Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 21 Idioms and Expressions Test

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Congratulations - you have completed Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 21 Idioms and Expressions Test. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%

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Question 1

Choose the best substitute for the phrase or sentence in bold:

Kate said she didn't have time to help you? I'm not surprised, since she has a lot on her plate right now.

A	she's very busy these days
B	she's taken too much food
C	she doesn't really like to help people

Question 2

Instead of retiring, Joyce decided to keep working and just scale back her hours.

A	increase the number of hours she works
B	retire in a few years
C	reduce the number of hours she works

Question 3

You've been at the office every night until midnight for the past three months? Hang in there. In just a few more weeks, the busy period will probably be over.

A	Quit your job.
B	Be patient.
C	Keep complaining.

Question 4

Tanya works all day and goes to school every evening. No wonder she's wiped out.

A	exhausted
B	sick
C	full of energy

Question 5

At the tax consulting firm, March and April are crunch time.

A	a relaxing time
B	a slow period
C	a very busy period

Question 6

You asked me to buy you a bamboo vase on my business trip to Hanoi? I'm sorry, but it slipped my mind!you never asked me for that

A	you never asked me for that
B	I forgot
C	I didn't get a chance

Question 7

Eva is working full-time while studying for her MBA and taking care of her two small kids. I don't know how she can keep her head above water.

A	No wonder she has no time to go swimming.
B	I don't know how she manages.
C	I don't know what she does with all her free time.

Question 8

If you want to pass the CPA exam, you'd better keep your nose to the grindstone and stop going out every night to party.

A	focus on studying
B	focus on having fun
C	keep your nose out of other people's business

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LESSON 21 – Explaining that You’re Feeling Overworked

EXPLAINING THAT YOU’RE FEELING OVERWORKED

Mary is feeling overwhelmed between commitments at home and at work. Dan advises her to be patient and stay focused. Things will improve once their busy period at the office is over.

Dan: Mary, why weren’t you at the staff meeting this morning? We all missed you.

Mary: Oh, it completely slipped my mind.

Dan: How could you forget? These meetings are not optional.

Mary: I’m feeling so stressed out these days. Sometimes I don’t know whether I’m coming or going!

Dan: Well, it is crunch time right now. Things will settle down after tax season is over.

Mary: I hope so. I am wiped out after putting in 60-hour weeks at the office and taking care of my five kids and sick mother.

Dan: Wow, you really do have a lot on your plate.

Mary: Yeah, I can hardly keep my head above water. Maybe I should scale back my hours.

Dan: Just hang in there a little longer. After April 15^th, it’ll quiet down around here. For now, keep your nose to the grindstone and focus on getting your most important work done.

Mary: You’re right. I need to remember the 80/20 rule. I get 80 percent of my results from just 20 percent of my activities. Now if I could only figure out what that 20 percent is!

IDIOMS

slip one’s mind

→ be forgotten

EXAMPLE: Sorry I didn’t send out that memo last Friday. To be honest with you, it slipped my mind.

NOTE: Notice that the subject is “it” in the expression “it slipped my mind,” making this the passive voice. It’s like this unknown “it” is responsible for the fact that you forgot to do something. In contrast, “I forgot” is the active voice. You are taking more responsibility (and possibly more blame) when you say, “I forgot.”

stressed out

→ under severe strain; very anxious; very nervous

EXAMPLE: After hearing a rumor that there were going to be layoffs at her company, Barbara was really stressed out.

I don’t know whether I’m coming or going

→ I’m so busy, I can barely think clearly; I’m not focused; I’m distracted

EXAMPLE: I accidentally sent an e-mail complaining about my boss to the boss himself! I don’t whether I’m coming or going today.

crunch time

→ a short period when there’s high pressure to achieve a result

EXAMPLE: It’s crunch time for stem cell researchers in Korea. New government regulations may soon make their work illegal.

(to) settle down

→ to calm down; to become quiet

EXAMPLE: The mall is very busy in November and December, but after the holidays, things settle down.

wiped out

→ very tired; exhausted

EXAMPLE: Ken traveled to Russia, India, and China all in one week. No wonder he’s wiped out!

(to) have a lot on one’s plate

→ to have a lot to do; to have too much to do; to have too much to cope with

EXAMPLE: Carlos turned down the project, explaining that he already had a lot on his plate.

NOTE: There is also the variation: to have too much on one’s plate.

(to) keep one’s head above water

→ to survive; to get by; to survive financial difficulties

EXAMPLE: Thanks to this new contract, we’ll be able to keep our head above water for another six months.

(to) scale back one’s hours

→ to reduce the number of hours one works

EXAMPLE: When Christine had a baby, she decided to scale back her hours and just work part-time.

SYNONYM: to cut back one’s hours

hang in there

→ be patient; don’t get discouraged

EXAMPLE: Your company lost a million dollars last quarter? Hang in there. You’ll do better next quarter.

(to) keep one’s nose to the grindstone

→ to focus on one’s work; to focus on working hard

EXAMPLE: Unfortunately, I can’t come to happy hour tonight. I need to keep my nose to the grindstone and finish a proposal I’m working on.

ORIGIN: A grindstone is a stone disk used for sharpening tools or grinding grain. To work the grindstone, you need to bend over it with your nose close to the stone.