Lesson 4 I Have a Bone to Pick with You!
Rob: It’s not just the shirt, Andrew. It’s that you lean on
everyone else and expect them to pick up your slack.
You don’t take responsibility—you’re always passing the buck.
Andrew: That’s insane. I needed a shirt for a new job. If I were
such a slacker I wouldn’t even have a job.
Rob: Okay, let’s talk about the job, then.
Andrew: What about it?
Rob: Well, I got you that job. I hooked you up with a great
job at a place where I’ve worked for three years.
Andrew: And I’ve thanked you for it like a thousand times.
Rob: Yeah, but what you do there reflects onme. If you
screw up it really gives me a bad name.
Andrew: How amI screwing up? I work my tail off there!
Rob: Sometimes, yeah, but you also sit around twiddling
your thumbs a lot, too.
Andrew: Oh, that’s bull.
Rob: No, it’s true. And you also seem to find a lot of time to
chat up the pretty girls who walk in instead of doing your job.
Andrew: I’m a salesman! I’m supposed to talk with the customers.
Rob: But it’s the same thing at home. You’re still living with
Mom and Dad, and you hardly ever lift a finger around
the house to help out. You’re 22 years old and your
room looks like a train wreck. You don’t even pitch in
with groceries . . .
Andrew: That’s not true at all! And how would you know?
You’re not even there.
Rob: I have eyes, Andrew. I can see. You still act like a child
sometimes.
Andrew: Oh, you need to get off your high horse, Rob. You’re the
one acting like a child. You’re still trying to show
everyone up, like little Mr. Perfect. You were a goodygoody
as a kid, and you haven’t changed since.
Rob: Hey,what do you know . . . ?
Andrew: What?
Rob: While we were at each other’s throats you somehow
managed to get us to Aunt Helen’s.
Andrew: Don’t we get off here, at this exit?
Rob: Beatsme . . . You said you had the directions covered.
Andrew: Yeah, but I’malso driving right now. Just look in the
glove compartment. I think I put them in there.
Rob: They’re not here.
Andrew: They should be . . . Let me see . . . Ohman, I took them
out to double-check something and forgot to put
them back in. It must have slippedmy mind . . .
Rob: So we’re lost? That’s great.
Andrew: It’s no big deal.We can call or ask someone for directions.
Rob: This is typical.Why did you say you’d handle the
directions if you weren’t going to handle them?
Andrew: Look who’s talking! The only reason I said I’d handle
them is because I knew you couldn’t be counted on.
Rob: Me? You’ve got to be kidding. You’re the one who
doesn’t give a damn about anyone around you.
Andrew: All right, let’s not fly off the handle here.We just need
to get directions. There’s no reason to make a
mountain out of a molehill.What’s the deal?
(Silence.)
Andrew: C’mon. If you have a bone to pick with me, don’t beat
around the bush . . . Let’s get it out in the open before
we get to Aunt Helen’s place.
Rob: All right, fine. I think you’ve become a bit of a slacker
lately.
Andrew: You think I’ma slacker? That’s a bit harsh.Why would
you say something like that? What’s eating you?
Rob: Well, for instance, last week you needed to borrow one
of my shirts for work because you didn’t bother to
plan ahead and buy one yourself.
Andrew: It’s just a shirt! Are you really that bent out of shape
over my borrowing a shirt? You need to lighten up a bit, Rob.
Andrew: Oh, yeah. That’s her house there. Pretty good for such
a slacker.
Rob: Just park the car and give it a rest for now.
Andrew: Gladly. Just don’t criticize my parking job.
Rob: Ugh. The ride home is going to be long . . .
1. Beatsme. I don’t know. I have no idea.
2. To have something covered. To be responsible for something, to
handle something.
3. To slip someone’smind. To be forgotten by someone.
4. Look who’s talking! An expression of disbelief or ironymeaning
that someone is guilty of something he or she is blaming
someone else for.
5. To not give a damn. To not care.Note that some people consider
the word “damn” to be harsh and impolite, so an alternate
expression is to not give a darn.
6. To fly off the handle. To become extremely agitated, excited, or
angry. To react too strongly to a situation.
7. Tomake amountain out of amolehill. To exaggerate a situation,
to turn a relativelyminor situation into somethingmuch bigger
ormore important than it should be.
8. To have a bone to pick with someone. To have a problemor
complaint about someone.
9. To get something out in the open. To air a complaint or a
grievance, to discuss something openly.
10. Slacker. A lazy or irresponsible person. This expression is related
to the verb “to slack off.”
11. To be eating someone. To bother, aggravate, or frustrate
someone over a period of time.
12. Bent out of shape. Annoyed or bothered by something. Upset.
Note that this expression suggests that the reason behind the
emotion is insignificant or not worth being upset about.
13. To lighten up. To take amore casual or relaxed attitude. To not
be overly upset or angry about something.
14. To lean on. To rely or count on, to be dependent on someone else
instead of being self-sufficient.
15. To pick up someone’s slack. To compensate for someone else’s
shortcomings
16. To pass the buck. To put the blame or responsibility on someone
else.
17. To hook someone up with something. To arrange for someone
to have something. To help someone obtain something or to
give someone something.
18. To screw up. Tomakemistakes, to performpoorly.
19. To give someone a bad name. To give someone a bad
reputation.
20. To work your tail off. To work very hard. To put forth great effort.
21. To twiddle your thumbs. To do nothing. Literally, to have your
hands clasped and tomove your thumbs in circles around each
other.
22. Bull.Nonsense. Something untrue or unbelievable. Note that
this is a shortened,more polite formof an expression
containing a four-letter word. “Bull” on its own is not considered
vulgar, though.
23. To chat someone up. To talk to someone, to show interest in
someone bymaking conversation.
24. To lift a finger. To offer help. To put forth effort to do some sort
of physical work.
25. To look like a train wreck. To be verymessy or in terrible
condition. To appear as if destroyed in some kind of accident.
26. To pitch in. To assist, to share in a responsibility, such as
housework or bill paying.
27. To get off your high horse. To stop acting superior or selfrighteous.
28. To show someone up. To try to appear better ormore competent
than other people.
29. Goody-goody. An unflattering name for someone who behaves
very well, is very responsible, and never gets into any kind of
trouble. An expression that suggests that someone is afraid to
do anything wrong.
30. To be at someone’s throat. To be fighting with someone. To be
aggressively attacking someone.
31. To give something a rest. To stop doing something, to pause or
take a break fromsome kind of activity.
[ 此贴被lzlmhc在2010-05-12 06:38重新编辑 ]
many
thank you very much
