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1 businessenglishpod.com The Business English podcast for professionals on the move BEP 58 Water Cooler Chitchat: Sports Idioms 2 Peter: So, Clayton, tell us about the show. Clayton: Sure, We re going back to our dialog on sports idioms. This is part of a series that focuses on informal conversation or small talk water cooler chitchat. We re continuing where we left off last time in BEP 57. Jan and Jen, employees of major American telecommunications company Ambient, are chatting about a recent event in the industry: Accent, a European telecom company, has taken over TelStar, one of Ambient s American competitors. Pete: And where are we picking up the dialog? Clayton: Last time, Jen had just discussed how she was surprised that TelStar decided to play ball, that is cooperate, with Accent because the shareholders had been stalling for time, or delaying, for months. How does Jan respond? While you listen, see if you can answer these questions. You can check your answers on the website. Listening Questions 1) Who is McConnel and what do Jan and Jen think of him? 2) What do Jen and Jan say about Accent s future in American market? 2007 All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 1

2 Vocabulary To fumble: To make a mistake. To take the ball and run with it: Take an idea or plan and develop it further. To step up to the plate: To take the initiative or to accept more responsibility To be a real score for someone: To be an important success One heck of a: Informal American English modifier that means great or big. For example, That was one heck of a party! means That was a great party! To pitch / sales pitch / make a pitch: As a baseball pitcher (see Sports Idioms 1) pitches or throws the ball to a batter, a salesperson or employee pitches a product or proposal to a customer or to colleagues. That is, he or she wants the customer or colleague to swing at it or accept it. Thus we have such expressions as to make a pitch (to try to sell something to someone) or sales pitch (noun the actual content of your persuasive speech to the customer). To jockey for position: A jockey is the person who rides a horse in a horse race. Used as a verb, to jockey oneself into position means to arrange oneself in such a position that one can win. There is often a political meaning, as, for example, when employees jockey themselves into position to receive a promotion. To not be up to scratch: This means to not measure up, to not be good enough. Apparently, it comes from a chalk line that used to be scratched or drawn between two boxers in informal fights. To not be up to scratch meant that you were not good enough to stand on the scratch, that is, to fight. To strike out. It s a little different from a fumble, which can also mean failure but implies that some mistake was made. Sometimes when you have struck out, you really gave it your best shot, that is you tried your best, but your best wasn t good enough. Dialog Jan: Yeah, I thought Accent was going to fumble, but they ve really taken the ball and run with it. Jen: No doubt. That s got to be a real score for Accent s new CEO. He s really stepped up to the plate. Jan: You mean McConnell? All I ve got to say is he must have made one heck of a pitch. Jen: Yep. So who do you think will be calling the shots now in TelStar s North America offices? Jan: It s tough to say. This kind of stuff doesn t change over night. There will probably be lay-offs, and TelStar top managers will all be jockeying for position. Jen: Yeah, Accent had better hold on to their leadership team. I just don t think they re up to scratch in this market. It wouldn t be the first time a European manufacturer has struck out in America. Jan: Don t be so sure. McConnell s a smart guy. He s got his eye on the ball All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 2

3 Debrief Remember, as we start out, Jen has just said she was surprised Accent and TelStar were able to play ball or cooperate on the deal. What does Jan say in reply? Jan: Yeah, I thought Accent was going to fumble, but they ve really taken the ball and run with it. The idioms Jan uses here come from American football. Don t worry, American football at least the basics is much easier than baseball. The goal of American football is just to get the ball to the end of the field. To do this, you carry the ball. If you drop it, that s called a fumble. Peter: So a fumble is some kind of mistake? Clayton: Yes, that s right. It can also be used as a verb, to fumble. Let s look at a couple more examples. His boss really put a lot of trust in him by giving him this big account; however, he really fumbled and lost the customer. TelStar was doing really well in the North American market until last year s launch. The new product fumbled and TelStar was left making a loss. Peter: Clayton, how about take the ball and run with it? What does that mean? Clayton: Remember the goal of the game is to take the ball to the end of the field. Imagine the ball is some kind of plan or idea. If you take the ball and run with it, you are developing the plan further in the direction of your goal, the end of the field. Since you re running, there s a feeling of speed and strength. Peter: Okay, I get that. Clayton: So when Jan says she thought Accent was going to fumble, but they ve really taken the ball and run with it, she means she though Accent was going to fail in its initiative to take over TelStar, but they ve actually been to develop the idea further and reach their goal. Peter: Do you have a couple more examples? Clayton: Sure. When you get an opportunity, don t look back. Just take the ball and run with it. They handed the project over to Sandy, and she took the ball and ran with it. Now it s a huge success. After Jan says that Accent has really taken the ball and run with it, how does Jen reply? Jen: No doubt. That s got to be a real score for Accent s new CEO. He s really stepped up to the plate All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 3

4 No doubt is a form of agreement. It s American slang. It means that there is no doubt what you say is correct. Used like this, this expression is informal, so it s great for around the water cooler. Next, Jen gives us two more idioms here. The first is That s going to be a real score for Accent s CEO. To be a real score for someone means that something is an important success. What are some other examples? Landing this deal was a real score. All that PharmaTek stock I bought last year was a real score. Within six month s, the stock s value had doubled. After saying that the buyout of TelStar is going to be a real score for Accent, Jen says that Accent s CEO has really stepped up to the plate. This comes from baseball again. Remember home base is also called home plate. Peter: That s where the batter stands when he tries to hit the ball. Clayton: That s right. So to step up to the plate means to take your turn, to get into the action, to play the game. It has the meaning of taking initiative or leading the way. Someone who steps up to the plate is usually assuming extra responsibility and demonstrating her worth. Peter: Do you have more example phrases? Clayton: Sure, let s listen. During my absence, John has really stepped up to the plate. Thanks to him, we haven t missed anything. With all the extra work we have coming up, I need all of you to step up to the plate and take on more than your regular share. Now, before we continue, let s practice what we have learned so far. Just like last time, you will hear a series of four sentences corresponding to each of the four idioms we have just learned. The sentences use literal language. After the beep, rephrase each sentence using the correct idiom. For example, if you hear, With all the extra work we have coming up, I need all of you to take the initiative, you should say, With all the extra work we have coming up, I need all of you to step up to the plate. Are you ready? Let s begin. Cue 4: I put a lot of trust in Sally, but she has really made a mistake. Answer 4: I put a lot of trust in Sally, but she has really fumbled All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 4

5 Cue 5: I m hoping that my team will take this idea and develop it further. Answer 5: I m hoping that my team will take the ball and run with it. Cue 6: Making this deal was an important success for us Answer 6: Making this deal was a real score for us. Cue 7: After his promotion, Steve had to accept more responsibility. Answer 7: After his promotion, Steve had to step up to the plate. Now, let s get back to the dialog. Remember, Jen has just said that McConnel, Accent s CEO, has really stepped up to the plate. Jan replies by agreeing. She adds that he must have made one heck of a pitch. One heck of a is an informal American slang expression that means very good. Pitch comes from baseball again. The pitcher throws or pitches the ball to the batter. This action, pitching, has come to mean trying to get someone to accept or buy something. Imagine the ball is a proposal or a product that you want someone to buy, so you throw it to him. That s why we talk about a sales pitch, which is the method you use to get a customer to buy something. What happens next? Jen: So who do you think will be calling the shots now in TelStar s North America offices? To call the shots means to be in charge. For example, when you ask Who calls the shots at your company? that means, Who s in charge? How does Jan respond? Jan: It s tough to say. This kind of stuff doesn t change over night. There will probably be lay-offs, and TelStar top managers will all be jockeying for position. A jockey is the person who rides a horse during a horse race. In a horse race, your position on the track is very important. The race is not just won by riding a faster horse but also by being in a better position. So to jockey for position means to attempt to position yourself to win. Usually it has a political meaning, as in this case different managers in TelStar are competing with each other politically to win the favor or approval of their new boss at Accent, McConnel All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 5

6 Next Jen voices the opinion that Accent should hold on to TelStar s current leadership team. Jen: Yeah, Accent had better hold on to their leadership team. I just don t think they re up to scratch in this market. It wouldn t be the first time a European manufacturer has struck out in America. Not to be up to scratch or not to come up to scratch, usually used like this in the negative, means no to come up to standard, or to be inferior. Check out the learner s notes for an explanation of the origin of this idiom. It s very interesting. Since Accent s leadership team is not up to scratch for the American market, Jen thinks they are going to strike out. This takes us back to baseball. A batter in a baseball game gets three tries or three strikes to hit the ball. After the third strike, he s out, that is, he has failed and doesn t get any more chances. This is referred to as striking out. So striking out refers to failing. I ve been trying to get someone from their company to call me back for months, but so far I ve struck out. We ve got a great product, a great presentation and great people. I can t figure out why we keep striking out. Jan doesn t agree with Jen that Accent is going to strike out. What s his reason? Jan: Don t be so sure. McConnell s a smart guy. He s got his eye on the ball. To have one s eye on the ball means that you are focused on the objective or the matter of greatest importance. It often signals alertness or intelligence. Here s a couple more examples. During this critical phase of the trial, it s important that we all keep our eyes on the ball The best thing about Sandy as a manager is that she always has her eye on the ball She never let s the important stuff out of her sight. Now it s time for another practice. As we did earlier, use the idioms we have learned to rephrase the sentences you hear. Cue 8: I m afraid that we ve failed in our merger talks with TelStar. Answer 8: I m afraid that we ve struck out in our merger talks with TelStar. Cue 9: With so many threats to our market share, we need to stay alert. Answer 9: With so many threats to our market share, we need to keep our eyes on the ball All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 6

7 How d you do? For more review exercises, be sure to do the extra practice in the study notes, which you ll find at In addition, you can sign up there for great online quizzes and exercises that will further develop your listening and language. Remember: Because they are so common, sports idioms are an extremely important part of doing business in English. Learning these idioms will improve your listening comprehension and help you communicate persuasively in natural English. Thanks again for listening. See you next time! Example Phrases To fumble: To make a mistake His boss really put a lot of trust in him by giving him this big account; however, he really fumbled and lost the customer. TelStar was doing really well in the North American market until last year s launch. The new product fumbled and TelStar was left making a loss. To take the ball and run with it: Take an idea or plan and develop it further. When you get an opportunity, don t look back. Just take the ball and run with it. They handed the project over to Sandy, and she took the ball and ran with it. Now it s a huge success. To be a real score for someone: To be an important success Landing this deal was a real score. All that PharmaTek stock I bought last year was a real score. Within six month s, the stock s value had doubled. To step up to the plate: To take the initiative or to accept more responsibility During my absence, John has really stepped up to the plate. Thanks to him, we haven t missed anything. With all the extra work we have coming up, I need all of you to step up to the plate and take on more than your regular share. To strike out: To fail I ve been trying to get someone from their company to call me back for months, but so far I ve struck out. We ve got a great product, a great presentation and great people. I can t figure out why we keep striking out. To have one s eye on the ball: To stay alert or to be focused on the matter of greatest importance During this critical phase of the trial, it s important that we all keep our eyes on the ball The best thing about Sandy as a manager is that she always has her eye on the ball She never let s the important stuff out of her sight All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 7

8 Language Review In the following sentences and short dialogs, replace the italicized portion with an idiom that we have studied Sports Idioms 1 or 2. Be sure to place the verbs in the correct tense. The first one has been done for you. to play ball with someone to strike out to take the ball and run with it to hit a home run to be a real score for someone to step up to the plate to keep one s eyes on the ball to stall to fumble to play ball with someone 1. A: Is the Excel-Tek deal going to go through? B: It s hard to say. I don t know if they are going to do business with us. to play ball with us 2. A: How s Jessica doing with her new project? B: She s doing great. I was a little worried at first, but she has really taken the idea and developed it further. 3. A: So how d the negotiation go? B: I think I made a mistake. I m not sure we re going to get the deal. 4. A: I know that the news about our stock price going down is very disappointing. But this is temporary. The important thing now is not to get distracted. We must keep focused on the matter of greatest important. 5. A: I just can t help but get the feeling that they don t really need to take a break. B: Yeah, I think they re just delaying. 6. A: Rick, you need to work harder. You re not living up to your potential. It s time to take the initiative. 7. A: Wow, your promotion is great news! B: Yeah, it s an important success for me. 8. A: This is like the ninth time I ve tried to get this procedure to work. B: So you failed again, huh? Better luck next time! 9. A: Whatever I do, I just can t get these people to cooperate. 10.A: Cheers! What great news! We can open the champagne. B: Yes, we have really had a big success with this new customer! 2007 All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 8

9 Study Strategy An important study strategy is to use the idioms that you have learned in Sports Idioms 1 and 2. By using them in your actual speech and s, you will be able to remember them much more easily. A good place to start is by making your own example phrases and dialogs such as those above. You can write your dialogs down or you can record them on an MP3 player or cassette recorder and listen to them again later. By the way, in Sports Idioms 1 we talked about how business competition is often understood in terms of athletic competition. That s why there are so many sports idioms in business English. But there are other ways to understand business as well. For example, sometimes we talk about business (and athletics) as if it were war: They have attacked our market position. We need to fight back. Thinking of one thing in terms of something else is a metaphor. So far in this discussion, we have encountered two metaphors: Business competition is sports competition and business is war. Can you notice any other metaphors in English or English idioms? Are they the same or different to your native language? Paying attention to metaphor is a great memory aid and interesting too! Answers Listening Questions 1. Who is McConnel and what do Jan and Jen think of him? McConnel is the new CEO of Accent. They use three idioms two describe him: He has stepped up to the plate, made a great pitch and keeps his eyes on the ball. Discussed in detail in the debrief, these three idioms all have a positive meaning. We get the feeling that McConnel is energetic, dynamic, and has taken the initiative. 2. What do Jen and Jan say about Accent s future in American market? They have a little bit of a disagreement. Jen thinks Accent might strike out, that is fail, while Jan both repeats that McConnel is very aware and clever has his eye on the ball and mentions that Accent s real goal might be elsewhere, in Africa. Language Exercises 2. taken the ball and run with it 3. I think I fumbled. 4. keep our eyes on the ball. 5. stalling for time. 6. to step up to the plate. 7. It s a real score for me. 8. So you struck out again. 9. I just can t get these people to play ball. 10. We have really hit a home run with this new customer! 2007 All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 9