Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 572, Blowing the Whistle at Work.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 572.
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.
We'll see you next time.
That will help you improve your English even faster.
This dialogue is between Becky and Said.
It's about blowing the whistle.
To blow the whistle is to tell someone about something that is wrong in your company or organization.
If someone is doing something illegal like stealing, to blow the whistle would be to tell your boss or to tell the police.
Let's get started.
What are we going to do?
I don't know.
I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing the whistle.
But we can't keep quiet about this.
If it gets out, and we knew about it all along, we'll get into even more trouble.
And plus...
Think of how many people would be hurt if we kept our mouths shut.
Could we live with that?
Maybe there is a way for us to protect our interests and still do the right thing.
Maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.
Don't count on being able to remain anonymous.
When this thing blows up, we'll be in knee deep.
There's only one thing to do.
I have to put my money where my mouth is and go public with what we know.
I'll just have to let the chips fall where they may.
Don't be too hasty.
Let's sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow.
You can do that if you want to but I've made up my mind.
The question is are you with me?
Our dialogue begins with Becky saying to Said, what are we going to do?
Said says, I don't know.
I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing the whistle.
Ramifications are consequences implications, something that will happen because you do something, especially when you're not exactly sure what will happen if you do something.
The consequences of your actions.
To blow the whistle means to share information about something wrong or bad that someone is doing because you want to stop it.
You're either telling someone in your company the president or your boss about something that people are doing wrong, Or you're perhaps telling the government that your company or organization is doing something wrong or illegal.
Becky says there are no two ways about it.
This is an idiom that means there is no doubt.
It's very clear.
She says if we step up and do the right thing we are putting our jobs on the line.
She's saying that this is what will happen.
There is no other choice for us.
If we step up, that is, if we volunteer to do or to participate in this action, if we come forward which is another phrasal verb, that means the same thing If we go to the boss or to the government, we are putting our jobs on the line.
Something that is on the line is something that is at risk, in danger.
There's a possibility that you could lose it.
To say your job is on the line means, depending on what I do, I could lose my job very soon.
Said says, If it gets out, and we knew about it all along, we'll get into even more trouble.
Notice the very popular word get in English.
There are all sorts of phrasal verbs, two-word verbs, that use the verb get.
This one is get out.
To get out means for information, secret or private information to become public, to become known by many people.
There are other meanings of this expression also, and those are in the learning guide.
Said says, if it gets out, if this news about this bad thing is publicized, if people find out about it, we'll get into even more trouble.
Notice, into trouble. the preposition connected with get.
To get into trouble means to be in trouble, to go from not being in trouble to being in trouble.
Said says and plus meaning.
In addition, think of how many people would be hurt if we kept our mouths shut.
To keep your mouth shut means not to tell anyone, not to say anything to anyone else.
To be quiet.
This is something I have a great deal of difficulty doing, keeping my mouth shut.
My wife tells me this almost every day.
Said is worried that people will get hurt if they don't tell someone.
He says, could we live with that?
To live with means to be able to tolerate something.
It's a phrasal verb meaning to put up with something. to be able to continue living your life.
Becky says, To protect your interests and still do the right thing means you are taking care of yourself.
You are making sure you don't get hurt.
She wants to protect herself, but she also wants to do the right thing.
She says then, maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.
To be anonymous means that no one knows your name, that no one knows who you are.
So you write a note to a girl you like, but you don't put your name on the note.
The note is anonymous.
I'm not sure why you would do that.
Seems kind of stupid to me.
You, of course, would want the girl to know your name, but I suppose maybe you want to provide some mystery about your identity.
It's possible.
Back to the story.
Said says, don't count on being able to remain anonymous.
Don't count on means don't rely upon, don't depend upon.
It's not for certain.
Said says, when this thing blows up, we'll be in knee-deep.
To blow up here means to become a major problem, to be a situation that will affect many different people in a bad way.
To blow up has other meanings in English as a phrasal verb.
Those are in that learning guide we talked about earlier.
So Saeed is saying when this thing blows up, when people find out about it and it becomes a big problem, we'll be in knee deep.
To be in knee, K-N-E-E, hyphen deep, means to be heavily involved in something.
You are very much involved in it.
Often it's a bad thing, but you could also say, I'm knee-deep in work this week.
I have so much work I can barely think.
I'm heavily involved in it.
Saeed says, There's only one thing to do.
Becky asks, What?
He says, Nothing.
This is an expression, to put your money where your mouth is.
It means to stop talking about something and actually do it.
Not just to say you're going to... run a marathon, but actually to practice and run the marathon.
We use it when someone has finally decided to do something that they've been talking about.
It also is used sometimes when you give advice to someone and you need to actually do something as part of that advice, and I'm going to help you find a job.
I promise you something.
I'm going to put my money where my mouth is.
I'm actually going to call some people to find you a job.
To go public means to share information with many people, especially the newspapers or the television news programs.
Said says, I'll just have to let the chips fall where they may.
This expression to let the chips C-H-I-P-S fall where they may means to do something, even though something bad might be a result of your action.
To do something and not think about the positive or negative ramifications or consequences of your action.
Becky, however, says, don't be too hasty, H-A-S-T-Y.
That means don't be so rushed.
Don't do it quickly.
Think about this decision.
She says, let's sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow.
To sleep on it means to think about something overnight, to go home to fall asleep, continue thinking about it and the next day you make your decision.
Said says, The question is, are you with me?
Meaning, are you going to help me, support me, agree with me?
Let's listen to the dialogue now at a normal speed.
What are we going to do?
I don't know.
I need time to think about the ramifications of blowing the whistle.
There are no two ways about it.
If we step up and do the right thing, we are putting our jobs on the line.
But we can't keep quiet about this.
If it gets out and we knew about it all along, we'll get into even more trouble.
And plus, think of how many people would be hurt if we kept our mouths shut.
Could we live with that?
Maybe there's a way for us to protect our interests and still do the right thing.
Maybe we could be anonymous whistleblowers.
Don't count on being able to remain anonymous.
When this thing blows up, we'll be in knee deep.
There's only one thing to do.
What?
I have to put my money where my mouth is and go public with what we know.
I'll just have to let the chips fall where they may.
Don't be too hasty.
Let's sleep on it and talk about it tomorrow.
You can do that if you want to, but I've made up my mind.
The question is, are you with me?
The writer of this podcast dialogue is not anonymous.
It's our own Dr. Lucy Say.
Thank you, Lucy.
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 2010 by the Center for Educational Development.
