ESL Podcast 908 - Being Territorial at Work
to run (some/the) numbers - to perform mathematical calculations; to analyze data
Don't you think we should run the numbers again before we make such a big investment?
turf - territory; an area that one feels possessive of or believes that one should have control over
Hey, the northern part of the city is my turf, so don't try to make any sales there.
go-to person - a person one relies on to get a certain task done; the person whom others should contact with requests for information or updates
Jerry is our go-to person for maintaining the client relationship, but any questions about the contract should be directed to our legal department.
to step on (someone's) toes - to interfere with someone else's business or area of responsibility; to become too involved in someone else's work when that person wants to keep control of it
This is your wedding and I don't want to step on your toes, but don't you think you're ordering too many flowers?
to not take kindly to - to dislike and resent something; to not like or to feel uncomfortable with something; to dislike and have bad feelings about something
Considering how many accidents you've had in the past three months, she won't take kindly to your request to borrow her car.
to encroach - to intrude on; to use something or to become involved in something that belongs to another person
Have you noticed how the neighbor's garden is encroaching on our property?
territorial - feeling strongly about a particular area of land and wanting to defend it as one's own and not let anyone else use it or be on it
Be careful, Heidi's dog is really territorial and it will bark and bite if you step into their yard.
right this minute - right away; immediately; without any delay
I'm on a deadline and can't help you right this minute, but come back after 2:30 and I'll see what I can do.
to gain control - to begin to have power over someone or something, usually by taking that power away from another person
What is the government trying to do, gain control of private banks?
fiefdom - an area of land belonging to someone with a lot of power, traditionally referring to feudalism (the practice of receiving land and protection from a wealthy person in exchange for one's labor and/or fighting services)
When Danica sold her business and was no longer the CEO, it was hard for her to get used to the idea of not having her fiefdom anymore.
entrenched - unlikely to change; clearly established in a certain way
It's very difficult to change deeply entrenched beliefs.
to muscle in - to invade someone's area, space, or limits of responsibilities, especially while using physical force
When the bouncer at the dance club told them they weren't on the guest list, they tried to muscle in.
motive - one's motivation or reason for doing something
Everybody knows Liliana tried to cover up what happened, but what was her motive for causing so much trouble for so many people?
to cover (one's) tracks - to try to remove evidence so that others cannot determine what happened or what one has done
Shane tried to cover his tracks and put everything back on the desk exactly where it was before, but his teacher was still able to tell that someone had been going through her desk drawers.
turf war - a fight for territory; a struggle to get control of an area that one feels possessive of or believes that one should have control over
In the first few years of marriage, Yuki and Jun fought about household chores so much that it felts like a turf war.