実践ビジネス英語 Wednesday, July 16
1) Nissen tells the H&B staff that his favorite Italian restaurant has become a menu-less restaurant, offering an elaborate multicourse meal for a set price. McMillan says such prix fixe offerings are quite popular in Europe. And Umemura explains how such meals are called "omakase" courses in Japan. Nissen says his particular meal included 15 or 16 courses, including a choice of a meat, vegetarian or seafood entree.
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Menu-less Restaurants (1)
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2) al dente
This means cooked to be firm when eaten. We use it with things like pasta and rice. In Italian "al" means "to the" and "dente" means tooth.
3) switch
One common expression using "switch" is "bait and switch." This is luring customers with low prices and then telling them the low-price item is either sold out] or not as good as something more expensive. This happened near my house. A vendor had a price sign and some beautiful fruits on display, but the price on the sign was actually for smaller fruits. If you wanted the nice fruits you had to pay more.
4) fixed price
In this case “fixed” means set, established. The interest on a fixed rate mortgage, for example, stays the same throughout the repayment period. "Fixed" can also mean illegally arranged in advance to have a particular outcome, such as "The bidding on the public work's project was 'fixed' so company X would get the contract."
5) catch on
This is to become popular, to be taken up by some group of people. Things like, "Internet banking has really 'caught on' lately." Or "Laser disks never really 'caught on' in America."
6) get something
"Get" has many uses. This is an informal to say understand. Things like, "I don't 'get' this ad. Who are they targeting and what's the message?" This use of "get" is also very common with jokes. If I say "he didn't 'get' the joke," then he didn't understand why it was funny.
7) leave it up to
This means allow someone else to decide or do something. For example, "My parents 'left it up to' me when choosing a college." Or "When choosing a college, my parents 'left the final decision up to' me." You can also take out the "up," just say "leave it to," such as, "His boss 'left it to' him to choose a supplier."
8) comprise
This is apparently a contentious word. Many people say this is the proper usage. Things like, "The panel 'comprises' ten experts from various fields." But many others use it this way, "The panel is 'comprised' of ten experts." Experts often advise avoiding this word, and saying "composed of" instead to avoid problems.
9) entree
Nissen means the main dish of a meal, usually in a restaurant. But "entrée" can also mean entry into somewhere, such as, "Flying first class gets you 'entrée' to the special lounge."
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実践ビジネス英語 Thursday, July 17
1) Nissen says the restaurant he went to can accommodate special dietary needs with enough notice. His meal began with tiny amuse-bouches followed by smaller dishes and the entree and cost $150 for two people. Nissen feels this was reasonable given the delicious food and the opportunity to sample dishes he might have not tried otherwise. He also says a prix fixe menu lets a restaurant display its skills through a limited number of fine dishes.
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Menu-less Restaurants (2)
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2) accommodate
In this case, "accommodate" means respond to some desire or need. For example, "Company X opened a daycare center to 'accommodate' its working parents." "Accommodate" can also mean hold comfortably without crowding, such as, "This banquet room can 'accommodate' 150 people."
3) give someone advance notice
Let someone know ahead of time, in other words. We also have the expression "short notice," which refers to telling someone soon before something happens. Let's say, someone asks me to translate a letter by tomorrow. They might say, "I'm sorry for the 'short notice.'" Or "I'm sorry to ask on such 'short notice.'"
4) if you don't mind me asking
We use this when we're asking a question the other person might not be comfortable answering. You could also say "if you don't mind 'my' asking." So things like, "'If you don't mind my asking,' how much did your condominium cost?" Or "'If you don't mind me asking,' how much do you earn?"
5) pay a pretty penny
Pay a lot of money, in other words. We also say things "cost a pretty penny," such as, "It 'cost me a pretty penny' to get my laptop repaired." Or "Redesigning this prototype will 'cost the company a pretty penny.'"
6) damage
And you can also ask someone, "What's the damage?" to ask "How much did it cost?"
7) value for the money
We also say "get a lot for one's money," which means getting a large amount of something or some large value for how much you spend. You could say, "Lunch here is 1,000 yen and you 'get a lot for your money,' salad, entree, dessert and coffee." On the other side is, "not get much for your money," which means not getting much value or volume for what you spend. Imagine you reserve a hotel room but it's very small and you don't get breakfast. You might say, "Wow, you 'don't get much for your money,' do you?"
8) sample
Nissen is using "sample" as a verb meaning try something. A guidebook might say, "'Sample' the fresh fruit at this city's street markets." Or "We 'sampled' some of the latest gadgets at the trade fair."
9) What's in it for them?
Breakstone is asking "What benefit do they receive from doing something?" "How will doing something benefit them?" There's also the expression "nothing in it for someone" meaning they don't benefit from doing something. They don't get anything out of it. For example, "Why should she take on this extra project for no money? There's 'nothing in it for her.'"
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実践ビジネス英語 Friday, July 18
1) Nissen says prix fixe menus eliminate the need to have many different food items on hand. While Breakstone and McMillan appreciate not having to study the menu and choose something. McMillan adds that good chefs take pride in preparing their best dishes. Nissen and McMillan mention the different times that various establishments offer prix fixe meals. And Nissen says younger people aren't splurging on restaurant meals like they used to.
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Menu-less restaurants (3)
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2) have on hand
Have nearby, immediately available. For example, "With my allergies I always 'have tissue on hand.'" Or "We should always 'have cash on hand' for unexpected expenses."
3) can't be bothered
Won't make the effort to do something. We often use this sarcastically when there's actually not much effort involved or it's foolish not to do something, such as, "Look at this sloppy text. Obviously she 'can't be bothered' to use the spell check."
4) We also have the expression "It's no bother" meaning it's no trouble to do something. If I said, "Thank you for checking my Japanese text." You might reply, "Oh, it's no bother. I'm happy to do it."
5) peruse
I've always used this to mean "read casually" and so do many of my friends. However, the official proper meaning is apparently "read carefully." Some dictionaries do include both meanings since they are both common. You'll probably hear this and read it both ways, so keep your eye on the context or ask the user to make sure.
6) chore
In this case "chore" means a difficult or unpleasant task. So McMillan's talking about
having to go through a long menu that's got a detailed explanation of each dish and this is very tiring sometimes and overloads you with too much information.
7) put oneself in someone's capable hands
"Put oneself in someone's hands" means entrust some interest of ours to another person. Adding the capable emphasizes that this is a person of ability, of talent that we can rely on. My father can't speak or read Japanese, so at restaurants here he often says, "I 'put myself in your capable hands,'" in other words, he entrusts me with ordering for him.
8) special occasion
A special significant event. Imagine you book a fancy restaurant for someone's birthday or an anniversary. You could say, "Normally we don't go to such expensive places but it's a 'special occasion.'"
9) affluent
"Affluent" people have plenty of money. They're prosperous. You'll hear about travel agencies targeting "affluent" travelers. Or "Mark moved to a more 'affluent' neighborhood after he got that promotion."
10) splurge on
This is to indulge, to spend money on some costly thing. For example, "I 'splurged on' an expensive briefcase." Or "We 'splurged on' a fancy resort for our latest vacation."
【原稿チェック： Cecile, Hiromi, Hiroko】
【ディクテーション： Sanae】
