine but out gla est fen beau mais todo es0 estd muy bien, pero; std muy bien, sin embargo das ist ja alles schin und gus, aber va tutto bene ma . Hey, did you hear the news? They've announced a cabinet re- shuffle. Our department has 2 new Minister. Why should I care? At our level it doesn’t make any difference who the Minister is. ‘What an attitude! 81 14, The Bureaucracy . Don’t rock the boat. up in the air cut through the red tape pass the buck pulled a few strings blew the whistle on snowed under Ten HE WENT) over my HEAD! ) Boe gp ° . get the chop go over someone’s head i keep (your) ear to the ground Fill in the blanks with the best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book, 1. I’m going to ask for a transfer to another section. ‘What's the problem? I's the supervisor, Bert White. I’m fed up with the way he always Se renner eee etree nn er eer enna ee reer boss finds something wrong with the section’s work place the blame or responsibilty on someone else Es dom Schwarzen Peter wegeuschieben fare a scarica barile tort aux autres ‘echarle a culpa a otro 82 . Surely you can do without overtime? Not really. We've got a pile of other rush jobs to do so we're absolutely with, work, Come off it! You people in Accounts don’t know what the word means. Now if you were in Personnel . . . overloaded debords (de ra cargados de ‘iberlasee sommersi STOP PASSING THe BuCK! . It’s high time somebody __ the crew in the mail room. They’ré always nipping out for something or other. There’s never a full staff there. ‘Well, 'm not going to be the one who reports them. It’s not my job. reported their behaviour to saméone in authority mowcharder informe sobre el com (cic) verraten; blofstellen rmertere termine allo 83 84 Hello, Debbie. How come you're still here? I thought you were going off to head 2 new section. [Iwas supposed to be, but the new organization hasn’t been approved yet. It was submitted to the Management Committee but some of the directors have apparently raised some objections. So the Rahiols tre“orgyarization) ix feeiesnessseeenetesteee aenatesenmemamnsoe again. uncertain; undecided incertains en suspens nl air; indocisa Inge noch in der Luft per aria ve had enough with those people in the Accounts Department. Why don’t you deal with the Financial Advisor, Susan Taylor? I find her very helpful. ‘Well, I don’t. She’s the one I have the most trouble wi me, if I have any more hassle from her I’m going t and take my questions to So help the Director of Finance. uldn’t do that if I were you. You know you just cause more trouble if you don’t go through the proper channels. @) ling me not to upset the system. When the system is this bad it should be upset. (go (2) don’s cause trouble (1) passer par dessus (2) apelar 4 higher authority than the person in question 2) ne pouses pos grandsmive dans 2) no busgues problemas (1) sete mich iber ihren Kopf rnsceg (2) mack keinen Aufstand! () scavaleare qualeuno (2) non agitare le acque Believe it or not, I have something good to say about the bureaucracy for once, ‘Wonders will never cease. What happened? Remember I told you I needed to get a new passport? Well, I forgot to apply for it until the day before my flight. Oh no! What did you do? Well, [took my papers and went to the passport office and explained it all to the lady at the counter. She was very sympathetic and took me to one of the higher-ups and, to cut a long story short, he managed to and get me a new passport in a matter of hours instead of the usual two weeks. cial procedures simplifier les formaticés acortar los rémites den Verwealtungsweg abeukiraen _pasare per la via pitt breve 85 - How come Barry’s still around. Wasn’t he fired? I thought you told me he'd (1) — He did but one of the difectors (2) and got him reinstated. | Hmmm. So Barry’s got friends in high places, eh? I'd better be carefual what I say to him from now on. (1) been fired (2) used (Da até remercié aa tiré les fielles (1) ist gefeuert worden (2) hat Bezighungen spielen lassen (Y) lo despidieron (2) usd su influencia (1) esato licenziato (2) ha adoperato la sua influenza |. Have you any idea when Joe returns? No, nobody has said a word yet. Well, will you — hear anything, let me know as early as possible. No doubt I'll hear on the grapevine as soon as he is back. and if you tention to office talk, rumours etc pegar la oreia tenere Vorecchio 1250 ay careful reser auox aguets hhalten Sie die ohven offen 15. Winning or Losing is in the running THEY REALL? set the better of (som: a ter of (someone) Boeke ve OFF! get off on the wrong foot in the bag take a back seat to pull it off doesn’t stand a chance . out on a limb win hands down it’s a toss-up Tero me ap sp Fillin the blanks with the best idiom from the list above. Use the equivalents below each situation to help you. Answers at the back of the book. 1. Did you watch the debate on TV last night? Yes, it was quite a show. Who do you think was the winner? No question about it. The Conservatives agree they probably had the better of it, but not by that much. T thought it was pretty close. ‘won easily gamaron por mucho ‘harmo vinto senza colpo ferire 4 gagné hawt la main haben souverdin (od. mitheles) gewonnen 87 88 Ted Roger Alice Ted Alice Roger Alice Ted ‘Who do you think will get the Assistant Director General's position? ‘They say Roberts, Tremblay, Anderson and McKay qa) Well, I'd say you can cross Roberts off the list. He (2) . What makes you say that? Because from the day he joined he has the Director General. Poor guy. He on with 3) — - and you know how important first impressions are to the D.G. Mm, I know what you mean. And I've heard through the grapevine that McKay’s out of the running. So it looks like Anderson or Tremblay. Yes, they’re pretty evenly matched. Either one of them would make 2 good A.D.G. I'd say (4) between Anderson and Tremblay, Td put my money derson. She’s really got what i takes. I thinl Don’t underestimate Tremblay. He is really sharp and very competent. He’d be my choice. being considered as eandidares 2) has no chance of winning ‘began badly their chances are equal (©) contain (1) son on lice (2) wa aucune chance (Y) estén en la Bina (2) no tiene posbitidad ninguna (8) empecé mal; comenzé mal (8) hay wn empate (5) de seguro (1) sono in izea (2) no ha alama possbilica (9) partito com il piede sbagliato (9) kota ad arms pari perso che ha la witeora in tasca (8) ext parti due mawvais pied (A) leurs chances sont é () Vaffaive est dans (1) legen im Rennen (2) hat Reinerlei Chance (9) hatte einen schleckien Start as ite vilig offen (5) sie hat es im der Tasche . Hey, did you hear? Maureen Marchand’s been appointed head of marketing. ‘Well, well! Sam isn’t going to like that. You can say that again. He's been acting head for so long that he isn’t going to like having to to somebody No, he’s never enjoyed playing second fiddle — and especially not to a woman. e. be subordinate to Gere le second violon coder ef lugar sich aunickal (die sweite Geige spielen) 89 90 to succeed in the face of I'm affraid we've probably lost the Melson contract. They're not happy with the last series of commercials we did for them, So I hear. But it’s not lost yet. T've sent Andrew to try and talk them into giving us another chance. Well, if anybody can persuade them, it’s him. Well, I think he might be able legrarto {fare it colo You won't (1) — Jack. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to marketing. Usually, yes. But this time he really is (2) ____ ______ He wants to drop all the television advertising. That's crazy. Nobody agrees with him. If Jack says it’s a good idea, he’s probably right. one else agreeing (1) podrés oponerte (2) en una posicion soltaria (1) le convainere (2) compieten (1) du hast einen Strich gegen (2) er stoke ganz verlassen da (1) avere la meglio su (2) tagliato fuori TEST 3 (Chapters 11-15) This is a test of some of the idioms in chapters 11-15. An English equivalent is given for each item. The exact number of ‘words required is indicated each time by the number of blanks. Use this test to check what you know either before or after you have studied Chapters 11-15. The answers are on page 96. 1. Come on. Get to the point. —_______ ___ . L want a straight answer to my question. don’s avoid the question 2. Your argument is irrelevant. It’s completely not om the subject 3. Has a final decision been made on the proposed move yet? No, they haven’t decided. It’s still. sundecided 4. Pd say Linda ‘Aw, come on! I agree she won but not by that much. won easily & GE Smee wwe Rune 91 5. We're near agreement but the is how many Saturdays we can ask people to work each month. problem point 6. Sally was left was the only one who voted for Peter. In the end, she itolared 7. Don’trun away Jack Brown, I've. Ob, Oh! What have I done wrong this time? something t0 argue about with you 8. Ifthatclerk gives me any more trouble I’m going to___ and complain to the Bank Manager. 0 t0 a higher authority than the person concerned. 9. You know I’m very interested in this project, so please Don’t worry. I'll call you every week to let you know how things are going. IM AFRAID Your ARGUMENT DOESN'T HOLD WATER, 92 10. My question couldn’t have been more direct. ee if my transfer request was approved. lashed the direct question 11. [ve never really got on with my supervisor. Right from the very first day Tn with him, began badly 12, 13. 14, tell you it’s high time this whole system was changed. Come on now. The system isn’t so bad. You'll only cause trouble for everybody. don’s try 10 upset the system Can you show me how this calculator works? I've been trying to get a subtotal but I just don’t Knot howe to mae it work I ‘you suggesting that my department was responsible for the mistake. resent 93. IE saci oe 15. 16. 20. ). fhe thinks I’m going to accept such poor quality work he’s T’d say Tom and Helen have an equal chance of winning the chess tournament. T agree ‘their chances are equal between those two. Just give me a rough estimate. Well, ______ Td say it'll cost about sixty thousand, L gues, from memory . He won’t accept blame or responsibility for anything. He always tries to put the Blame or responsibilty on others ‘The other candidates are much better qualified than Stan. He ‘has no chance of success a nasty shock. ‘certain t0 get Td be grateful if you would - T want to know as soon as possible. listen to se if you can find some information Answers 1. Time Expressions _ 1b, 2g, 3.¢, 4h, 5.d, 6.6 7.2, 8.c, 9, 104. 2, Being Confused 1b, 2g; 3.6, 44, 5.3, 6.€, 7.4, 8.5 94, 10.b. 3. Knowing or Agreeing 1g, 26 3.a, 4, 5.b, 6.c, 7.4, 8.¢, 9.b, 10. 4, Failure Lh, 2.8, 3.g, 4, 5. 5. Success or Strong Interest 14, 2d, 34h, 43, 5.g, 6.0, 7b, 8.2, 9.6, 10.£ 3.0, 9.d, 10.F Test 1 1. Beats me. 2. High time. 3. Ringsa bell. 4. Tums me on. 5. Went likeabomb. 6. Getting out ofhand. 7. Bit off more than Icouldchew. 8. On the blink. 9. Kill two birds with one stone. 10. Couldn’t get a word in edgeways. 11. Was aflop. 12. Slipped my mind. 13. Once in a blue moon. 14.Inthelongrun. 15. On the grapevine. 16, Straight from the horse’s mouth. 17. Can't make head nor tail of. 18. Haven’t got a leg to stand on. 19. Over the moon. 20. Knows the ropes. 6. Money Matters Le, 2.b, 3.6 4.4, 5h, 6.g, 7.¢, 8.2, 9.4, 10). 7, Extremes or Excess » (26 2.d, 3,j, 4.b, 5.6, 6.4 7.h, B(I)B (2c. 8. Compromise or Balance LE 2.4, 3.0, 4.b, 5.a, 6.h, 7.¢, 8), 9.8, 104. 9. Complaining or Commiserating Le, 2.(1)d, Qa, 3.6 4.c, 5D), (2g; 6. 7.8, 8b. 10. Meeting People La, 2,j, 3.6 4.b, 5.4, 6.c, 7.(1)i, (2)b, 8.(I)e, (2g. Test 2. 1. Can’t make ends meet. 2, Making a mountain out of a molehill, 3. Take . .. with a pinch of salt. “4, Was the last straw. 5. Talking shop. 6. Pulling his weight. 7. Selling like hot cak Pay lip service to. 9, What a rip-off. on the fence. 11. Giving or Seeking Information Le, 2.4, 3, 4.a, 5.b, 6, (JE 2h, 8.h, 9.8. 12, Things Going Wrong 1g; 2.¢, 3.4, 4.(1)c, (2, 5.b, 64, 7, 8.6 9.b. 13. Contradicting or Disagreeing 14, 2.c, 3.(1)g, (2)a, (3)e, (46 4b, 5.h, 6.j, 7.4. 14. The Bureaucracy 1d, 2, 3.6 Li, 2(1)a, (2)8, (B)c, Ais (5)d, 3e, 46 5(1)b, (2)b. Test 3. 1. Don’t beat about the bush. 2. Beside the point. 3, Up in the air. 4. Won hands down. 5. Stumbling block. 6. Outonalimb. 7. Gota bone to pick with you. 8. Go over (his) head. 9. Keep me posted, her point blank. 11. Got off on the wrong foot. 12. Don’ 13.Can'tgetthe hang ofit. 14. Take exception to. sa toss Off the top ofmy head. 17. Passthe buck. 18. Doesn’tstandachance. 19. In for. 20. Keep your ear to the ground. 96 © stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any ‘means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Language Teaching Publications. ~ ‘This edition edited by Michael Lewis Based on Idioms 1 published in 1980 by Public Service Commission of Canada Language Training Branch English Program Development Unit Bisson Centre ‘Orawa Canada KIA OM7 ‘The original material was by Vera McLay, edited by Howard B ‘Woods, Michael Sutton and Cornelius von Baeyer. ‘Many people have contributed to the French, Spanish, German and Italian translations. We are particularly grateful to Norma Fernandez, Angeles Broca, Anne Péchou, Judith Fleming and Christophe Dupin. Original Book © Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1980 Available from Canadian Government Publishing Centre, Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa, Canada KIA 059. This edition © Language Teaching Publications. Reprinted 1988, 1990, 1992, © Language Teaching Publications 1987 35 Church Road, Hove, Sussex, BN3 2BE ISBN 0 906717 60 4 Printed in England by Commercial Colour Press, London E7. ‘All tights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, Introduction What are idioms? Idioms ae prases where the whole phrase means something different fort the meaning of the separate words. If you are fed up, you are bored and unhappy, but the whole phrase has nothing to do with feed; if something the long run, it means in the end, when the whole process is finished, but it has nothing to do with running. ‘All languages have idioms, but an idiom in one language may have no direct equivalent in another. This means when you learn a new language you have to learn the idioms as complete phrases. Idioms are very common in spoken English; they are less common in written English, or more formal situations. In English, in particular, idioms are very often used in business contexts to help to create a relaxed atmosphere. Most of the idioms in Idioms at Work are common in situations which can occur in commerce, business or government departments. Someone whose English is very good, but who uses no idioms, can sound formal and rather impersonal, and, therefore, a little unftiendly. For this reason, idioms are important in building a pleasant ‘atmosphere, and helping to make sure that your business meetings do not seem ‘cold’. Are idioms always appropriate? ‘Some idioms are very informal and are only used in conversations among friends. Most of the idioms in this book, however, will sound completely namural in any ordinary discussion or business meeting. Understanding and using idioms Sometimes students do not feel comfortable using idioms. They find it ‘believe that the unusual combinations of words can be used with meaning of the idiom, Anyone who wants to use English, however, yeakers. Very are using these so do not know often, native speakers of English do not even know special expressions. They do not think they are “diffi that a foreign listener may have trouble with them. How to use Idioms at Work Idioms at Work can be used with a teacher, or you can use it alone, for self-study. ‘You can work through the book Unit by U: those units which you thi ‘After each set of five Units there is a Test. You can use this in two ways: ‘you can pick and choose material, and that natural. ‘before you work through the Units, to see if you already know any of the expressions — after you have studied the Units, to check that you have learnt the expressions and to see how much you have improved. Probably the best way to use each unit is as follows: + Look at the list of expressions at the top of the chapter. Try to say the phrases outloud a few times. Don't worry if they sound a lite strange at first. . Work through the material in the book, situation by situation, filling in the appropriate expression. . Try to say the phrase which contains the idiom a few times out loud so that it feels natural to you. . A few days later go through the material again, or check the Test to make sure that you have learnt the expressions. For each situation we have given French, Spanish, German and Italian equivalents — sometimes idiomatic, sometimes translations or paraphrases. In addition, after each situation there is a non-idiomatic English equivalent. These, of course, are only to help you understand exactly how the idiom is used. If you are using Idioms at Work in class, in addition to working through the material in the book, you may like to practise the idioms by writing your own situational dialogues, or by usinig the idioms in mini-roleplay Situations. ms at Work, we hope you will enjoy reading the ‘However you us help make your English more friendly and more . Money Matters |. Extreme or Excess .. . Compromise or Balance ). Complaining or Commiserating . ). Meeting People |. Giving or . Things Going Wrong ..... . Contradicting or Disagreeing . The Bureaucracy ... . Winning or Losing Contents Time Expressions Being Confused Suecess or Strong Interest TEST 1....... TEST 2 TEST 3 .. Answers .

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