| Lesson 2 "Personal Decision-Making" |
| Words & Phrases | Paraphrasing |
| gist | substance of a speech or text |
| pink slip | a notice of dismissal from employment cf. get the pink slip = be fired give sb the pink slip = give sb the ax |
| be stuck | be unable to move, be unable to progress with a task or find the answer or solution |
| *magic wand | a stick or rod thought to have magic properties, used in casting spells or performing tricks |
| *anthrax | a serious bacterial disease of sheep and cattle, and able to be transmitted to humans |
| tons of advice | (coll.) heaps of advice (formal) a considerable amount of, a good deal of advice |
| qualm about | feel eneasy about, have doubt |
| for all concerned | for everyone involved |
| don't have a clue | not to have any idea at all |
| shape up | become physically fit, improve something, develop in a particular way |
| on the right track | following a course likely to result in success |
| tip | a piece of practical advice |
| *if it's no secret | if you don't mind telling me, if it's not confidential |
| a stack of | a pile of |
| *a stick in the mud | someone who doesn't take any action when they need to someone who can be no fun or boring |
| *be assertive (positive meaning) |
take possitive action, show confidence cf. aggressive (negative meaning) |
| sign on | commit oneself to employment |
| split | leave |
| function | act as, serve as cf. Our newest product functions as both a phone and a camera. |
| *turnover | the rate at which employees leave a workforce and are replaced the amount of money taken by a business in a particular period |
| a revolving-door workplace | a workplace where people tend to coma and go quickly, quitting not long after they are hired. |
| show sb the door | send sb away, repel |
| wet behind the ears | inexperienced, green, naive |
| value | consider something very important or beneficial |
| wince | give a slight involuntary grimace or flinch due to pain or distress |
| more often than not | very often |
| dumbfound | astonish greatly Origin: dumb + confound |
| glee | great delight |
| kick up one's heels | have a lively enjoyable time |
| rigid | inflexible, stiff and unmoving |
| stifling | restrictive |
| tangible | perceptible by touch, visible, clear and definite (opp.) intangible |
| grapple with | struggle to deal with, tackle, wrestle with |
| sweatshop | a factory where working condition is terrible |
| have a sneaking suspicion | have a feeling that・・・, have a hunch that・・・ |
| mark down | 1 jot down, note something 2 reduce prices |
| chew on | discuss or consider something at length |
| make a mental notes on | mark down |