ESL Podcast 548 - Working for an Impossible Boss

to mill around - to hang around; to loiter, to be in an area without really doing anything productive or having a purpose

Stop milling around and do something useful! You can start by helping me move these boxes.

in charge - with responsibility for something; with power over a project or over other people, especially with the authority to tell other people what to do

Isaac has asked Renee to be in charge of the department while he's on vacation next month.

incompetent - incapable; unable to do something, often because one doesn't have enough intelligence or experience

Meghan is the most incompetent secretary we've ever had in this company. She doesn't even know how to type or answer the phone!

verbal abuse - a way of treating others very badly through what one says, usually by saying very negative, angry things in a loud voice

The last employee quit because of Uriah's verbal abuse, so he's trying to change the way he works with other people before he hires anyone else.

management style - the way that a person works with other people in an organization, especially with the people who report to him or her

All the team members are really pleased with the new boss's management style.

can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen - a phrase meaning that if one cannot handle the pressure and stress of a difficult situation, one should remove oneself from that situation, often by giving up

Wall Street is a high-pressure environment. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen and go get an easier job that isn't related to finance.

constructive criticism - advice about how another person can improve something, presented in a way that helps the other person

The professor gave his student a lot of great constructive criticism before the interview, advising him on what he should and shouldn't say.

inappropriate - not suitable; something that should not be done or said because it is rude or doesn't belong in a particular environment or situation

It's inappropriate to wear shorts and T-shirts at the office.

to hold (one's) tongue - to choose not to say something even though one wants to; to stay quiet even when one would like to say something

It's really difficult for Ward to hold his tongue when he hears his grandfather talking about politics, but he doesn't want to offend him by sharing his opinions.

tipsy - a little bit drunk; slightly under the influence of alcohol; acting a little bit silly or stupid because one has drunken alcohol

After one drink, Makiko was tipsy, laughing and dancing. After two drinks, she was drunk and almost couldn't walk.

three-martini lunch - a long lunch where business executives or managers spend time together, slowly eating and having more than one alcoholic drink, used to show that those people don't have other, more important things to do in their work

I hate the way our boss always goes out for three-martini lunches, leaving us here to do all the hard work.

to go off on (someone) - to lose one's temper and patience, criticizing and shouting at another person, especially if one is really angry about something else

Jake was in a really bad mood today, going off on his employees even though they hadn't done anything wrong.

to undermine (one's) authority - to decrease the amount of power that someone has; to weaken one's ability to be respected and tell other people what to do; to decrease another person's level of control over a group of people or a situation

I'm really mad at you for undermining my authority by telling all my employees that I'm on medication and can't be trusted to make good decisions. That was private information!

with all due respect - a polite phrase used when one disagrees with another person and wants to share one's own opinion without making the other person angry

I hear what you're saying, but with all due respect, I have to disagree.

how dare you - a phrase used when one is very shocked and angered by what another person has done or said

How dare you spend all our money on a new boat? You knew we were saving that money for our daughter's college education.

you don't know who you're dealing with - a phrase used when one is very angry and wants to emphasize that one is too powerful and important to be treated in a particular way

You don't know who you're dealing with! With just one phone call, I can make your life miserable, so you better apologize for what you just said.

ex - former; used to describe the relationship that once existed between two people, so that, for example, an ex-husband is a man who used to be one's husband

Are you friends with any of your ex-girlfriends?