Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 508, Regretting Past Actions.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 508.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is eslpod.com.
Go there to download a learning guide for this episode, an 8-10 page guide that will help you improve your English even faster.
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This episode is called Regretting Past Actions.
It's a dialogue between Dennis and Nora using vocabulary about being sorry for things that you did.
Let's get started.
Oh, why did I let my temper get the best of me?
I never should have said those things to the new client.
Don't freak out.
I'm sure you didn't do any damage that can't be rectified.
It's true that in retrospect, you probably shouldn't have called Nathan, the head of the project, a twerp.
Don't remind me of what I said.
Hindsight is 20-20.
Now they're going to think we're running a dog and pony show.
No, they're not.
Nathan was being unreasonable, and you tried to sugarcoat your objections the best you could.
Everybody could see that you were trying to pull your punches, but that guy just wouldn't give an inch.
Nevertheless, this is going to have repercussions.
Oh, here comes the boss now.
I think she wants to talk to you.
I've no doubt about that.
What do you suppose she's going to say?
I know exactly what she's going to say.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Our dialogue begins with Dennis saying, Your temper is your anger.
To say you let your temper get the best of you means that you got very angry. you lost control.
You started saying and doing things that you would not normally do.
When something gets the best of you, it defeats you somehow.
In this case, it means that your anger has defeated you in some way and caused you some problems.
Dennis says I never should have said those things to the new client.
The new customer obviously talking about something at his job.
Nora says, don't freak out.
The verb to freak F-R-E-A-K out is an informal two-word verb meaning to lose control of yourself, to panic, to get very worried.
Freak actually has a couple of different meanings in English.
You can find more in this episode's learning guide.
Nora says, I'm sure you didn't do any damage that can't be rectified.
To rectify something is to fix something that is broken.
To correct something that is wrong, to repair something.
We often use this verb in talking about problems that we've caused.
I'm going to rectify the situation.
I'm going to fix it.
I'm going to make it better.
Nora says it's true that in retrospect you probably shouldn't have called Nathan, the head of the project, a twerp.
In retrospect is an expression meaning looking back on something that has already happened.
Looking at the past, especially when you wish that you would have done something differently.
Normally, when someone says in retrospect, they're usually expressing some sort of regret, something they wish they did not do or wish they hadn't done.
So Nora is saying it was not a good idea for Dennis to call Nathan, who's the leader of this project, at his work a twerp.
A twerp T-W-E-R-P is an informal insulting word meaning someone who's stupid, someone who you don't like because they're annoying or bothering you.
It's a pretty strong insult.
You certainly wouldn't want to call anyone a twerp at your work.
Sometimes the word is used to imply that someone is too young to have sufficient experience.
Dennis says, Hindsight is 20-20.
Hind is... behind, so hindsight means looking back.
When we say your vision, your sight, how well you can see is 20-20, that means that it's perfect.
Hindsight is 20-20 is an old expression, meaning it's always easy to see what you did wrong or did right when you are looking at the past.
Dennis says The expression a dog and pony show refers to a meeting or an event that is organized to impress other people, but isn't really very important, doesn't have a lot of depth.
A dog and pony show is often a somewhat negative way of describing someone going in and giving a presentation, for example at another company.
A pony is a small type of horse that you might see, for example, in the circus.
It's a small type of horse that a child might ride, for example.
So Nora says no, they're not.
They're not going to think that we are running a dog and pony show.
Remember, Nathan is the guy that Dennis called a twerp.
Nathan was being unreasonable, and you, Dennis, tried to sugarcoat your objections.
To sugarcoat something means to make something seem nicer than it really is, especially something that's perhaps critical or negative.
Sugar is, of course, something that is sweet.
If you put sugar on top of something, it may make it taste better.
Unless, of course, that something is, say, a steak or your eggs.
You shouldn't put sugar on those.
Usually.
Dennis was trying to sugarcoat his objections.
Your objections are your differences of opinion, things that you have against what someone else is saying.
To sugarcoat your objections then means to try to give your disagreements, but do it in a nice way.
Everybody could see.
Nora goes on that you were trying to pull your punches against, But that guy just wouldn't give an inch.
To pull your punches means not to use all of your abilities, not to do everything that you possibly could.
The word punch has several different meanings.
One meaning comes from boxing, where you take your fist, your hand, your closed hand, and you try to hit the other person.
That's called a punch.
To pull your punches means not to hit the person as hard as you could.
In general however it means not to use all of your strength and ability.
For more meanings of the word punch, take a look at today's learning guide.
Nora says that Nathan, however, just wouldn't give an inch.
The expression to give an inch is to compromise, to change your idea even a little bit.
You say one thing, I say something different.
When one of us changes our opinion so that we can agree, we would give an inch.
An inch, of course, being a very small amount.
But this guy wouldn't give an inch.
He wouldn't compromise.
Dennis says, nevertheless, this is going to have repercussions.
Nevertheless regardless, even though what you say is true, this action, what he did by calling him a twerp, will have repercussions.
Repercussions is just another word for consequences, usually negative consequences, something bad that happens because of something else.
Nora says, oh, here comes the boss now, meaning the boss is walking towards them.
I think she wants to talk to you.
Dennis says, I've no doubt about that, meaning I'm sure that's true.
She will want to talk to me.
Nora says, what do you suppose she's going to say?
Meaning, what do you guess?
What do you think she's going to say?
What do you suppose she's going to say?
Dennis says, I know exactly what she's going to say.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
This is an old expression don't let the door hit you on the way out while you're leaving.
In other words
It's a phrase used to mean that you want someone to leave immediately, usually because they have said something or done something wrong.
It could mean because they're fired, they're losing their job, or that they just want that person to leave.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
That's what all my old girlfriends used to say to me.
Now let's listen to the dialogue this time at a normal speed.
Oh, why did I let my temper get the best of me?
I never should have said those things to the new client.
Don't freak out.
I'm sure you didn't do any damage that can't be rectified.
It's true that in retrospect, you probably shouldn't have called Nathan, the head of the project, a twerp.
Don't remind me of what I said.
Hindsight is 20-20.
Now they're going to think we're running a dog and pony show.
No, they're not.
Nathan was being unreasonable, and you tried to sugarcoat your objections the best you could.
Everybody could see that you were trying to pull your punches, but that guy just wouldn't give an inch.
Nevertheless, this is going to have repercussions.
Oh, here comes the boss now.
I think she wants to talk to you.
I've no doubt about that.
What do you suppose she's going to say?
I know exactly what she's going to say.
Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
This script was written by Dr. Lucy Say, who never pulls her punches.
She gives it everything she has.
If you'd like us to continue giving everything we have, consider becoming a member of ESL Podcast by joining as a Learning Guide member, or you can make a donation.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2009 by the Center for Educational Development.
