Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 988, Plain Fair in Business.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 988.
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.
Become a member of ESL Podcast by going to our website.
You can also like us on Facebook at facebook.com slash ESL POD.
And why not follow us on Twitter at ESL POD.
This episode is a dialogue between Marcel and Amanda about being fair and honest in your work, at your work.
Let's get started.
Hey, why do you have the file for the Donovan account on your desk?
I thought that was Evan's account.
It is, but I'm about to snatch it from him.
He won't know what hit him.
You're stealing his account?
If you do that, you'd better watch your back.
You've got it all wrong.
This is payback.
Three months ago, when I was on the verge of getting the Morales account, Evan swooped in and snagged it.
He doesn't play fair, and now neither do I. This sounds like the beginning of a feud.
Evan started it.
If he wants to play hardball, then what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
You're not worried that he'll up the ante and try to do something even more underhanded?
Evan doesn't scare me.
This could easily escalate.
Like I said, I'm not afraid of Evan.
This is business.
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
This dialogue begins with Marcel saying Hey, why do you have the file for the Donovan account on your desk?
Marcel is talking to Amanda and he's getting Amanda's attention by saying hey, this is a very common informal way of getting someone's attention.
He says, why do you have the file for the papers related to the Donovan account on your desk.
An account here refers to some sort of business relationship between your company and another company or someone who is buying something from your company.
So the Donovan account would be the purchases and other things, things related to the company called Donovan or the person called Donovan and your company.
Marcel said, I thought that was Evan's account.
Marcel is saying that he thought that the Donovan account the sales that go to Donovan belonged to another person, Evan.
Amanda says it is, meaning it is Evan's account, but I'm about to snatch it from him.
To snatch S-N-A-T-C-H is to take something quickly, unexpectedly and without permission from someone else.
Basically, it's to steal something.
We talk about purse snatchers.
These are thieves crooks, criminals who go around and take women's purses from them by grabbing them from behind and running.
That's related to this verb to snatch.
Amanda says he, meaning Evan, won't know what hit him.
The expression to not know what hit you is to be completely surprised by something, usually something bad, something negative.
Marcel says you're stealing his account.
If you do that, you better watch your back.
To watch your back is an expression meaning to be very careful.
We say watch your back, because you can't see behind you and it's easy for someone to say take a knife and put it into your back.
We would call that stabbing, S-T-A-B-B-I-N-G, your back.
You should watch your back because you're doing something that might be dangerous or that someone might get angry about.
Amanda says, you've got it all wrong, meaning you don't understand the situation here.
This is payback.
Payback P-A-Y-B-A-C-K.
One word is revenge vengeance, something mean or cruel that you do to someone because that person was mean or cruel to you.
If someone tells lies about you at your workplace, you might tell lies about them as payback.
Of course, we don't recommend that.
Amanda says.
Three months ago, when I was on the verge of getting the Morales account, Evan swooped in and snagged it.
To be on the verge, V-E-R-G-E, of something is to be about to do something, ready to do something.
I was on the verge of walking over and asking the woman for her telephone number when my friend arrived first and started talking to her.
I was on the verge of doing it.
I was just about to do it.
Amanda says she was on the verge of getting another account of getting the business from another person for the company.
When Evan swooped in.
To swoop S-W-O-O-P in is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to become involved in something very quickly to have some effect on people who were already involved in that thing.
So usually to swoop in would be to suddenly be involved in a situation.
Sometimes it could be a positive thing.
Sometimes it could be a negative thing.
For example, we were running out of money.
We didn't have enough money for our company when an investor swooped in and gave us 500000 to help us continue our business.
Here, it's not a good thing but a bad thing that Evan did.
He swooped in and snagged this account.
To snag, S-N-A-G, means to get.
To get something, usually by doing something tricky or perhaps dishonest, although it's not always the case.
This is an informal use of the verb to snag.
You could talk about snagging a good table at a restaurant, meaning you were able to obtain or get a good table at a restaurant.
It's not always a bad thing.
Amanda however, is talking about a bad thing that Evan did a few months ago when he swooped in and snagged the Morales account that Amanda was on the verge of getting.
Amanda says, Evan doesn't play fair and now neither do I.
To play fair F-A-I-R is to be honest, not to do anything mean or dishonest in dealing with other people.
Because Evan is not being honest, Amanda says she's not going to be honest.
Marcel says, this sounds like the beginning of a feud.
A feud, F-E-U-D, is a long argument that often takes place over many months or even years.
Amanda says Evan started it, meaning Evan was the first one to do something bad.
If he wants to play hardball, then what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
To play hardball H-A-R-D-B-A-L-L is to do everything possible in order to win, even to cheat in order to win sometimes.
The expression what's good for the goose G-O-O-S-E is good for the gander G-A-N-D-E-R means if something is good or acceptable for one person, it's good or acceptable for everyone else.
A goose is a type of bird.
In this expression, it refers to the female of the bird.
Gander is a male goose.
So sometimes this expression is used when talking about treating men and women equally.
But more generally, it just means what's good for one person is good for everyone.
In other words, if you think it's good for you, then it should be good for me too, or acceptable for me to do.
Amanda is using this expression to say that if Evan plays hardball, then she can play hardball.
She should be able to.
She should be allowed to play hardball.
Marcel says you're not worried that he'll up the ante and try to do something even more underhanded.
To up the ante, A-N-T-E, is an expression that comes from gambling or betting.
The ante is the money that you are betting, especially in something like a card game like poker.
To up the ante would be to increase your bet.
Here, it just means to increase the risk associated with doing something to make something more serious.
Underhanded, U-N-D-E-R, H-A-N-D-E-D, means dishonest, secretive, something that is deceitful or not fair would be underhanded.
Amanda says, Evan doesn't scare me, meaning she's not afraid of Evan.
But Marcel says this could easily escalate.
To escalate E-S-C-A-L-A-T-E means to increase or become bigger or, in this case, more serious.
If the violence escalates in a war, it becomes greater and greater.
There's more and more violence.
You'll sometimes hear this verb used nowadays when you have a problem with a company and you contact the company.
And the first person you talk to isn't able to help you.
That person might escalate your issue to his or her boss.
Your issue or problem will then be handled by someone with more authority or more knowledge.
Amanda says, like I said, I'm not afraid of Evan.
This is business.
This expression if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Is used to tell someone that if they are unable to take the stress or the difficulty of a certain situation, then they shouldn't be in that situation.
They should leave.
They should let somebody else do it.
A kitchen is where in a house or in a restaurant you prepare food.
Kitchens are often hot because, of course, you're cooking the food with heat, typically.
If you can't stand, if you can't put up with or tolerate the heat of a kitchen, then you shouldn't be in the kitchen.
This expression became famous in the United States in the mid-20th century because it was often used by President Harry Truman.
Truman was known to be a very practical, level-headed, somewhat tough politician.
It was his use of the expression that made it popular in 20th century American politics.
English.
And it's still used nowadays in precisely this situation.
Amanda is saying that if Evan isn't tough enough to handle the situation, then he shouldn't be involved in it.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Hey, why do you have the file for the Donovan account on your desk?
I thought that was Evan's account.
It is, but I'm about to snatch it from him.
He won't know what hit him.
You're stealing his account?
If you do that, you'd better watch your back.
You've got it all wrong.
This is payback.
Three months ago, when I was on the verge of getting the Morales account, Evan swooped in and snagged it.
He doesn't play fair, and now neither do I.
This sounds like the beginning of a feud.
Evan started it.
If he wants to play hardball, then what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
You're not worried that he'll up the ante and try to do something even more underhanded?
Evan doesn't scare me.
This could easily escalate.
Like I said, I'm not afraid of Evan.
This is business.
If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Thanks to our wonderful script writer, Dr. Lucy Say, for her wonderful scripts.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
Thank you.
