ESL Podcast 296 - Bad Manners at a Business Lunch

client - customer; a person who buys products or services from a company

This bank has more than 3,000 clients in this city.

manners - the way that one behaves around other people, either politely or rudely; the way one does things around other people

Theresa has good manners because she always says "please" and "thank you."

unprofessional - not professional; not appropriate for the work environment

Most people would consider it unprofessional for employees of one company to ask employees of another company how much money they make.

rough around the edges - not polished; not refined; having the ability to do something well, but not yet doing it well

Kyle is a good piano player, but he is still rough around the edges, and he needs a great teacher to help him get better.

previous - prior; earlier; the one before this one

I like my new job a lot. My previous job paid less and I didn't like the work.

to air (someone's) dirty laundry - to tell someone's bad secrets to another person; to share secret information about something bad that shouldn't be shared

Walter was airing his kids' dirty laundry during the party by telling everyone about the problems they were having in school.

blunder - a mistake; an error; something that was done incorrectly

Alberto made a blunder by accidentally telling Jackie about the surprise birthday party everyone was planning for her.

clueless - not knowing what is happening; unaware; not able to understand something

Ang is so clueless about money and finances that his parents still help him manage his bank account, even though he's 30 years old.

distracted - not paying attention to something because one is thinking about something else

Yanna has been very distracted at work because she has been thinking about her mother's illness.

excuse - a reason for having done or not having done something; something used to explain why something happened or didn't happen

Many children say, "The dog ate my homework!" as an excuse for not having finished their homework.

kicker - the most important, shocking, or surprising thing

Ulysses' boss was angry about the project and yelled at him, but the kicker was when his boss actually threw the papers across the room at him.

to pick up the tab - to pay for a group meal; to pay for the food and drinks of everyone who is at the table

At dinner last night, Ulma picked up the tab to thank us for helping her find a new apartment.

mortified - very embarrassed; very ashamed

Emma was mortified when her boyfriend drank too much and started singing and dancing at the party.

to see red - to be very angry; to be very mad

Josea was seeing red when he realized that someone had stolen his wallet.

a little while - a short period of time; soon

We were full after eating a big dinner, so we decided to wait a little while before eating dessert.