O podcast de hoje como dizer em inglês “Ele começou a mil por hora” e outras expressões.

Transcrição

Hi, how’s it going? This is Ana Luiza with a new episode of the inglesonline podcast. To download or just listen to other episodes and download transcripts, go to inglesonline.com.br and click Podcast Inglesonline.

Today I was inspired by a sketch I watched on Saturday Night Live the other day. Saturday Night Live is a long-running sketch comedy show that has been on TV for several years. Sketch comedy show is… well, Casseta e Planeta is a sketch comedy show, TV Pirata was a sketch comedy show. I think some sketches are funny and some aren’t, but overall I like Saturday Night Live. OK, so from now on, I’m gonna say only SNL, OK? SNL stands for Saturday Night Live.

So the other day I saw an old SNL sketch where one of the actors played George W. Bush, back when he was President of the US, and a journalist asked President Bush what his plans were for Iraq. Bush basically said that he didn’t know, but was considering the possibility of restoring Saddam Hussein into power. And remember, this is a comedy show and this sketch is old! So Bush said he was considering putting Saddam Hussein in charge again. After all, he said, Saddam is experienced and he would hit the ground running.

Listen again: Saddam is an experienced guy, and he would hit the ground running. Hit the ground running… what does that mean? When someone hits the ground running, let’s say, on their first day at a new job, it means this person is ready! For example, let’s say today is Jack’s first day on his new job as a sales director for an insurance company. Jack is a very experienced manager and he’s worked in the insurance industry for two decades. So he doesn’t need any training because he knows everything there is to know about the business. He knows the ins and outs of this job. He knows the ropes. Again: he knows the ins and outs of this job. He knows the ropes. That means he knows what the job is, he knows what he has to do, he knows how it works, he knows the details, the secrets, the mechanics of the job.

So what happened to Jack on his first day at the new job? He hit the ground running. He got there at 8 o’clock, called a meeting with all his new employees and one hour later he was on the phone talking to some big clients. After that he had a private meeting with each and every one of his employees where they discussed what was being done and how they could improve their work. Jack definitely hit the ground running, right? He hit the ground running.

Jack knows the ropes. He didn’t need anyone to show him the ropes. When someone starts a new job, usually they need a more experienced person to show them the ropes. This is a very common expression. Every time you start in a new position, even if it’s a volunteer position, it’s great when there’s someone to show you the ropes. You know, every office, every organization has their own way of doing things. You have to know where they keep important documents, how to use the software system, how to use the company intranet… the ropes.

So if you get hired by a company where everyone speaks English, someone may tell you on your first day: Hi, I’d like to introduce you to Silvia. She’s gonna be your mentor in your first two moths. She’s very experienced and she’s been with us for eight years. She will show you the ropes.

So what are your examples? When you started in your current job… Who showed you the ropes? Do you know all the ins and outs of your activity? Are you an expert? Let us know in the comments. Talk

to you next time!

 

Key expressions

* hit the ground running

* ins and outs

* the ropes

 

Glossary