Outgoing - · PDF fileoutgoing. attitude. ... in which something is designed or arranged)...

1

C h a p t e r O n eL e s s o n O n e

Outgoing

i. (Sociable, open and friendly, not shy--not to be confused with “outgoings”, which means personal or business expenses such as rent and domestic bills) Examples: • Job Advertisement: Outgoing Sales Assistant required. Must be on the ball and capable of taking on hectic work schedule. • Inthelongrun,you’llpickupmoreclientsifyouadoptamore outgoing attitude. • Theplaceneededdoingup,butitwasn’tthatwhichputus off going for it: the outgoings were outrageous.

ii. (Used to describe someone who is about to retire from a high position, e.g. president, chairman) Example: • Virtuallythewholetownturnedouttoseeofftheoutgoing president;theyweren’tparticularlylookingforwardtomeeting the new one.

iii. (A collection of mail which is to be sent, rather than “incoming”, which has just been received) Example: • I’msorrytobebossy,butletterswhicharetogooffshould be put in the ‘outgoing’tray.

Off the record (Unofficially, “Don’t tell anybody I said this, but…”, not to be made pub1ic--note the opposite “on record”,whichmeansofficial,apubliclyknownfact)

Examples: • Mortgage Consultant: Youcouldwinduppayinghigherinterest. Off the record,Ireckonyou’dbebetteroffgoingtoyour ownbankratherthanoneofmyclients. • Beforewegetthingsunderway,Imuststressthatanything thatcomesupduringthismeetingmustbekeptstrictly off the record. • Interviewer to Prime Minister: I’mnottryingtocatchyouout,butyouareon recordassaying thatinflationwouldplummetoncewehadrecoveredfromtheslump.

2

To go by

i. (To rely on/ judge something by what one has heard, seen or read --oftenusedinthenegative--note also “to go by the book”, which means to stick to the rules) Examples: • Youcan’tgo bywhathecomesoutwith;youneedtoseek a specialist who caters for experienced professionals. • Inevergo bythetabloidpress;mindyou,thislatestscandal isquiteaneye-opener.Theoutgoingmayorhadclearlybeen up to something. • Wedotrytogo by the bookinthiscompany,but,off the record, the odd rule gets broken from time to time.

ii. (To pass--usedfortimeonly) Examples: • Astimegoes by,Ifeelwe’redriftingapart. • Fiveyearswent by without me hearing from him, and then out of the blue, he turned up at the house.

To baffle (To confuse, puzzle)

Examples: • Computersreallybaffleme;I’mnotcutoutforthemodern age at all. • Iwasbaffledbyherbehaviour.Whatdoyouthinkcame overher?

Hardship (A state or period of suffering caused by a lack of money, a sacrifice--generallyexperiencedwhenhavingtogiveupsomethingpleasant)

Examples: • Wehadtoputupwithfarworsehardships when we werechildren,sodon’tmakeoutyou’rehard-doneby. • Icoulddowithoutbiscuitsquitehappily,butcuttingout chocolatewoulddefinitelybeahardship.

3

To be in one’s element (To feel comfortable in a certain situation, to enjoy doing something because it is exactly right and suitable for that person)

Examples: • Asanoutgoingperson,I’min my elementwhenIhave tomakeaspeechoffthetopofmyheadinfrontofacrowd of people. • Shedroppedoutofherbusinesscourseandhasnowtaken upafineartsdegree.She’sreallyin her element now.

To brush up (To improve one’s knowledge on a particular subject, to revise)

Examples: • IthoughtIcouldgetbyinSpanish,butasitturnedout, Ineededtodoquiteabitofbrushing up. • You’dbetterbrush uponyourgeneralknowledge beforeputtingyourselfdownforthecollegequiz.

Touchy (Over-sensitive, easily upset or annoyed. A subject which is likely to upset someone)

Examples: • JustbecauseIhadagoatyoulastnight,there’s no need to be so touchy. • A: Jane’sverytouchy,buthersisterisquitethick-skinned. B: Oh,Iwouldn’tgoalongwiththatatall. It’stheotherwayaround! • It’saverytouchysubject;Iwouldn’tbringitupifIwereyou.

“Computers really baffleme; I’m not cut out forthe modern age at all.” (see page 2)

4

Cliché (An expression, viewpoint or idea which has been used so many times that it has become boring and has lost its effect--thisisaFrenchwordwhich,likemanyothers,hascomeintoeverydayEnglishusage)

Examples: • It’sunheardofforthemanagerofafootballteamnottocome out with the same old clichés. • Iknowit’sacliché,butwhatyougetoutofthislifedepends onwhatyouputintoit.

To lay out

i. (To present something in a clear way, to arrange things so that they can be easily seen) Examples: • It’simperativethatwelay out our main proposals in the booklet, otherwise the message might not come across. • Ifyoulayeverythingout on the table, it will be easier to sort out what papers are worth keeping.

ii. (To design, plan a building, town, etc--note the noun “layout”,whichistheway in which something is designed or arranged) Examples: • Thegardenisclearlylaid outinmymind.Theonlydrawback isthatIknowI’llnevergetroundtodoinganythingaboutit. • Inherlatestjobthey’veaskedhertotakeontheresponsibility of laying out the new town centre. She will be in her element. • Thelackoflightcanbeputdowntothepoorlayout of the building. • I’mnotkeenonthelayout ofthefollow-upbrochure;it’s boundtobafflemanyofourcustomers.

iii. (To pay for something/spend a lot of money reluctantly--see “to fork/shell out”,PracticalEverydayEnglishpage168) Colloquial Examples: • Wife to husband: Ifyourcarhasgotsomuchgoingforit,whyhavewehad to lay out£1,000beforeit’sevengotthroughitsfirstsix months? • Yourbrotherisalwaysmakingoutthathe’shadalifeofhardship, butquitefrankly,I’mfedupwithhavingtolay out for him.

5

C h a p t e r O n eL e s s o n T w o

To go about

i. (To approach/deal with a problem or situation in a particular way--often used with “how”) Examples: • EventhoughI’vebeenrunningmyownbusinessforquitea longwhilenow,Istillhaven’tgotaclueastohow to go aboutgivingsomeonethesack. • Itseemstobeasensiblewayofgoing aboutit;mindyou, itbafflesmeastowhyithastakenthislongtogetthings underway.

ii. (To circulate--oftenusedwith“rumour”oranon-life-threateningvirus) Examples: • There’sarumourgoing about–strictlyofftherecord of course – that more redundancies are in the pipeline. • A: IthinkI’mcomingdownwithsomething. B: You’veprobablypickeduptheflubugthat’sgoing about at the moment.

Loophole (A gap or mistake in a particular law/rule which allows people to avoid having to obey it)

Examples: • Oursolicitorisboundtofindaloophole enabling us to get round the law. • Interviewer to politician: You’reonrecordassayingthatpeoplehavegotawaywith murderforfartoolongandthattheobviousloopholes in the law must be tightened up.

To keep someone posted (To keep someone up-to-date with the news/what is going on)

Examples: • Alltheamendmentsareclearlylaidoutinthisdocument, butwe’llkeep you postedonanythingelsewhichcropsup. • Ifyouhadkept me posted instead of dithering around, wewouldn’thavehadallthismesstosortout.

6

To break even (Not to make a profit or a loss)

Examples: • Wereckonedthatwe’djustaboutbreak eveninthefirst year,but,asitturnedout,businessreallytookoff. • Iknowit’sacliché,butduringaslumpyoushouldcount yourselfluckyifyoucanbreak even.

Backlog (A large amount of work which has been building up over a period of time, a lot of people waiting to be dealt with or seen)

Examples: • I’vegotabacklog of paperwork to get through before Icanturnmymindtotheseotherissues. • There’sabacklog of people to see, but, off the record, ifyouturnupbeforenine,weshouldbeabletofityouin.

To rub someone up the wrong way (To irritate/annoy someone)

Examples: • PerhapsI’mbeingtootouchy,butthere’ssomethingabout that man that rubs me up the wrong way. • Hereallyknowshowtorub her up the wrong way. Whydoesshestandforit?

To come through

i. (To pull through/survive a difficult period of time, to progress through a training period) Examples: • Wehadtoputupwithalotofhardshipsduringourtimein thearmybutweallcame through it in the end. • Football coach: Ourstarplayershavenotbeenuptoscratchthisseason;mind you,we’vegotquiteanumberofyoungsterscoming through.

ii. (To be evident/apparent) Examples: • Whatcame through most of all was his reluctance to come to terms with the truth. • Hisnastystreakonlycomes throughwhenhe’sbeing rubbedupthewrongway.

7

iii. (to arrive after having been processed--usuallydocuments) Examples: • Wecan’tputoutthesebrochuresuntilthenewleasecomes through. • TheHomeOfficehavetoldmethatbecauseofabacklogof applications,myvisaisunlikelytocome throughuntilthenewyear.

“Ourstarplayershavenotbeenuptoscratchthisseason;mindyou,we’vegotquite anumberofyoungsterscoming through.” (seepage6)

To give someone (a lot of) stick, to get/take (a lot of) stick (To tease, make fun of, criticise continually, to be teased, criticised continually--note also“tocomeinforstick”,whichcanbeusedinthesamewayas“totakestick”) Colloquial

Examples: • Wegive him a lot of stickatworkoverhisappallingchoice ofties,butheistoothick-skinnedtoletitbotherhim. • Igotrelentless sticklasttimeIwentinforthemarathon, soIamnotputtingmynamedownforitthisyear. • Film critic appearing on television: I’vetaken quite a bit of stickthisweekfromviewersfor slaggingoffDustinHoffman’slatestfilm,soI’mgoingto steerclearofthematterontonight’sprogramme. • TheBoardofDirectorscame in for a lot of stickovertheway theyhandledsuchatouchyissue.

8

To be up in the air (To be uncertain/unsettled)

Examples: • A: How’syournewofficecomingalong? B: Everything’sup in the air at the moment; Ihaven’tgotacluewhat’sgoingon. • We’vesortedoutthecostings,butthelayoutisall up in the air.

Dogsbody (A person who is employed to do menial jobs only)

Examples: • I’msorry,butIwon’tletyougetawaywithtreatingmelikeyour dogsbodyanymore. • Initially,hewastakenonjustasageneraldogsbody, which iswhyno-onecangetoverhispromotiontoRegionalManager.

9

C h a p t e r O n eL e s s o n T h r e e

To go round

i. (To go to someone’s home--see “to go over”,PracticalEverydayEnglish, page12,meaningi) Example: • I’mgoing roundtoJohn’stogivehimsomestickabouthis teamlosingtheCupFinal.Thatwillreallyrubhimupthewrongway.

ii. (To socialise/go out with a person or people on a regular basis--generally usedbychildrenandyoungadults) Colloquial Examples: • Idon’treally go around/roundwithmycollegefriends thesedays;we’vedriftedapartinrecentyears. • One child to another: Iknowwegetonwellwitheachother,butmymumhastold methatI’mnotallowedtogo aroundwithyouanymore.

iii. (To spread, to get round--seePracticalEverydayEnglish,page167,meaningii --,togoabout--see earlier, page 5, meaning ii) Examples: • Thestoriesthatwent roundaboutthesetwoguyswere arealeye-opener. • There’sastomachbuggoing round the school at the moment, somanyofourkidsarefeelingabitundertheweather.

iv. (To be in the habit of doing something or to behave in a certain way which is generally disapproved of) Examples: • Ifyougo rounddeliberatelywindingeveryoneup,peopleare bound to get hold of the wrong end of the stick. • Idon’tgo roundtreatingmyemployeeslikedogsbodies, andIdon’texpectyoutotryitoneither.

v. To have a sufficient quantity of something for everyone to enjoy/use--often usedwith“enough”or“plenty”) Examples: • Inthepastwetookitforgrantedthattherewasalways enoughmoneyto go round,butthesedaysit’sawonder thatwecanaffordtodoanythingatall. • Ithoughtwehadrunoutofbrochures,but,asitturnedout, there are plenty to go round.

10

One child to another: “Iknowwegetonwellwitheachother,butmymumhastoldmethatI’mnot allowed to go around/roundwithyouanymore.”

(see page 9)

To have it in one (To possess a certain characteristic which one was not previously aware of--oftenusedwith“Ididn’tknow”.Notealsothecolloquialexpression“to have it in for someone”,whichmeanstobedeterminedthatsomeonewillsuffer,haveahardtimeorfailinsomeway,oftenfornoapparentreason.Itisnotgenerallyusedinthefirstperson;i.e.onewouldnotsay“I’vegotitinforhim”,althoughonemighthear,“HethinksI’vegotitinforhim”)

Examples: • She’snotnormallysooutgoing;Ineverbelievedshe had it in her to perform in front of such a big audience. • Johncanvouchformyusualcalm,easy-goingnature. Ididn’tknowIhad it in metoflyoffthehandlelikethat. • Imightaswellgiveinmynotice;thebosshas had it in for me eversinceItoldhimhewashighlystrung.

11

• EveryapplicationI’vemadehasbeenturneddown. Someone has clearly got it in for me!

Cocky (Too confident or sure that one knows everything) Colloquial

Examples: • OnedayI’mgoingtoshowherupinfrontofherfriends. Iwon’tstandforhercockyattitudeanylonger. • Itservedhimrightwhenshecuthimdowntosize.He’sfar too cocky for his own good. • Hecomesoverastoococky.Idon’tthinkhe’llfitinwith the other members of staff.

To bog down/to get bogged down (To prevent progress, to confuse people by giving them too much work or information, to get stuck/to be slowed down, often because of too much work)

Examples: • We’vegottogetourmarketingspot-onandnotbogpotential customers down with too much information. • I’msorryIdidn’tgetbacktoyouyesterdaybutIgotbogged downwithabacklogofpaperworkIhadtocatchupon.

Understatement (A statement which does not go far enough or is not as strong as it should be -- the opposite of exaggeration)

Examples: • TosaythatmyFrenchisnotuptoscratchisanunderstatement. • A: Ourteamdidn’tputupmuchofafighttoday. B: Thatmustbetheunderstatementoftheyear. Theywereabsolutelydreadful!

Up and coming (Someone/something who/which is new and likely to be successful/popular in the near future)

Examples: • Ifeelmostoftheolddirectorsarenolongerontheball;mind you,we’vegotoneortwoup and comingyoungstersonthe board who could pull us through this bad patch. • A: What’sup and cominginthefashionworldatthemoment? B: Ihaven’tgotaclue;Idriftedawayfromthat scene ages ago.

12

To get going

i. (To get a move on--seePracticalEverydayEnglish,page183, to hurry up and leave/start, to get something started--note that “to get a move on” is preferred to “to get going”foruseintheimperative-see3rdexamplebelow.) Colloquial Examples: • I’mnottryingtodropyouahint,butyou’dbetterget going ifyouwanttododgetherushhourtraffic. • Let’sget this meeting goingbeforewewinduphaving tostaythenighthere. • Get a move on!We’llneverclearthisbacklogatthisrate.

ii. (To become or make something more lively, e.g. a party) Colloquial Examples: • A: Imighthaveknownyou’dturnuplate! B: Ohsorry,butwethoughtthepartywouldn’treallyget going until midnight. • Wecouldhavedonewithalivebandto get the wedding reception going but we had to make do with background classical music instead.

iii. (To wind up--seePracticalEverydayEnglish,page147,meaningiv, to tease) Colloquial Example: • It’ssoeasyto get your brother going;Ineverknewhewassotouchy.

To pencil someone/something in (To make a provisional [something which could be changed later] appointment with someone)

Examples: • Itellyouwhat;I’llpencil you inforTuesdaythe18th, andinthemeantimeI’dappreciateitifyoucouldkeepme postedastowhat’slikelytocomeupbeforethen. • Thingsarealittleupintheairatthemoment.Ifyoupencil the meeting inforWednesday,I’llgetbacktoyoubefore packinguptonightonwhetherIcanmakeitornot.

At stake (At risk -- often money or one’s reputation)

Examples: • Lawyer to Client: I’msorrytobeblunt,butit’snotworthputtingmycareerat stakeoversuchaborderlinecase.

13

• Hasitdawnedonyouexactlyhowmuchmoneyisatstakehere?

Scapegoat (A person who is unfairly blamed for everything that has gone wrong in order to satisfy public anger--oftenusedwiththeverb“tomake”)

Examples: • It’sunfairtomaketheChancellorthescapegoat for the downturnintheeconomy;theentireGovernmenthasgot a lot to answer for. • Thepolicecameoffverybadlyinthiscase,havingdithered forwhatseemsaneternity,andnowtheyarelookingforascapegoat.

14

C h a p t e r O n e i n U s eListen to the CD track 2

INTERVIEW WITH FOOTBALL MANAGER TED DAVIES

INTERVIEWER: Goodafternoon,Ted.Welcometotheshow.

DAVIES: Thanksverymuch,I’mdelightedtobehere.

INTERVIEWER: Letmestartbyaskingyouafewbackgroundquestions.Isittruethatyouwere firsttakenonbyWinchesterUnitedasadogsbody?

DAVIES: Well,that’squiteright.Asayoungster,Iusedtogo roundwiththechairman’sson, andonedayhisfatherofferedmethejobofcleaningtheplayers’boots.Allthe guystodaygivemealotof stickaboutit.ButIwasacockyladeventhen.Iknew Ihad it in metoclimbtheladder.Ialwaysfeltinmyelement at this club.

INTERVIEWER: Manypeoplearebaffledastowhyyounevermadeitasaregularfirstteam player.Youareon recordassayingthatyouwereoccasionallyplayedoutof position.

DAVIES: Thatmustbetheunderstatementoftheyear.Ionlyeverfeaturedasadefender, whichreallyrubbedmeupthewrongway,sinceIwasagiftedwinger. Theproblemwas,Ididn’tknowhowto go about adapting to new positions.

INTERVIEWER: Intoday’steamyouseemtohavealotofyoungplayerscoming through.Howdo youencouragethem?

DAVIES: Itrynot to bog them down with technicalities. Some of them are quite touchy whenIhaveagoatthemforsomething.Othersneedalotofpushingto get them going.Iknowit’sacliché,buttheywillallhavetogothroughalotofhardship beforetheygettothetop.

INTERVIEWER: Thanksforyourtime.Goodluckforthechampionship.

15

RADIO NEWS

NEWSREADER: Good evening.This is the six o’clock news.Today the outgoing Home Secretarydenied reports that the backlog of passport applications has causedmillions of holidaymakerstomisstheirflights.Hesaid,“Youcannotgobythescarestoriesofthepress.Everythingisundercontrol.”However,aspokesmanfortheTravellers’Bureausaid,“There’sarumourgoing about that the Prime Minister has admitted, off the record,thatalldecisionsastohowtosolvetheproblemhavebeenleftup in the air.”Wewill,ofcourse,keep all listeners posted.

Inothernews,MembersofParliament(MPs)havebeentold to brush upontheirEuropeanlanguages.TherehasbeenasurveyconductedintheHouseofCommonsquestioningnewmembersontheirforeignlanguageabilities.Whatcame throughmostofallwasthatonlyafewoftheup and comingpoliticianscouldgetbyinaforeigntongue.SomeofthesewereevenproficientenoughtofindloopholesinEuropeanlegislationwritteninFrench.However,themajorityofMPsonlyspokeEnglish,andstruggledwithbasicgrammarandpunctuationevenintheirownlanguage.Theywereurged to pencil indatesforlanguagetuitioncourses.TheMinisterforEuropeanAffairswarnedtheHousethattherewasalotat stakeinEurope,andthatwecouldn’taffordtobeabletoconverseinonlyonelanguage.

16

C h a p t e r O n e : E x e r c i s e

CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD FROM THOSE IN REDAnswers on page 133

1. Idon’tthinkhehadanythingtodowithwhathappened.Theyusedhimasa(scapegoat/ dogsbody/loophole/cliché)justbecausehe’stheofficeb(scapegoat/dogsbody/backlog/cocky).

2. Youcan’ta(comethrough/goby/goaround/bogdown)whathesays;hehasnever experiencedanyformofb(cliché/loophole/backlog/hardship) in his entire life.

3. You are a(on record/off the record/bogged down/at stake)assayingthatheisthebestof the b(understated/cocky/outgoing/upandcoming)footballers,eventhoughhe’shadan appallingseasonsofar.Bepreparedtoc(layout/breakeven/getalotofstick/getgoing) fromtheviewersofthisshow.

4. Ididn’tthinkyoua(laidout/wereinyourelement/haditinyou/weresobaffled) to be so nasty.Youreallyb(gotgoing/rubbedhimupthewrongway/kepthimposted/pencilledhimin).

5. Lastyearwasahardtimeinourbusinesswhenweweren’ta(breakingeven/inourelement/ going around/brushing up),butlookhowthingshavepickedupsodramaticallythisyear.I don’tknowhowweb(went about/got going/ went around/came through)suchadifficult patch.

6. Iwilla(comethrough/goby/pencilyouin/getgoing)forThursday,butIdohaveab(cliché/ backlog/loophole/dogsbody)ofpaperworktocatchupon.I’veallowedmyselftogetabit c(boggeddown/upintheair/touchy/loopholed) with it all.

7. a(Onrecord/Offtherecord/Atstake/Comingthrough), the Prime Minister has admitted that there is not much he can do about the b(backlogs/scapegoats/understatements/loopholes) inthelawwhichallowcriminalstogetawaywithmurder…sometimesliterally,buthe keeps telling journalists that he is c(baffled/boggeddown/onrecord/outgoing)astowhythe previousgovernmentdidnothingaboutit.

8. Yousayheisa(dogsbody/scapegoat/outgoing/upintheair).That’sabitofanb(off the record/loophole/cliché/understatement).He’sabigc(cocky/touchy/boggeddown/laidout) show-off!

9. He’llbea(keptposted/baffled/inhiselement/touchy)atthepartywithallthosepretentious academics coming out with all the usual b(layouts/dogsbodies/clichés/backlogs).Butdon’t tellhimIsaidthat;youknowhowc(cocky/touchy/baffled/boggeddown) he can be.

10. There’sarumoura(goinground/comingthrough/breakingeven/upandcoming)theoffice thatyou’renotverykeenonthenewb(understatement/layout/backlog/cliché) of the building Ihaveproposed.

17

11. It’sallabita(at stake/outgoing/off the record/up in the air)atthemoment.I’llb(rubyouup thewrongway/giveyoustick/keepyouposted/getyouboggeddown)andletyouknowhow things proceed.

12. There’sanawfullota(at stake/in our element/up and coming/of dogsbodies)here.It’s clearthatwe’reallgoingtoneedtob(givealotofstick/brushup/goround/comethrough) onournegotiatingskillsifwe’regoingtosucceed.

13. Idon’treallyknowhowtoa(go around/go about/come through/get going) telling him our relationshipisover…butI’dbetterb(pencilhimin/rubhimupthewrongway/getgoing/ go about)ifI’mgoingtocatchhimbeforehistrainleaves.