0140326 実践ビジネス英語 解説

0140326　実践ビジネス英語　解説

 

up and running

 

 functioning

 active like machine

 

 ex.He’s an early bird.

    He’s always up and running at 7 A..M.

 

Be drowning in

 

 We have an enoumous amount of something.

 

Ex.I’m dorwning in work.

 

Dorwn

 

 Consume a huge amount of liquid

 

～friendly

 

 Something beneficial

 

 Ex.body-friendly room,s

 

Long-haul

 

 Involving considerable time

 

 Ex.Thiis is a long-haul project.

 

    It will take about 2 years to complete.

 

Good for them

 

 Well done.

 

Not   for love or money

 

 Never

 

 Under no circumstances

 

Ex.I can’t do something with him even if I got love or money.

 

Be on the road

 

 Travelling

 

Comfy

 

 Comfortable

 

Roomy

 

 A lot of space or room

 

 Ex.This blouse is too roomy.

 

09/12/25(金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 Part2

09/12/25(金) 「実践ビジネス英語」 Part2

☆ foodie
Foodie as a term has been around since the 1980s and refers to someone who is interested in good food.Both eating and often cooking as well.
You often hear gourmet,though that carrys a nuance of someone who is interested in somewhat fancier offerings.Foodie are aprreciative of very simply fares as well.

☆ speakeasy
Speakeasies were secret illegal bars during the era in the U.S.,known as Prohibition,which lasted from 1920s to the early 30s.It was illegal to make sell or transfer alcohol during that time.
Speakeasies were often run by organized crime syndicates,otherwise known as the mob.Now people who transported alcohol were also known as bottleggers .And people during that time also sometimes made their own alcohol at home,and that alcohol is called moonshine.

☆ I've had it up to here with
And this expression means that someone is very frustrated with a certain situation or behaivior often something that's been continuing for some time.
You could also say that you've fed up with something or that you're sick and tired of something.

☆ hate mail
Hate mail is negative feedback or critisism,usually received as letters or nowadays e-mail.It usually refers to critical letters received by public figures such as politicans,celebrities or maybe journalists.

☆ money is tight
Now money is tight,it means that you don't have much money or you're on a strict budget.But this is different from being tight with money,which generally means being cheap or stingy or a little too careful with money.

☆ buffalo
Buffalo is a type of bison found in North America,now the population of buffalo has decreased in the U.S.,and now they're often raised from meat.Baffalo meat is said to be more healthful than beef,with lower fat,higher protein and also more inexpensive.
But it hasn't passed beef in popularirty on American dinner tables.

☆ one-stop
One-stop usually refers to places such as stores,where you go find everything you need.But it can refer to other businesses offering full-service as well.
One-stop shopping often refers to large supermarkets that also have pharmacies. They may also have clothing,household items or sporting goods,for example.


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09/12/25(金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/25(金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

S:In our current vignette,Paul Pearson introduces his friend Jerry Buxter,a retired restaurant critic to his colleages at Great Lakes.Many people would view that as a dream job.How about you,Suzan?
I:Well,it does sound like a cushy gig,being paid to eat at the best restaurant in town,sign me up.Actually I think it would be great at first,but as Jerry mentioned,eating gourmet food on a nighty bases does have its downside.Frankly I get tired of eating out every night when I'm on a week's vacation.So,I can't imagine having to do that as a job.I think it would be more fun to be friends with a resutaurant critic,going along to keep him/her company.That way I could reap the benefits from time to time with the added benefit of not having to meet the deadlines soon after.
S:Jerry noted that his waistline had expanded over the years as the result of his line of work,and then he often had trouble sleeping after eating heavy meals late at night.
I:Yes,and though he may not have welcomed the thick waistline,he certainly needed to have a thick skin to withstand complaints from angry restaurant owners.
S:He mentioned that many resutaurant owner were enraged by his reviews and that some people that even started websites criticizing the critic.
I:That reminds me of an incident from a few years ago,involving a well-known journalist who was until very recently the main restaurant critic for a major newspaper in New York.
S:Oh,yes,I know about that.
I:Well,apparently he wrote ascathing review of a new restaurant and the owner who had several other restaurants in New York,fought back by taking out a full- page ad in the critic's newspaper,accusing him shoddy work.
S:That's certainly a a dramatic response.
I:Yes,and it set tongues wagging in media and restaurant circles but I think it had a more negative effect on the restaurant owner in quetion.He apeeared to take it too personally and his reaction was regarded as being over-the-top.
S:Sue Kim mentioned the effect of the recession on dining habits,she was suprised when her friend asked to split an entree with her.
I:You know,I've done that on occassion with friends but often it's due to the fact that the portions are so big.Jerry Baxer mentioned that some restaurants will charge a small fee for shared entrees.And I've ocassionally seen that on menus in restaurants in the U.S..That reminds me of when my husband and I visitied a popular American stake house that opened in Japan a few years ago.We decided to get the same dish,and the waitress actually recommend that we order only one to share rather than one each,because the portions were American size.In other words, too big for one person.
S:Both Jack Wakimoto and Jerry Baxter talked about the downturn in restaurant business during the recession.
I:Yes.And full-service restaurants,in a casual dining sector have been hit particularly hard.People may continue to go to find dining establishments either for the special ocassions or because they are well-off financially.But the casual dining spots that were popular with families have seen a decline in business.Families on tighter budget are less likely to go to the casual dining chains when they can just whip up the dinner at home or bying inexpensive prepared meals from the supermarkets or delis as Jack mentioned.
Casual dining chains have been fighting back by offering discounts,special offers and expeneded hours.
S:I've noticed that prepared food service in American supermarkets has been growing over the past several years.
I:Yes,it has.And it's a good option for busy families looking for a healthy fare on the budget.I avail myself of those options here in Japan too.Choosing the side dish from the prepared food selection at my local supermarket is a convenient way to round out a home cook dinner.
S:So,has the Iwamoto household cut back on dining out?
I:Yes,we have.My husband and I used to eat out a lot often,both because we enjoyed trying restaurants and because of our busy work schedules.However,we've been making an effort to cook at home more.We made the chift mostly for health reasons.But to be honest,it's nice to see how much money we're saving as a result.I like the challenge of finding bargains at the supermarket and turning them into creative delicious meals.And my husband has gotten caught up in it as well.I'm sure there is nothing new to most people but I'm glad we've made the chift to more home cooking.And I've certainly made a lot of progress from my 20s when I used to refer to the neighborhood convienence store as my kitcen.Well, how about you,Sugita-san?I imagine that you musy have a lot of business dinners at restaurants.Have you noticed a lot of empty tables at your favorite restaurant?
S:No question about that.Business is definitely down in many restaurtants.where it was difficult to book a table two months in advance.You can just walk in and be served.Jack Wakimoto mentined that some restaurants are turing to low priced ingredients as a way to keep costs down.
I:Yes,I've heard this as well,before the recession hit, I remember reading the set restaurants in New York coming up with very expensive versions of humnble American fare,such as humburgers featuring very pricy beef,and foies gras.Another hot spot featured the pricy version of a standardard American dish,popular with kids and adults alike.macaroni and cheese,they are spin on it included truffle oil as ingredient.Somehow I don't think those would be the top sellers in this economic climilate.

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09/12/24（木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/24（木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ modest
You could use the word "freeze" instead of moratorium as well.
Take-home pay is the money you have after taxes and other fees are subtracted from the money you've actually earned.

☆ all over the place
Insead of "all over the place",you could say "everywhere".

☆ be tired of
And for emphasis,people use both words,"I am sick and tired of your behaivior.

☆ fabulous
Fabulous comes from the word "fable".It means as wonderful or stupendous or suprising or fantastic as the things you find sometimes in facles .

☆ culinary
Culinary is derived from the Latin word for kitchen.And you'll hear it in three different pronunciations.But かるなり,I think is probably the most common.But きゅりなり is also very common.There's one more that, I don't remember hearing but it is in the dictionary and that's くーるなり.

☆ Not to worry
This one sounds a little more British to me.I think in the U.S.,people would tend to say something more like "Don't worry about it".

☆ Think nothing of it
Another variation of this is "It's nothing".

☆ Let's forget it.
Another version you'll hear is "Forget about it."And if you can do that with a New York accent,it's used a lot there,and you can sort of make a joke if you try.

☆ It's really of no importance.
And with the same meaning,you could say "Never mind."

☆ There are all kind of things you could say,of course.Here is a nice example.



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09/12/23（水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/23（水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Wakimoto talks about convenience of buying prepared meals at delis or grocery stores.Kim agrees it's handy and that families too find such meals healthier and cheaper than eating out.Pearson observes that even when the economy is bad,people have to eat.

☆ Deli is short for delicatessen,which is the full name for that kind of a shop or even a counter within a grocery store.It comes from French originally through German and refers to delicacies.A little bit special food.Although nowadays it's usually ready-to-eat foods.You can often buy salads and cold cuts for example at the delicatessens.

☆ The word grocery comes from French,and used to mean wholesaler.

☆ Making a meal from scratch at home is of course the cheapest way although it take a lot more time,in cooking,the phrase "from scratch" means without using prepared ingredients and the phrase can be used outside of the kitchen it means "from the beginning", "from zero","from the starting line".And originally "scratch" was a starting line in footraces.

☆ And unmarried people are called singles but married people are usually not called doubles.They are called couples usually.

☆ Other words you can use for nutritional experts are dietitian and nutrisionist.I checked the Internet to try to find out if there is a clear difference betwween thse two names for doing a kind of work.and there doesn't seem to be a very clear difference.It just seems to depend on agency or person who's speaking about it.


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09/12/18（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/18（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Pearson says restaurants are offering good deals to atrract customers,so there's never been a better time to eat out.Kim talks about people who aren't ashamed of being frugal.One of her friends suprised her by suggesting that they share a main dish at a restaurant.

☆ Baxter talks about people replacing lunch which is food by a brown bag,which is a thing.But brown bag in the U.S.anyway refers to your lunch.Many pepople and students,lots of kids when they go to school bring a lunch from home in a brown paper bag.

☆ Yeah,I wouldn't talk about a bento as a lunch box,because people have a completely different image of what a lunch box is.If you call it Japanese lunch box is,that's probably okay.
I think nowadays I'd say bento if I meant a Japanese version of a take out lunch.

☆ Another small breakpoint in a recession.

☆ Kim talked about spliting that entree.She could've say "share".

☆ Kim's phrase "be taken aback" means "be suprised" but the interesting thing it it comes from the nautical word,it's a nautical speech.It meant that the wind suddenly changed directions and pushed the sails against the musts,stopping the ship.So I gusess that would be a suprise if the wind changed and your ship suddenly stopped.I think most people nowadays use the phrase but have no idea it comes from the world of sailing ships.

☆ She says the waiter took the request in stride.If you take something in stride,it means you had no trouble with it.You weren't suprised,you weren't started.You didn't change anything,you just smoothly went along with your work.A similar phrase is blink an eye.You could say "The waiter didn't blink an eye".

☆ Buxter adds the phrase as well as appetizers and desserts.It's been fairly common in good times and bad to share appitizer or share a dessert.
Sharing main meals is a little less common unless it's like adults with small children.Then maybe they'll share part of their main dish with the kids.

☆ It's interesting that the Buxter talks about cheese as being humble and every day,I think it depends on your location and the type of cheese.If it's your local cheese,it's humble or everyday.But lots of imported cheeses are not very humble or everyday.


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09/12/17（木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/17（木) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Kim envies Baxter the fabuous meals he's had in his time,Baxter replies that the job is stressful as well,sometimes people upset by his reviews have sent him hate mail.
Wakimoto wonders whether the recession is hurting the restaurant business.

☆ I'm sure he means he remembers the taste very well.He has strong and clear memories of some of the best meals that he had at these resutaurants that he writes about.The phrase also makes me think about sometimes when you eat very rich food.In English,you can say "It's repeating on me",which means you are burping and you can still taste it.

☆ A helping is an indivisual portion.It's a serving for one person,so large helpings means they are large portions and many of them.Helping is related to the phrase "help yourself".

☆ To go ballistic is to explode with anger.There are similar phrases about becoming angry.You could say "explode with anger",you could say "get very angry".People also use phrases like "hit the ceiling" or "hit the roof".

☆ Baxter talks about people trashing his reputation.The verb "trash" is often used to mean "ruin someone's reputation".There's a also a phrase "trash talk",which is when two people are speaking agressively to each other about who's better.

☆ It's related to "wear out" or "wear down".

☆ No-frills is a hyphenated adjective in English that means with no decoration with nothing fancy.You describe things that are very basic.
A fril originally was a kind of ornamental edging could put on clothing.It tended to be some kind of pleated material.So,nowadays you can talk about " frills" also,with all the frills means with all the extras,something very nice and probably somewhat luxurious.

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09/12/16（水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/16（水) 「実践ビジネス英語」

☆ Pearson introduces a friend of his called Jerry Baxter who's a restaurant critic.Wakimoto's heard of him and mentions how well-known he is.Pearson apologizes because a restaurant their are at might not meet Baxter's standards.But Baxters is tired of eating gourmet food because he's worried about his exapnding waistline.

☆ Pearson greets everybody saying "Hey,gang",hey is a very informal way to say "hello" or "hi",and "gang" is a very casual or informal way to talk about a group of friends usually.

☆ "Gang" in English has pretty wide meaning.You can also talk about a work gang ,which is a group of men doing a specific kind of usually laboring kind of work.

☆ Pearson says that his friends is stopping by Chicago,insted of saying "in Chicago".It gives the idea that he is really passing through,he is not stopping there on purpose,it wasn't his goal in traveling.Pearson also talks about meeeting him "over dinner",might see more common way "at dinner" but generally if the purpose is not so much the dinner,but the meeting.You'be probably use the word "over".You could say "Let's get together and discuss it over drinks"for example.

☆ "It's our pleasure" or "my pleasure" is a really nice way to say "you're welboming to people" because it's just shows he are happy to help them out and they don't owe you anything.
You could also say "No,sweat"if it is very casual or "no problem" ,"No trouble" ,these are also nice ways to say "You're welcome"and "you don't owe me anymore"but I think "it's my pleasure" is nice elegant way to say that,that doesn't show any of the effort you might have had actually doing it.

☆ This is a good example of how to use "by the way" in English.You can't use it to introduce a main topic.It always is sort of a side topic,the reason is people are together in talks so they can meet Baxter and he can meet Pearson's friends so telling her name on the end of the comment,is kind of a side comment.

☆ "Foodie" is sort of an interesting word.It describes people who really like to eat food.It's spelled f-o-o-d-i-e.That ending recently has been somewhat popular,although it's often used to refer to people that you don't really think very highly of.So,one example that's been used a lot is adding ie on the end of Bush for people who didn't like President Bush and the people he worked with.They would call he worked with Bushies.

☆ Wakimoto talks about Baxter's column being syndicated all over the place.This comes from the way that newspapers developed in the U.S.,at first they were all a local,just for each city.The U.S didn' t really have a national newspaper for many years.So if a columnist became very popular,his column would be syndicated.It would be sold to many newspapers all over the U.S.,so he would become nationwide well-known columnist.And it still works somewhat the way in the U.S.,although more papers are read in wider areas than they have been in the past.

☆ The word "restaurateur" is rather interesting in English.It means a restaurant owner but it sounds pretty fancy because it comes directly from French.Many people in the U.S. use this word by inserting a N,they take the word "restaurant" and add the French ending to it.That's a variant.I think it's quite common but the correct forms or the main form is without the N,reastraurateur.

☆ Trousers tends to refer to men's clothes,although if women's pants are styled like men's clothes,they might call them trousers also.

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09/12/11（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」Part2

09/12/11（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」Part2

☆ student
Now "student" is all purpose world for someone studying or learning something,and can refer to any student from elementary school onward.Now a group of students at school is called the student budy but students don't necessary have to be a school setting,you could call someone a student of human nature or a student of politics and it just means someone who is actively interested in the subject.

☆ go to the dogs
Now,"go to the dogs" is just one of many dog idioms,it means some situation is going bad or becoming worse.An idiom with similar meaning is "go to pot".And one of my favorite dog idioms is "in the dog house",it means that someone is annoyed or angry or frustrated with you,got you in trouble.

☆ doom and gloom
One of my rhyming phrases in English,"doom and gloom" means a terrible situation of some kind.There is doomed,it is a sure failure.
"Gloom" is often used as "gloomy" to descirbe a situation a person that is dark side or depressed.

☆ Grade 12
Grade 12 refers to the final year of the high school in the U.S.,now some towns are two year junior high schools and four year high schools,while others have three year junior highs and three year high schools.The education is the same,but just the location is different,so it' s easier to use a one to twelve system for refering to each grade to be consistent.
Now I tend to hear 12th grade rather than Grade 12 more often in the U.K.,Grade 12,I think is more common in Canada,but both are acceptable in the U.S.,a student in Grade 12 is also known as a 12th grader or senior.

☆ SAT test
Formally known as the scholastic attidude test.This is now most often known as just the SAT.It's the most common general test to help assess the potential for students applying to college.It's influential but it's just one of many factors used in the admission's process.Now there are attitude test at the graduate level as well,wih the GRE for master's programs,the MCAT for medical school,the LSAT for law school and the GMAT for business school.

☆ sell something off the rack
Now this usually refers to suits or dresses sold as is or ready-made rather than tailored to a specific person.It's occasionally used to describe non-clothing items and refers to something that hasn't customized or tailored.non-cutsomized or tailored.Non-costomers software training programs for example, could also be refered to as"off the shelf".

☆ Old habits die hard.
So this expression refers to the fact that it's very hard to change one's habits.A "die hard" is someone who is very committed to something,who won't change.That's,someone who has difficulty changing their habits may also be called "set in their ways".


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09/12/11（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

09/12/11（金) 「実践ビジネス英語」

S:In a current vignette,we've been looking at the troubling topic of student cheating.Paul Pearson mentioned a cheating scandal at his son's school.
I:Yes,and that is a subject of great concern to high schools and universities.The students at Jim Pearson's school were lucky they weren't expelled.But the incident will surely hurt their chances of being admitted to a good university.
S:Universities often have much stricter policies about cheating,don't they?Tony Hughes mentioned the honor codes found at many universities.
I:Yes,that's right.Many universities have zero torlerance for cheating policies.If a student is caught cheating,they're likely to be subject to a hearing before an honor council.Penalties range from receiving a fall in grade in the course to being kicked out of school permanently.I had a run-in with this myself in college.
S:Well,don't tell me you were caught cheating.I find that hard to beleive.
I:Oh,it's nice to hear you say that.I've alway been oppsoed to cheating,and was you might call a goody two-shoes in school.Always studing hard,respecting teachers,and following school rules.The incident,I mentioned happened in my first semester in college,and in fact I didn't cheat.however,I was falsely accused of doing so,by my economics teaching assistant,also known as a TA.
S:Why in the world did he think you were cheating?
I:Well,I took an exam in the auditorium with about a hundred other students.And on my way,out of the room after the test,the TA said "I know what you did",and I honestly didn't had no idea what he was talking about.We were arranged to meet in his office straghten things out,He told me I was lucky he didn't go straight to the professor with the so-called evidence,because the econommics department had very harsh policies toward cheaters.
S:So what evidence did he have?
I:Well,apparently,one of my classmate was sitting a little too close to me.and it looked suspicious.I was dumb-struck.He also mentioned something about the other student asking for a new test,which apparently is some sort of cheating technique though I still don't understand how that works.I truly had no idea what he was refering to as I never cheated in my life.But he still eyed me with suspision.And you can imagine,I was really upset,and I begged him to campare my test with my classmate's test.Thank goodness,our test answers were completely different and he finally realized that he'd made a mistake,and apolized to me.
S:So,you must have been relieved.
I:That's understatement.I felt my academic life was flushing before my eyes.You can't bet that I made sure to sit far,far away from other students in my exams after that experience.
S:Melinda Kinkaid mentioned the rule technology plays nowadays in student cheating.Students are using their cellphones and the Internet to get an edge.
i:That's right.Although I wouldn't go as far as Melinda and saying that technology causes cheating.But it certainly fasilitates it.It's a different world from you and I were in college.cheating has gone high tech.Melinda mentioned the availability of term papers on the Internet.
S:Yes,I've heard about this over the past several years,there are businesses that sell term papers on a variety of topics.hoping to attract students looking for an easy way.
I:I've heard of the practice selling term papers when I was in school.But I don't know how the buyers and sellers found each other.I think it's really foolish on the student's part.They may be looking for an easy way out.But as both Shiga Hiroshi and Tony Hughes noted,teachers are finding back using the Internet to check for similar passages,for example.even without the Internet,many teachers will be able to spot plagiarism a mile away.From the points that Tony Hughes mentions,either the style is defferent from the student's previous essays or thre's a mix of writing styles in the same paper get students to continue to think they can pull the wall over the professor's eyes.
S:Melinda also envisoned a future,in which students would have to pass through metal detectors to get into exam rooms.
I:I hope it doesn't come to that.Shiga Hiroshi pointed out that exams such as the MCAT are alreadly taking extra measures such as requiring fingreprints and photographs to ensure applicants don't send someone to take the test in their place.I haven't been fingerprinted yet,but when I took a Japanese proficiency test a few years ago,we are all required to send in a photo and display it prominetly on a corner right desks as we took the exam,so the exam proctors could verify our identities.
S:Tony Hughes mentioned one of the driving force is behind students cheating is the incresing in☆ pressure to get an edge and both schools and the business world.
I:Yes,And that's what's especially disturbing about this.It's not a stretch to think that a student who gets away with cheating in college would continue unethically in the business world.We see many cases over the past few years.where people thought they can bend the rules and make a lot of money as a result.I suppose they were always based on unethical business people but I'd like to think that the majority of people in the business world hold them to a higher standrard than that.


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