ESL Podcast 340 - Office Competition
listen up - an informal phrase used to get people to pay attention and listen to what one has to say
Listen up! I'm going to explain the rules of the game.
competition - an event where people try to win by getting the best or highest score, usually in sports or school
Their choir is singing at a music competition this weekend.
rival - a person or team against whom one is competing; a person or team who wants to win the same honor or prize that one wants to win
Our rivals are very talented, but they don't have very much experience, so I think we can win.
to pull ahead - to begin to do better than another team or person in a competition
For the first mile of the race, Miguel was in fifth place, but in the second mile he pulled ahead of the other runners and now he is in the leading position!
to turn the tables - to reverse positions in a competition, so that the team or person that was losing becomes the team or person that is winning
It would really turn the tables if that team won the tournament because it hasn't won in more than 20 years!
to defeat - to beat; to win over another team or person in a competition or war
Our soccer team defeated the city's best team for the first time in 10 years.
tie - a moment when two teams or competitors have the same number of points, so that there is not a winner or loser
The first game ended in a tie, so they decided to play again.
neck and neck - in very close competition; with very similar scores in a competition
The two horses were neck and neck and no one knew which one would win the race.
crunch time - an important period of time immediately before a project has to be finished, when everyone needs to work very hard
The week before final exams is crunch time for all the university students.
to fall behind - to lose one's winning position; to allow another team or competitor to get a score that is higher than one's own
Claude was winning the bicycle race, but he fell behind when he had to stop to change his bicycle tire.
to top - to beat; to win over another team or competitor; to have a higher score than another team or competitor
Joel topped all the other students by getting perfect grades in all his classes.
to outdo (oneself) - to perform better than anyone else; to do better than anyone else; to work extremely hard, more than anyone expected
Grandma outdid herself by cooking a huge, delicious Thanksgiving dinner for everyone in the family.
to suffer a loss - to lose
The team practiced every day for hours, because the players were determined not to suffer another loss.
to put (one's) nose to the grindstone - to work very hard at something
The new lawyer is putting his nose to the grindstone, working more than 14 hours every day.
victory - win; success in a game or competition
The new president celebrated her election victory at a big party with family and friends.