Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 27 Idioms and Expressions Test
LESSON 27 – Firing Somebody
FIRING SOMEBODY
Kurt has the difficult task of firing Dan. Dan s been with the company since the beginning and is a friend of Kurt s. Dan is surprised and upset with the news.
Kurt: Dan, your work has slipped. You’ve been here for 15 years, and I think you’re just burned out.
Dan: What are you talking about? I’m at the top of my game. I just managed our biggest project in years.
Kurt: You can’t take credit for that. You didn’t lift a finger on that project. You were on vacation in Hawaii for three weeks while Steve and Sally were doing all the work.
Dan: I’m not good at reading between the lines. Please just cut to the chase. What are you trying to say?
Kurt: Dan, Swift Shoes is downsizing. This is really difficult, but we’re going to have to let you go.
Dan: What? I helped build this company from the ground up! You can’t fire me now.
Kurt: I don’t want to, but my hands are tied. Our president has told me to reduce headcount by 50 percent.
Dan: I thought you and I were friends, but when push comes to shove, I guess our friendship isn’t worth anything.
Kurt: Of course we’re still friends, but business is business.
Dan: I don’t agree with that. I would never fire a friend….after all those times Kathleen and I invited you and Donna to dinner at our home!
Kurt: Dan, I want you to leave Swift Shoes on friendly terms. No hard feelings. To soften the blow, we’re going to give you a generous severance package.
IDIOMS
- one’s work has slipped
→ one’s performance has gotten worse; one is not doing one’s job properly
EXAMPLE: What’s going on with Jeremy? He used to be very good at his job, but recently his work has slipped.
- (to be) burned out
→ to be extremely tired; to lose effectiveness because of doing a job for too long
EXAMPLE: After working 80-hour weeks at the investment bank for many years, Jim was burned out.
- (to be) at the top of one’s game
→ to be performing at the top of one’s abilities; to be performing very well
EXAMPLE: Last year, Ethan brought in over $5 million in new business to the agency. He’s at the top of his game.
- (to) take credit for something
→ to claim recognition for something
EXAMPLE: Joan came up with the idea of selling the company’s products at Costco, but her boss took the credit for it.
- (to) not lift a finger
→ to not help at all; to do nothing
EXAMPLE: While everybody else was working hard to finish the project, Tim was chatting with his friend and didn’t lift a finger.
- (to) read between the lines
→ to understand unclear or indirect communication; to interpret something from hints or suggestions
EXAMPLE: Your boss told you to take a very long vacation? Read between the lines: he’s suggesting you leave the company!
ORIGIN: This expression comes from the days when people would send secret messages. When treated with a special substance like lemon juice, a secret message would appear between the lines of an ordinary looking letter. Therefore, when told to “read between the lines,” you should look for the hidden meaning.
- (to) cut to the chase
→ to get to the point; to tell the most important part of the story
EXAMPLE: I don’t have time to listen to a long explanation of why you didn’t finish this project on time. Please cut to the chase.
ORIGIN: In action films, the “chase” refers to most exciting part, when the drama is at a high point. Some people may want the movie to get to this exciting part (in other words, cut to it) as soon as possible.
- (to) let someone go
→ to fire someone
EXAMPLE: Mepstein Industries let their accountant go after he made a major mistake calculating the company’s tax bill.
- (to) build something from the ground up
→ to develop a company, a business, or a department from its beginnings; to build a successful operation from scratch
EXAMPLE: Autumn Moon Vineyards doesn’t yet have a marketing department. They’re going to have to build one from the ground up.
- my hands are tied
→ there’s nothing I can do; I’m stuck; I have no alternatives
EXAMPLE: I don’t approve of the direction my company is moving in, but my boss doesn’t want to listen to my opinion. My hands are tied.
- (to) reduce headcount
→ to lay off or fire workers
EXAMPLE: When Lucent’s business was in trouble, they announced they would reduce headcount by at least 10,000 employees.
NOTE: “Headcount” is the number of people who work at an organization. Many companies do not like to say that they are “laying people off’ as it can sound cold and insensitive. After all, people are involved. “Reducing headcount” gets around this problem. It sounds less personal and more scientific.
SYNONYM: to downsize
- when push comes to shove
→ when really tested; when it really counts; when there’s no more time left to hesitate or think about what action to take
EXAMPLE: Many people say they are worried about the environment, but when push comes to shove, how many people are willing to pay extra for environmentally-friendly products?
SYNONYM: when you come right down to it
- no hard feelings
→ no anger; no bitterness
EXAMPLE: Even though Hewlett-Packard didn’t give Derek a job offer, he has no hard feelings towards them.
