ESL Podcast 200 - Meeting a Deadline
You wanted to see me? - short for "Did you want to see me?"; I'm here as you wanted or requested
You wanted to see me? I've been out to lunch for the past hour.
to pull out (all) the stops - to give something the most effort that you can; to try as hard as you can
The university research team pulled out all the stops to make the discovery before any other university.
deadline - the latest time or date that something should be completed
The deadline to submit your application is Friday at 5:00 p.m.
milestone - an important time, action, or event that marks a change in the development of something
Most people believe that the 10-year wedding anniversary is a milestone in a marriage.
scope - the boundaries or the outside limit of something
The wide scope of power he has in this company allows him to make decisions at all levels of management.
turned out to be - a phrase used when someone expect one thing but gets something else; to wonder about something that is mysterious or unclear and then to find out what it is
We thought that there was a dangerous animal trapped under the car, but it turned out to be a cat.
to anticipate - to expect; to predict; to think something is likely to happen
All of the employees in the company anticipated getting a large cash bonus at the end of the year.
to allocate - to give for a specific purpose
How can we finish building this park if the city government won't allocate enough money for the project?
resource - anything valuable or useful that someone can use to do something
This is a big job but I'm sure we have enough resources in this organization to get it done right.
to push back - to delay; to reschedule for a later time
She's too busy right now to take time off from work, so we decided to push back our vacation from August to September.
the time to ask (something) was... - a phrase used to mean that it is too late to ask for something now; you should have asked for it earlier
The time to ask for a day off this week was last week when I was making up the schedule.
to miss - to be too late
She got to the station 10 minutes too late and missed her train to Boston.
to breathe down (someone's) neck - to watch someone very closely, usually making the person being watched uncomfortable
Stop breathing down my neck! I'll finish cooking dinner faster if you stop bothering me.
to stall - to delay to give yourself more time
He didn't have enough money to pay his rent and tried to stall the landlord by telling her that he had already sent a check in the mail.
you have my word - I give you my promise
You have my word that I will be there at 10 a.m. to help you with the presentation.
to take the heat - to take the blame for something
Even though all four of the kids were responsible for breaking the window, Lionel took the heat.
to count on (someone) - to rely on someone; to be able to be certain that someone will do what they say they will do
He knew that he could count on Sarah to be on time for the meeting.
to let (someone) down - to disappoint someone
I'll give you another chance, but don't let me down this time.