Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 764, Being Unsure and Unready.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 764.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
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This episode talks about not being sure, not being certain, and not being ready.
Let's get started.
When our bigwigs from the Cleveland office arrive next week, I think we'll have a lot to show them.
I wouldn't be so sure about that.
Giselle told me yesterday that it's a toss-up whether she'll finish the program she's working on by next week.
But don't quote me on that.
I thought she was already done with it.
I think that she's still tinkering with it because she isn't 100 sure she's worked out all of the bugs.
All right.
I hope she gets a move on and fast.
I'll still have Joe's prototype to show them, right?
Well, the last time I spoke with Joe, he said that the prototype is still a work in progress.
Whether it'll actually work is iffy at best.
Are you trying to tell me that we're not ready for this visit at all?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn't count on having much to show them.
Sorry.
I suggest some fast talking and fancy tap dancing.
Aida says to Dale, when our bigwigs from the Cleveland office arrive next week, I think we'll have a lot to show them.
A bigwig B-I-G-W-I-G.
One word is an important person, a supervisor, a boss, maybe the owner of the company?
Those are bigwigs.
Aida says that when our bigwigs from the Cleveland office, from the office in another city in this case Cleveland Ohio, a state in the eastern half of the United States, in the northern part When these bigwigs arrive from the Cleveland office next week, I think we'll have a lot to show them, she says.
Dale says, I'm not sure you shouldn't think that.
Giselle told me yesterday that it's a toss-up whether she'll finish the program she's working on by next week.
But don't quote me on that.
A toss-up, T-O-S-S-U-P, two words, is something that may or may not happen.
The verb to toss means to throw, and often, if we want to decide by chance or by luck, We may take a coin, a small piece of money, and toss it up in the air and depending on which side it lands on, that will be the answer to our question.
That will be the solution to our problem.
That's a toss-up, but in general the term is used to express something that is not sure.
We're not sure it could happen, it might not happen.
Giselle is not sure that she's going to finish the program, whatever that is, she's working on.
But don't quote me on that, Dale says.
The expression don't quote Q-U-O-T-E me on that is used to share information that is secret, but you don't want other people to know that you gave them that information.
Don't tell people I told you that.
That's one use of it.
It can also be used when you're just not sure that something is going to happen.
You're making a prediction.
I think the Dodgers will win the World Series of baseball next year.
But don't quote me on that.
I could be wrong.
Aida says, I thought she, Giselle, was already done with it.
Dale says I think she's still tinkering with it because she isn't 100 sure she's worked out all of the bugs.
To tinker T-I-N-K-E-R with something means to make small changes in it, to improve it or to make it better.
Usually it's used when those efforts, those changes aren't really very important or perhaps aren't even successful.
100% sure means absolutely, completely certain, no doubt.
To work out something means to fix a problem, to resolve a problem, or to resolve an issue.
Bugs, B-U-G-S are errors in computer programs.
That Bug has a couple of different meanings in English.
Take a look at our learning guide for some of those.
Here, though, it means some sort of mistake in a computer software program.
Dale says that Giselle is still tinkering with the program because she isn't 100 sure she's worked out or fixed all of the bugs or problems.
Aida says, all right, okay.
I hope she gets a move on and fast.
To get a move on something means to work on something quickly, to try to do it as fast as possible, because you need to get it done soon.
She hopes that Giselle will get a move on, means she'll start working on it fast.
I'll still have Joe's prototype to show them, right?
A prototype, P-R-O-T-O-T-Y-P-E, is a model.
It's something you make, or a company makes, to decide whether they want to make more of it.
You make one and you look at it and you say well, maybe we'll change this or change that, or maybe this is exactly what we want.
Let's make some more.
Prototype is like the first example of that particular thing.
Aida is saying to Dale that they have a prototype prototype, Joe's prototype.
Joe would be the person who made it to show the bigwigs next week, even if Giselle isn't finished with her program.
Dale said well, the last time I spoke with or I talked with Joe, he said that the prototype is still a work in progress.
When we call something a work-in-progress, P-R-O-G-R-E-S-S, we mean that it isn't finished yet.
It's still being developed.
It's still being changed or improved.
Dale says whether it'll actually work is iffy at best.
Dale isn't sure if Joe's prototype, I guess of this program, will actually work.
He says it's iffy, I-F-F-Y.
Iffy is a somewhat informal word meaning uncertain, not exactly sure, questionable.
It might, it might not.
The expression at best means the most optimistic way of thinking or looking at the situation, the most positive way.
So if we think in the most positive way possible, it might work or it might not.
Of course, that means it probably won't work.
Aida says, are you trying to tell me that we're not ready for this visit at all?
Not in any way?
Dale says, I hate to be the bearer of bad news.
To bear, B-E-A-R something, as a verb means to carry something.
The bearer is the person who is carrying something.
At a wedding, you might have a ring bearer, usually a small boy, a young boy, who carries the rings of the two people getting married, up to the couple that is getting married.
That's a ring bearer.
But here...
The word bearer is part of a common expression, meaning someone who brings you bad news, someone who gives you some unfortunate or sad information.
Dale says, I wouldn't count on having much to show them.
Sorry.
To count on means to rely on, to depend on.
Dale says that he wouldn't count on, he wouldn't rely on having very much to show the bigwigs next week.
Well, of course, Aida isn't very happy.
She says, then what am I supposed to do when they see the progress on our work?
Meaning, of course, they haven't made very much progress yet.
Dale says, Fast talking is when you talk in such a way as to mislead the person listening to you or distract them.
When you want to hide something, you start saying this and you start saying that and you try to sort of confuse the person so that they're not really sure what's happening.
Tap dancing is a type of dancing where you have little pieces of metal on your shoes that make noise as you hit the ground.
But here, it's used as an expression to mean...
Something similar to fast talking.
You're doing something that will distract, that will put the attention of the person listening or watching you somewhere else, so that they won't think about the real problem that you're trying to hide.
There aren't a lot of people who do tap dancing anymore.
It was popular in the 20th century.
I actually took tap dancing lessons when I was in second grade.
I must have been, oh, eight or nine years old.
True story.
Maybe someday I'll make a video of myself tap dancing.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
When our bigwigs from the Cleveland office arrive next week...
I think we'll have a lot to show them.
I wouldn't be so sure about that.
Giselle told me yesterday that it's a toss-up whether she'll finish the program she's working on by next week.
But don't quote me on that.
I thought she was already done with it.
I think that she's still tinkering with it because she isn't 100 sure she's worked out all the bugs.
All right.
I hope she gets a move on fast.
I'll still have Joe's prototype to show them, right?
Well, the last time I spoke with Joe, he said that the prototype is still a work in progress.
Whether it'll actually work is iffy at best.
Are you trying to tell me that we're not ready for this visit at all?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn't count on having much to show them.
Sorry.
Then what am I supposed to do when they want to see the progress on our work?
I suggest some fast talking and fancy tap dancing.
I'm 100% sure that the best script writer on the Internet is our own Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2012 by the Center for Educational Development.
