実践ビジネス英語 Wednesday, June 4
1) Lyons says the business world used to be more enjoyable, but is now filled with stress and tension. Breakstone replies that surely he doesn't want to go back to the days of rampant discrimination. And Lyons, Collins and Breakstone remark on how the situation is far better now for women and minorities. Despite such negative elements, however, Lyons says he prefers to emphasize the positive aspects of the past.
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Back in the Day (1)
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2) a penny for your thoughts
We say this to people who are deep in their own thoughts or who are quiet as they think about something. We mean, "Hey! What are you thinking about?" Another expression using "penny" is the adjective "penny-ante ," which means of little value, of little importance. It comes from the money that poker players put in before the cards are dealt. So you might hear "The union rejected the 'penny-ante' raise that the company offered."
3) you look worlds away
Again this means Lyons was deep in thought about something, disconnected from the situation around him. Collins also could have said, "You are worlds away." "Worlds away" can also refer to a thing or situation that's completely different from something else, such as "Our new office is 'worlds away' from the old one. It's much bigger and the location is better."
4) uptight
Lyons is using "uptight" to mean tense, nervous. And there's a sense of being overly concerned about things that don't warrant being so upset, such as "He is really 'uptight' about whether the boss likes him."
5) "Uptight" can also mean rigidly conventional. Adhering strictly to conventional practices and rules. And this too implies excessive concern about behaving the right way, such as "She is really 'uptight' about punctuality. If you are two minutes late, she gets furious."
6) turn the clock back
Go back in time, make things the way they used to be, Breakstone means. She also could have said "turn back the clock." We'd all like to "turn back the clock" and correct past mistakes, wouldn't we?
7) permeate
"Pervade" is another way to say this. To spread or flow throughout something. Social media has certainly "permeated" our lives, so have various kinds of mobile technology.
8) paint a rosy picture
Describe something in very optimistic, positive terms. We often use it when someone is being very positive but the actual situation is different. Something like, "The president 'painted a rosy picture' of the company's future, but we'll probably have to close several stores."
9) glass ceiling
This refers to the intangible barrier, the unacknowledged discrimination that prevents women and minorities from rising to the top in companies and elsewhere. Remember the woman who ran for U.S. President in 2008? When she lost she said that women might not have shattered the highest, hardest "glass ceiling" yet, but there were now about 18 million cracks in it.
10) accentuate the positive
To emphasize the positive elements in some situation. This is also the tittle of a very famous song from the 1940s. A lot of people probably think of this song when they use this expression.
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実践ビジネス英語 Thursday, June 5
1) Lyons regrets the disappearance of practical jokes and casual conversation in the workplace. And Breakstone adds that lighthearted talk fosters team spirit among employees. She and Lyons agree that interpersonal communication has become impersonal as a result of email and texting. Collins remembers now vanished hallway meetings, smoking breaks and beer parties, and says flying is no longer a pleasure.
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Back in the Day (2)
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2) play a practical joke on
"Practical joke" is a specific kind of joke, one meant to trick someone or embarrass them. Gluing someone's coffee cup to their desk, for example. That would be a "practical joke." A person who plays practical jokes is a practical joker.
3) toss around
This expression uses the image of casually throwing something. Lyons means casually exchange something, like jokes or ideas. For example, "We 'tossed around' some new marketing ideas during the meeting."
4) It can also mean use or expend something carelessly, such as, "We have to watch our expenses. The company doesn't have extra money to 'toss around.'"
5) lighthearted banter
Here. "banter" is a noun meaning witty or teasing conversation. It can also be a verb, such a "Kevin and Susan are always 'bantering' about politics in the office."
6) esprit de corps
This is a loanword from French. Originally it means spirit of the group or body. And it refers to the comradeship within a certain group, and its members' devotion to a purpose. You can also use the English equivalent team spirit.
7) face-to-face
When people are "face-to-face," they are in each other's presence, they are interacting in person. You could say, "We'll have our first 'face-to-face' meeting with the client next week."
8) There's also the expression “to someone's face,” which means directly to a certain person. It's often used with tell or say, such as "If you are unhappy with Martin's work, you should 'tell him to his face.'"
9) ubiquitous
"Ubiquitous" means something is present everywhere. So Lyons means everyone is carrying bottles of water these days. Smartphones certainly feel "ubiquitous" these days. Everybody's got them on the train.
10) beer bash
A "bash" is a party, a celebration of some kind. I'd say there's a nuance of a fairly large or festive event. "We are having a big birthday 'bash' for Mary next week," for example.
11) burned-out
Physically or mentally exhausted from some long stress or hard work, as if all our fire or energy is used up.
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実践ビジネス英語 Friday, June 6
1) Lyons says millionaires are now quite common, and Breakstone says no one has any secrets anymore as casual remarks are widely shared through social media. Nissen says technology has eliminated many jobs and Lyons cites mail carriers and other postal employees as examples of that. Collins says toll collectors have also disappeared, and that she misses the local video store employee who always gave her good recommendations on films.
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Back in the Day (3)
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2) once upon a time
This expression often appears at the beginning of fairy tales meaning in a bygone era. That's how Lyons is using it here. For example, "'Once upon a time' I wrote my school reports in longhand." Or "'Once upon a time' I recorded my interviews on cassette tapes."
3) chump change
This is a relatively new expression, apparently it originated in the 1960s. It means an insignificant amount of money. So you could say, "50,000 yen is 'chump change' for him," meaning that's not a lot of money to that person. Or "He is getting 100,000 yen more a month in his new job. That's not 'chump change.'"
4) before you know it
Surprisingly quickly or you suddenly realize that something is happening, such as, "You'd better get started on that report. The deadline will be here 'before you know it.'" You can also use other pronouns, things like, "'Before he knew it' he'd spent 50,000 yen." Or "'Before I knew it' I had 20 unanswered emails in my inbox."
5) broadcast
Breakstone uses this to mean make something widely known, tell lots of people, such as, "He 'broadcast' his promotion throughout the company." Or "We shouldn't 'broadcast' our complaints on the Internet."
6) become blurred
Become more indistinct, hazy. Another common expression using "blur" is "go by in a blur." We use this when time passes quickly in a busy, rushed activity, such as, "There were so many speeches and seminars to attend. The conference 'went by in a blur.'"
7) as obsolete as buggy-whip makers
Obviously making whips to urge horses along, buggy horses is not a big industry anymore. That business faded away a long time ago. So this means something that is completely out of date, something long out of date. You can use other words too, such as, "Many jobs have become 'as obsolete as phonograph makers.'"
8) cost someone their job
In this case "cost" means cause to lose, suffer or sacrifice, things like, "A careless post on social media can 'cost someone their job.'" Or "His laziness 'cost him that promotion.'"
9) go the way of the dodo
The "dodo" was a flightless bird on the island of Mauritius. It's now extinct. Its name comes from a Portuguese word meaning silly or stupid. And it's often used to mean something has become extinct or obsolete. The fax machine seems to be "going the way of the dodo," thanks to email attachments. Telegrams have definitely "gone the way of the dodo." And we also put in other words at the end. You could say something has "gone the way of the floppy disk," for example, or "gone the way of the cassette tape."
【原稿チェック： Cecile, Hiromi, Ina】
【ディクテーション： Sanae】
