ESL Podcast 560 - Learning Work Rules and Routines

to give (someone) the rundown - to present basic information about something to another person; to give someone an overview of something

There was a lot to learn very quickly, but the boss did a good job of giving us the rundown before the client came to the meeting.

well-oiled machine - a team or company that works very well and efficiently, without making mistakes or wasting time or money

When Ivan bought the company, it was almost bankrupt, but he turned it into a well-oiled machine within a few months.

to pull (one's) weight - to do one's fair share of the work; to do what one is supposed to do as part of a team or group

Meg was fired for not pulling her weight and for expecting her team members to do most of her work for her.

to run smoothly - to operate or function without any problems, as something should

Our software is guaranteed to run smoothly, or we'll give you your money back.

to get up to speed - to learn all that needs to be learned, especially when one is a new employee and needs to learn everything that the other employees already know

In general, it takes our new employees about seven weeks to get up to speed and feel comfortable in their job.

to know the drill - to know what will happen and what one should do; to know what to expect and what is expected of oneself

Remember, we all talked about what each one of us will, so you all know the drill.

to fall in line - to do what is expected or to do what one has been asked to do without making any mistakes and without complaining

Blake used to argue with his team leader all the time, but he has finally learned to fall in line and do what is asked of him.

routine - something that is done the same way each time; the unchanging order in which things are done

Don't you get tired of following the same routine at work each day? I prefer a job where there's always something new and different to do.

on the nose - exactly; precisely

Jim tried to guess my age and his first guess was on the nose.

leeway - freedom to break the rules; freedom to do something the way one wants to do it, without too many rules or restrictions

The sales representatives are expected to meet their sales goals each month, but they have a lot of leeway in deciding how they meet those goals.

whatsoever - not at all; not of any kind or type; used to give emphasis to a negative (not) sentence

She has had no luck whatsoever in getting her novel published.

habitually - regularly; normally; with something happening often or almost always

He habitually wears sunglasses, even when it's dark outside.

run-of-the-mill - ordinary; just like other things of the same type; not unusual or interesting

Last weekend, we saw a run-of-the-mill movie. It was alright, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

tried and true - something that has been tested and shown to work well

Pasindu has a tried-and-true system for storing information, so he doesn't plan to change it.

lockstep - doing things in the same way at the same time as other people, without making any changes

The government plans to mandate that all first-grade teachers teach in lockstep, without making any changes to the curriculum.

to let (oneself) in for - to put oneself in a difficult or dangerous situation

Doctors who specialize in emergency medicine are letting themselves in for a very stressful career.

drill sergeant - a person who works in the military and whose job is to tell new soldiers what to do, often by shouting orders

The drill sergeant shouted at Ahmed for wearing dirty boots.