実践ビジネス英語 Thursday, January 24
1) Lyons says he felt empowered by being free of email during the day, and Collins compliments him on his fortitude. Lyons agrees it was difficult and also inconvenient as he and his family couldn't coordinate their activities through their phones. Collins asked if Lyon's experiment led to a permanent change in his behavior. and he reveals that he no longer checks his email on the weekends.
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Going Email-Free (2)
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2) feel empowered: When we empower someone, we give them more power, more control over their actions and lives. Training a person in computer skills would "empower" them, for example, because it would give them a greater ability to find a job. Encouraging young girls to play sports can "empower" them by making them stronger physically and boosting their confidence.
3) albatross around one's neck: Lyons is using the image of those big seabirds to mean a burden, a hindrance to success. Apparently this idiom comes from the poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," in which a sailor kills an albatross. His shipmates believe that this killing brings them bad luck and they make him wear the dead bird around his neck. So you could say something like, "John's big mistake on that project has become a real 'albatross around his neck.' The boss doesn't trust him anymore."
4) pull off: This means to accomplish some difficult feat, succeed in some difficult endeavor. Imagine you persuade your boss to give you time off during a very busy season. A colleague might say, "I can't believe you ' pulled that off.' How did you convince him?"
5) get on someone's case: This means to criticize or harass someone over something. His mother was constantly "on his case" to get a full-time job or to get married, for example.
6) We also say "get off someone's case," as in "I wish she’d 'get off my case' about the report. It's not due until Friday."
7) get into the sprit of things: This is to actively participate in something or join the fun of it. For example, "Everyone 'got into the sprit of the fundraiser' and worked very hard to collect donations."
8) go email-free: To "go something-free" is to live, function without it. You might say, "She decided 'to go caffeine-free' after she got pregnant."
9) the fact is: The truth of the matter is. The actual situation is. So you might see an article that reads, "Many people are still pessimistic about the economy, but 'the fact is' things are gradually improving."
10) In that window: In that period of time, Lyons means. You’ll often see business articles talk about a window of opportunity, as in, "There's only a brief window of opportunity to take advantage of this investment possibility.
