This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 506.
Do you get the short end of the stick at work?
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Hey there, Aubrey.
What's shaking?
What's going on?
I'm doing great, Lindsay.
How are you?
Good, Aubrey.
Have you ever gotten the short end of the stick?
Yes.
I've said this before because I have a brother who's very tall.
He's like 6'4".
Wow.
And I'm 5'5".
So I'm like, I got the short end of the stick on the height in this family.
Why didn't I get those jeans?
That's so unfair.
If I could have been 5'9", I would have been an amazing volleyball player.
Yeah.
And I bet with how many siblings do you have again?
You have four siblings?
Four.
So there's five total.
Okay.
And he's definitely the tallest.
I am probably the shortest.
My sister and I are both...
Anyway, I could have been.
I have some cousins also who are so tall.
Yeah.
I got the short end of the stick.
Another scenario I would think of as a kid growing up in a family with five siblings.
Maybe like your mom or dad cooked something and they were really like I don't know s'mores or something.
There was a great s'more and then there was a small one.
Maybe sometimes you got the short end of the stick if you were having to choose last from that plate.
For sure.
I'm sad.
The small brownie, right?
The worst, the worst.
Good.
So that's really what we're getting into today Aubrey the short, and we're talking about get as well a little bit too right.
Exactly.
We got this great question on YouTube from Hamdallah Azadi.
I'll go ahead and read it.
Okay.
Congratulations on your 2500th episode.
I love that.
Thank you.
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Wow.
And then they said, I've been listening to your podcast for just a few months.
I hope you keep up recording.
Would you please record a podcast about some expressions with get as it is used frequently, such as get the short end of the stick.
Thank you so much.
Yeah.
And just so our listeners know, the 2500 episodes I think is referring to All Ears English, the other podcast.
Oh, yes, that's right.
Good point.
Because we're on 500 here.
Yes, make sure you open your search bar right now, guys.
Search for All Ears English and hit the follow button.
We do publish five times a week over there.
So lots of great content for you.
Yes.
You need to be following both episodes, especially if you ever send us a question, because you never know which podcast it's going to be answered on, as this points out.
If I feel like oh, this is more appropriate for business vocabulary, business English, then we might have it over here.
Yeah.
I mean, we could be answering your questions and you might not know it if you're over just on All Ears English or just on business.
It's on the other podcast.
Yeah.
All right.
Good stuff.
So let's get into it then, Aubrey.
So get the short end of the stick is how we opened our episode.
And I want to share, be sure to, like we said, follow because this will be a two-part series.
Because when I looked, there were really eight of these that we use so often at work.
So we're going to split this.
This will be part one of a two-part series.
And yes, the first one we're talking about is get the short end of the six.
So this is to receive money. unfair or a less favorable outcome.
Yeah.
And it's interesting the way you used it around height, because that's kind of a more existential, like a more metaphorical way to use it right.
Because it's not literally like you weren't able to take the best thing.
It's like genetics just gave you the less favorable.
Right.
But it's perfect, right?
It's unfair.
I got the less favorable outcome, for me at least, because mostly because I love volleyball.
You know, normally height, whatever, it doesn't matter that much.
But it's really hard to be a good volleyball player if you're under five, eight, five, nine.
Oh, okay.
I'm sorry.
That's a bummer.
Thank you.
Ruined my pro volleyball plans.
Oh, wow.
I think a lot about height and like yeah, and culture and our values around height and We could do another episode on that someday.
That would be really interesting.
It's true.
That definitely exists in the States that people are respected often if they're just for being tall.
Yes, 100%.
Really interesting.
So here's some more examples.
I really got the short end of the stick when they assigned me the 12-hour shift.
That's a really good example, right?
A lot of medical professionals have these really long shifts or maybe graveyard shifts.
You're like, oh, I got the short end of the stick.
And what this really comes from, I think, is like drawing straws, where you know you would get the short stick.
But then we say end of the stick, short end of the stick.
It's kind of strange.
Yeah, I don't know.
But I think that's what it's from, too.
Or Maria got the short end of the stick when the project's success was credited to someone else.
And this can happen, too, at work.
Yes, absolutely.
And if you don't speak up, then maybe no one will ever know how much you put into something, right?
Oh, yeah.
I'm sure this happens way more than we realize.
So we need the skills to take credit in a humble but assertive way, right?
Maybe that's another episode for another day, Aubrey.
Yeah, that would.
Be sure to hit follow.
We should cover that, because I think this happens far too often.
If we're timid or not willing to be really assertive, then things like this can happen and we might not get the promotion we need because people don't realize how much we're doing.
Yeah, and i think frankly, it happens more to women than men.
I mean just just broadly speaking.
I think it not necessarily all the time, but it's more frequently that women might not get the credit for the work.
Um, in the same way yeah, so we'll come back to that another day.
Don't get the short end of the stick.
Yeah, all right.
What would be another one with get All right?
Number two is get the ball rolling.
We say this all the time at work.
It means to start something, especially a project or a process.
Yeah.
So let's get the ball rolling on the new marketing campaign, which means let's get started, or we need to get the ball rolling on the client proposal.
So very common idiom.
You'll hear this all the time at work.
Yeah.
And this is good, because I find that this whole idea of objects in motion stay in motion, but there's a real inertia before you start a project.
When you look at the project, you think, oh my gosh, this is going to be so much work.
But if you just do the little things, just set up the Monday board, right?
Or set up little structures in the project, you get the ball rolling.
It's actually not as bad as you think.
That's such a good point.
That same inertia of a ball that starts rolling is kind of hard to stop.
Same with a project.
You get those little things doing, just get started and then things start moving.
Yep.
That's what I found for sure.
What else, Aubrey?
Is there another one?
Next one is get off on the wrong foot.
So this means to start a relationship or a situation badly.
For example, the client meeting got off on the wrong foot when the presentation wouldn't load.
Yeah, that's not good.
I've definitely had things like this happen.
And then you see your client looking at their watch and looking at the door and it's really bad.
Right.
Like, how do we get this back on track?
Yeah.
Or I think we got off on the wrong foot with the new supplier.
But we can smooth it over with better communication.
First impressions matter, don't they?
Yes, they really do.
And it is salvageable.
Don't give up if you get off on the wrong foot.
But it is.
It's true.
The better you can have that first impression be.
Then you don't have that uphill battle of fixing it.
And sometimes the answer is naming it as we just did.
Right.
You could say that directly to the person.
You know, I think we got off on the wrong foot.
Let's meet again next week and talk again.
Right.
That's such a good point.
This isn't something in American business culture that's rude to say.
I think we got off on the wrong foot, because it could be lots of different reasons that would cause you to get off on the wrong foot.
Yep.
And then the last one for today, Aubrey, what is it?
It's get something off your chest.
So this is to talk about something that has been bothering you that you've been thinking about.
So when you say to someone, can I talk to you?
You might say, I need to get something off my chest.
And this, you're kind of warning them that the conversation is going to be pretty serious.
It's going to be pretty heavy.
Yeah, for sure.
Or I just need to get this off my chest.
I've been feeling frustrated about how meetings are scheduled.
Yeah.
So that would apply at work too, because in the work context that might be a heavy thing, because you're asking for a structural change in procedures.
Of the way things are done.
Right.
Anything that's bothersome that you've been thinking about for a while.
This isn't.
If something like is spontaneous and you just suddenly think about it, then we wouldn't use this expression.
It's really something more that has maybe been building up over time.
Yeah, that's a really good point, Aubrey.
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Okay, we are back for a role play.
So aubrey, what are our roles in this role play?
All right, we are coworkers.
You're a team lead, and I am a project coordinator in this role play.
Okay, here we go.
I wanted to check in about the new client project.
Absolutely.
We got the ball rolling yesterday and assigned initial tasks.
The design team is already working on mock-ups, so things are moving quickly.
Perfect.
I'm glad to hear it.
I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot with this client after the delay last week, so let's make sure communication stays smooth this time.
Definitely.
I've already scheduled weekly updates to avoid confusion.
Good thinking.
I did have something else I need to get off my chest.
Oh, let me start that over because that was the end of a sentence.
Okay, I did have something else I need to get off my chest if you have another minute.
Absolutely.
What's up?
I was hesitant to bring this up.
But a few members of my team are frustrated and feel like the marketing team got the short end of the stick on task distribution.
We're managing, but we are handling most of the workload and are definitely stretched thin.
I hear you.
Let's revisit the task list and make sure responsibilities are balanced.
I appreciate that.
Nice.
Yeah, important to speak up, right?
This would be another good use if you feel like tasks are not allocated fairly, like you're getting too much work, or maybe you're not getting enough of the work because you want to make a difference at work.
Not either.
Maybe you're dropping the ball because you don't have the time or the bandwidth to cover everything.
Better to say something ahead of time rather than letting things slip.
Yeah, so let's see how we use all of our get phrases here.
So the first get phrase was, we got the ball rolling yesterday.
And so you're just saying we initiated the project.
We got things going.
Exactly, right?
Just a fun expression way of saying we got things started.
Yes, what else?
And then you said, I'm glad to hear that.
I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot with this client after the delay last week.
So you're just pointing out there was a delay.
And so this client was likely frustrated.
And this is a good way to express that.
Oh, we got off on the wrong foot.
Exactly.
And then you said I did have something else I wanted to get off my chest.
So this kind of signals to me it's going to be something a little more serious.
Exactly.
Right.
I'm never going to say that and be like.
I was happy about it.
It wouldn't be something positive.
You're definitely giving them a warning that you're going to share something you're bothered or upset by.
It's a signal for sure.
Absolutely.
Okay.
And then what are you saying that is happening here?
Yeah.
And then I was saying some of the members of my team are frustrated.
They feel like our team, the marketing team, got the short end of the stick on task distribution.
And this is interesting because Whenever you use an idiom like this at work, it is creating more, of more informality, right?
More casual friendliness.
So if you have a relationship to do that, this is absolutely appropriate to say this this way.
I probably wouldn't say to someone, I feel like I got the short end of the stick.
If it's a client or a boss or someone I don't know well, because it is quite casual to sit in, wouldn't you say?
Yeah.
Yeah.
We always need to be kind of gauging.
Can we use an idiom in this given scenario?
Right.
So be careful.
They do bring you closer to someone, but you need to make sure you feel comfortable using it in that moment.
Totally agree.
But this I could definitely see someone using it this way, because if you're sharing something you and your team are frustrated about, you need to get it off your chest.
You are looking for ways to soften it, to create more of a friendly tone right to eliminate awkwardness.
So this might be perfect for that.
Right.
Because it could be a little awkward if you say, I'm getting too much work.
There's too much work that's being assigned to me.
If you think of all the other ways to say this, we received too many tasks.
We are unhappy with the task distribution.
It's a lot more harsh.
Yeah.
So there's a real art.
It's a bit of a dance to decide when it makes sense to use an idiom and when it doesn't.
But that's why we're here on the show.
I mean, this is a big part of what we talk about on Business English.
Exactly.
Yes.
Oh, this is so interesting.
English is full of expressions that use get.
So these four, I think, can really help you connect at work, if you need to get something off your chest or if you feel like you got the short end of the stick, and then follow for part two.
We have four more expressions we use at work with get.
All right.
Looking forward to part two, Aubrey.
Sounds good.
And that'll be here on Business English.
Is that right?
Yes, exactly.
Good.
So make sure you're following Business English.
Hit that follow button.
All right.
Great stuff for today, Aubrey.
I will see you next time.
All right.
Awesome.
See you next time.
Bye guys.
Bye.
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