ESL Podcast 740 - Corporate Gift-Giving
to be stuck with - to have to do something that one does not want to do, especially when it was assigned by someone else
Why am I stuck with cleaning up after the dog every day? Wouldn't it be more fair if we took turns?
corporate - related to a company, especially a large business
We have offices all over the country, but our corporate headquarters are in Miami.
junior - younger and with less experience than other people
Clarke is one of our most promising junior sales reps, so he's being considered for a promotion at the end of the year.
to know the drill - to understand how and why things are done a certain way; to be familiar with something
After a few months on the job, Beatriz feels like she knows the drill enough to begin training other employees.
food basket - a large, pretty container filled with beautifully packaged foods, given as a gift, especially for new clients or on a holiday
Whenever Janice sells a home, she gives the new owners a food basket with a bottle of wine and local jams.
to bid on - to submit a proposal stating how one will finish a project, how long it will take, and how much it will cost, so that the proposal can be compared against other proposals and one will be selected for the project
How many construction companies are bidding on the bridge project?
contract - a written legal agreement signed by two or more people or companies
During the job negotiations, we agreed on three weeks of vacation, but the contract says there are only two weeks of vacation. What happened?
misconstrued - misinterpreted and misunderstood; thought to mean something other than what was actually meant
She misconstrued his kindness as an interest in her romantically.
bribe - money or a gift given to someone to change his or her behavior or to influence his or her decision in an unfair way
The police officer lost his job as punishment for taking bribes from criminals.
impropriety - behavior that is inappropriate or wrong; behavior that breaks the rules of how one is supposed to act
When Angela hired her sister, even though she was unqualified for the job, it was clearly an impropriety.
charitable donation - money or goods that are given to an organization so that it can continue to do good work
Last year, they made charitable donations to their church, a food bank, and the local university.
perishable - referring to food that spoils in a short period of time, especially if it is not refrigerated
Normally, milk is perishable, but now we can buy small servings in special boxes that don't need to be refrigerated.
handwritten - written down with a pen or pencil on paper, not typed or printed
My wife believes that a handwritten thank you note is much more meaningful than an email.
logo - a symbol or image that represents a company or organization
Kristin never wears shirts with company logos, because she doesn't want to be a walking advertisement.
gift certificate - a piece of paper that allows a person to spend a certain amount of money in a particular store or business, often given as a gift
Grandma doesn't want to spend a lot of money to send gifts across the country, so from now on, she's only going to send gift certificates to her grandchildren.
to stick to - to continue to do, use, or have something; to continue to rely on something; to not change what one has been doing
No matter what happens, stick to the original plan and don't get distracted!
powers that be - decision-makers; the people who have power and are in control in an organization; managers and executives
The powers that be have decided to let everyone work four-hour days, because they think it will reduce expenses.
permanently - forever; without end; not temporarily
Why would you get a tattoo when you know the design will be on your body permanently and you'll never be able to change it?