Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 908, Being Territorial at Work.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 908.
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, become a member of ESL Podcast, and download a learning guide for this episode.
This episode is a dialogue between Andy and Sita about responsibilities in the workplace.
Let's get started.
What are you doing?
I'm running some numbers for the new project.
I thought that was Delia's turf.
She's usually the go-to person for this type of information, but I need this info right now.
I'd be careful about stepping on Delia's toes.
I know she can be territorial at times, but I'm sure if I explained to her why I'm getting this information right this minute, she'd understand.
Okay, but don't be surprised if she thinks you're trying to gain control of her little fiefdom.
She's really entrenched, and she doesn't like anyone muscling in.
Do you really think she'll misunderstand my motives?
I wouldn't take any chances.
Hurry up and finish what you're doing.
Cover your tracks and get out.
With any luck, she won't think this is the beginning of a turf war.
Andy begins by asking Sita...
What are you doing?
Sita says, I'm running some numbers on the new project.
To run some numbers or to run the numbers means to do some sort of mathematical calculation, to analyze data, to analyze information in the form of numbers.
Sometimes we'll say, I'm going to run the numbers.
We might also say, I'm going to crunch, C-R-U-N-C-H, the numbers.
Both of these are terms used in the business world to describe the activity of analyzing information using some sort of calculations, some sort of statistical analysis.
Andy says, I thought that was Delia's turf.
Turf, T-U-R-F, means the area that you believe you have control over.
It can also mean territory.
The word territory T-E-R-R-I-T-O-R-Y is usually used in talking about countries.
What territory belongs to this country?
What area of land belongs to this country?
However, it can also be used in a smaller sense.
We could say talking about responsibilities at work.
Well, this is my territory.
This is my turf.
This is the area that I feel responsible for, that I am responsible for.
The word turf usually is used to imply that someone feels strongly about the area that they have responsibility for and doesn't want anyone else interfering.
Sita says She, meaning Delia is usually the go-to person for this type of information, but I need this info right now.
The expression go-to person means means the person who you would normally ask to do a certain task, because that person is an expert.
That person is the best person to do that.
Sita says that Delia is normally the person who would crunch or run the numbers.
But she needs this info, this information, right now.
Sita can't wait for Delia to do the analysis, so she is doing it herself.
Andy says, I'd be careful about stepping on Delia's toes.
To step on someone's toes T-O-E-S means to interfere with their area of responsibility, to become involved in someone else's work when that other person doesn't want you to be involved.
So, for example, if I am supposed to organize a meeting and you decide that you're going to help me organize the meeting, even though I don't want you to, that would be a case of you stepping on my toes.
Your toes are the digits that are on your feet.
You have fingers on your hands.
On your feet you have toes.
The phrasal verb to step on means to put your foot on top of.
To step on someone's toes then, is a metaphor, meaning to get in someone's way, to interfere with someone else's responsibilities.
And he says, Delia doesn't take kindly to people encroaching on her responsibilities.
The expression does not take kindly to means dislikes.
Resents does not like something, is very uncomfortable with something.
You don't hear this expression too frequently, but you will still read it and hear it about someone not taking kindly to some action that another person does.
In this case Delia does not take kindly to people encroaching on her responsibilities.
To encroach E-N-C-R-O-A-C-H means to become involved in something that belongs to someone else, to become involved in some activity that another person is responsible for.
It's very similar to the phrase to step on someone's toes.
To encroach means to start to move into someone else's turf, especially when we're talking about a work environment.
Delia does not take kindly to other people encroaching on her responsibilities, taking over her responsibilities.
Sita says, I know she can be territorial at times.
Sita says that Delia can be territorial, T-E-R-R-I-T-O-R-I-A-L.
To be territorial is related to the noun territory.
The idea that this is my area of responsibility.
This is my turf, and I don't want anyone else interfering with me.
Sita says I'm sure if I explain to her, to Delia, why I'm getting this information right this minute, she'd understand.
Right this minute means right now, immediately, right away.
I need this information right this minute.
I need this information now.
Andy says okay, but don't be surprised if she thinks you're trying to gain control of her little fiefdom.
To gain control means to have power over someone or something, usually power that you get by taking it from another person.
So you have someone at your work who is responsible for the annual meeting with your entire company.
You try to gain control of that job, of that task, of that responsibility, by taking over the power from that person.
The word fiefdom F-I-E-F-D-O-M refers to an area of land that belonging to someone with a lot of power.
It's an old word that describes a system common in the Middle Ages in Europe called feudalism F-E-U-D-A-L-I-S-M.
Feudalism involved receiving land and protection from a very wealthy person in exchange for working for that person or giving some sort of service to that person.
Here and in modern usage, fiefdom refers to an area that you are responsible for and that you are very territorial about an area of responsibility that you don't want anyone else interfering with.
Andy says Delia's really entrenched and she doesn't like anyone muscling in.
To be entrenched e n t r e n c h e, d means you are unlikely to change.
You have your established ways, the ways you do things, and you're not going to change.
For anyone that's me, i'm very entrenched in some of my ideas.
Well, And he says Delia is entrenched and she doesn't like anyone muscling in.
To muscle, M-U-S-C-L-E, in, is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to go into someone else's space, someone else's area of responsibility in this case.
It can literally mean to use physical force to get into someone's territory or someone's area.
But here it means something like gaining control of someone else's responsibility by using some sort of pressure, using some tactic that allows you to gain control, even if the other person doesn't want you to.
Sita says, do you really think she'll misunderstand or not understand my motives?
Your motive is your motivation, your reason for doing something.
And he says I wouldn't take any chances, meaning you shouldn't try to do this unless you're absolutely sure.
You shouldn't risk anything.
He says hurry up and finish what you're doing.
Cover your tracks and get out.
To cover your tracks T-R-A-C-K-S means to remove evidence so that other people don't know where you've been or what you have done.
We use this expression when someone is doing something wrong and you don't want anyone else to know about it.
So you're going to hide the evidence or get rid of any indication that you were there or that you did something wrong?
Andy says, with any luck, if you're lucky, she won't think this is the beginning of a turf war.
A turf war is when two different people or two different groups are fighting each other for responsibility of a certain task, usually in a large organization such as a company.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
What are you doing?
I'm writing some numbers for the new project.
I thought that was Delia's turf.
She's usually the go-to person for this type of information, but I need this info right now.
I'd be careful about stepping on Delia's toes.
She doesn't take kindly to people encroaching on her responsibilities.
I know she can be territorial at times, but I'm sure if I explain to her why I'm getting this information right this minute, she'd understand.
Okay, but don't be surprised if she thinks you're trying to gain control of her little fiefdom.
She's really entrenched, and she doesn't like anyone muscling in.
Do you really think she'll misunderstand my motives?
I wouldn't take any chances.
Hurry up and finish what you're doing, cover your tracks, and get out.
With any luck, she won't think this is the beginning of a turf war.
She's the go-to person when it comes to writing amazing scripts.
I speak, of course, of our very 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 again right here on ESL Podcast.
