ESL Podcast 516 - Naming and Appointing Officials
appointed - named or chosen for a particular position by someone with a higher position and/or political power
U.S. Supreme Court judges are appointed by the President, not elected by voters.
to succeed - to follow; to work in a particular position after someone else has done it
Raymond has been the chairman for more than 15 years, and nobody knows who will succeed him when he finally retires.
to fill - to be in a particular position; to occupy a position or job; to have a particular position
They're looking for someone to fill this sales position for two weeks, but they can't find anyone suitable.
candidate - a person who is being considered for a particular position; someone who may be hired or chosen for a particular job
They received 75 applications for the job, but chose to interview only three candidates.
higher-up - someone who works in management; a decision-maker with a lot of power in an organization
The CEO and the other higher-ups are having a meeting at 3:00 today to discuss the company's new strategy.
to vet - to review someone or something in detail, especially to make sure that a person really has the qualifications for a particular position and no harmful secrets
The Human Resources Manager vets each candidate, calling their past employers and reviewing their applications carefully.
skeleton in (one's) closet - a secret about something that one has done in the past and does not want other people to know about
Elba has a lot of skeletons in her closet, because she did a lot of unwise things when she was younger.
at liberty - free to do something; able to do something; with permission to do something
I'm not at liberty to speak with reporters, but you can contact our Communications Director.
inner circle - a small group of people who have the same information and are working together for some purpose
He's worked in that company for more than 20 years, but he still isn't part of the inner circle.
buddy-buddy - with a close, personal, friendly, and familiar relationship
When did you become so buddy-buddy with the boss?
under consideration - being considered; a possibility
We want to buy a house, and so far, we've found three that are under consideration.
that's huge - an informal phrase meaning that something is very important or has a lot of potential to be influential
Did you hear that James asked Karina out on a date? That's huge! He hasn't dated anyone since his last girlfriend broke up with him nearly three years ago.
interim - temporary; being used or serving in a particular position for a short period of time, only until something or someone permanent can be found
Would you be willing to serve as the interim .vice-president until we can hire someone for the job?
inside track - an advantage for getting a job, usually because one has a personal relationship with the people who will make a hiring decision
I applied for the job, but everyone knows the boss's daughter has the inside track.
under wraps - secret; not being shared with other people; confidential
The committee members have already made their decision, but they're keeping it under wraps until next week.
to let (something) slip - to accidentally share a secret; to say something that one shouldn't have said because the information shouldn't be shared
I accidentally let it slip that we were planning a surprise birthday party for Aunt Melina. (one's) lips are sealed - a phrase meaning that one will not repeat what one has heard and that the other person should feel safe and confident about having shared a secret with oneself
At the end of our conversation, Beverly promised her lips were sealed, but then she went and told everyone my secret. I'm so mad at her!
loose lips sink ships - a phrase meaning that talking too much and sharing secret information might have bad consequences, hurting people, organizations, or projects
During World War I, sailors sometimes shared too much information with people about where their ships were going and what they were doing, and that information was used to bomb those boats. Soon sailors began warning each other to be quiet by saying, "loose lips sink ships."