実践ビジネス英語 Friday, March 8
1) Nissen says he is an advocate of paying children to do chores and that he got a dollar a week for things like mowing the lawn. Pearson says he did something similar with his son to help teach him the value of money and hard work. He also taught his son about interest by going over his credit card bills with him. Breakstone adds that her parents helped her set up a bank account when she was little.
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Tips for the Real World (3)
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2) a firm believer: Nissen strongly believes a certain thing, his faith in that thing is strong. I'm "a firm believer" in the benefits of exercise both mental and physical. I'm also "a firm believer" in the benefits of studying abroad.
3) give someone an allowance: Nissen uses "allowance" in the sense of money given to someone regularly or for a specific use. In this case, it's money children get from their parents. But adults receive "allowances" too. Japan "gives parents a monthly child-rearing allowance." Company executives could be "given a travel allowance" for business trips.
housing allowance = 住宅手当
travel allowance = 旅行手当
child-rearing allowance = 育児手当
4) do chores: Chores are tasks such as cleaning, washing and ironing that have to be done regularly at home.
5) a buck a week: Here "buck" is a noun meaning a dollar. Apparently this comes from the word "buckskin," the skin of a male deer which used to be used in trade.
6) "Buck" also appears in the expression, "pass the buck," which means "shifting responsibility or blame somewhere else." The nuance here is that the blame, responsibility shouldn't be passed, you know that someone is trying to escape their own fault.
7) Like, he blames his assistant for a missing the deadline, but that's just "passing the buck." It was his responsibility.
8) instill in someone: It caused Pearson's son to have a certain feeling or belief. It taught him that feeling or belief. My parents "instilled in me" a love of reading, for example.
9) spoil: This means to damage someone's character or attitude through overindulgence. I got "spoiled" by living in a very quiet apartment that was just two minutes from my station. It made it hard for other later apartments to seem good enough.
10) We also say "spoil someone rotten," meaning give them whatever they want, spoil them to an enormous extent. As in, "His grandmother 'spoils him rotten,' giving him cookies and cake every time she sees him."
11) drill something into: This is to teach something by repetition. My parents "drilled into" me the importance of education, for example.
12) on the right track: Proceeding on the right course, Umemura means, as if Jim is following the correct path, the correct road to somewhere.
13) Someone or something can also be "on the wrong track." I've often heard this expression in connection with public opinion polls. Things like, "Forty-five percent of respondents believe the nation is 'on the wrong track.'"
14) pay off: Pearson uses this phrasal verb to mean pay all of a debt. It took me ten years to "pay off" my college loans, for example.
15) "Pay off" can also mean that some investment, some action results in a profit, a benefit. For example, "All her studying 'paid off.' She passed the exam with flying colors." or "Her steady saving has 'paid off.' She has plenty of money for retirement."
