ESL 256: Looking for ideas

Dialogue:
Sam: What’s the matter?
Ling: I’m trying to jot down some ideas for the meeting tomorrow but I’m drawing a blank.
Sam: When I’ve got a block, I usually step away from it for a while and come back to it later. Then I can look at it with a fresh perspective.
Ling: I don’t have time to take a break. I need to come up with something quick or I’ll have to go into that meeting empty-handed. I can’t let Danielle show me up again. At the last meeting, all of the department heads loved her ideas and they’re starting to think she walks on water.
Sam: Well, I don’t think it helps to sit around worrying about it. Nothing will come to you if you work yourself up too much.
Ling: You’re right. I’m too wound up to think straight. It’s like my brain is in a fog.
Sam: Come on. We’ll go take a quick walk. I’m sure that’ll do the trick. If it doesn’t, I’ll help you work on your resume
Ling: Gee, thanks. I’ve known all along that you’re after my job.
Sam: Me? After your job? I wouldn’t touch your job with a 10-foot pole. I couldn’t take the pressure. I prefer being a lowly employee and giving you a hard time everyday.
Ling: Thanks a lot. Between you and Danielle, my days here are numbered.
Sam: Come on. Let’s go before you get even more depressed!

Sentences:

What’s the matter?

I’m trying to jot down some ideas for the meeting tomorrow but I’m drawing a blank.

• to jot down something: means to write something down quickly. usually it’s a note, a small message to yourself or to someone else. Someone may call you or give you their telephone number, you would jot it down, you would write it down quickly as they were telling you.

• to draw a blank : means not to be able to think of a good idea or an answer to something.

When I’ve got a block, I usually step away from it for a while and come back to it later. Then I can look at it with a fresh perspective.

• to have a block: means you are unable to think of something.
• to step away from something: means to stop what you’re doing and to work on something else for a short period of time and then go back again and work on it.
• a fresh perspective: a new or creative way to look at something. you can say fresh vegetables means the vegetables are not old.

I don’t have time to take a break. I need to come up with something quick or I’ll have to go into that meeting empty-handed. I can’t let Danielle show me up again. At the last meeting, all of the department heads loved her ideas and they’re starting to think she walks on water.

• empty-handed: means unprepared, without having anything. You may go to someone’s party and your friend says to you: “Don’t go empty-handed”, meaning you should bring something for other people to eat or drink at the party.

• to show someone up: means to do something better than someone else. It usually means to make the other person look bad by doing something better than them. It’s typically a negative thing to say about a person.

• the department heads: the bosses, the leaders of the department

• to walk on water: means to be perfect, to be very good, to do everything perfectly, to do something that is a miracle (something that is extradinary)

Well, I don’t think it helps to sit around worrying about it. Nothing will come to you if you work yourself up too much.

• Nothing will come to you…: means you won’t think of anything

• to work yourself up: to become very worried or anxious about something, to think about something so much that you become very nervous about it.

You’re right. I’m too wound up to think straight. It’s like my brain is in a fog.

• to be wound up: means to be nervous, to be anxious, to be stressed out, to be very stressed about something.

• to be in a fog: to be confused, to be unclear, you can’t think straight, you can’t see the problem correctly.

Come on, we’ll go take a quick walk. I’m sure that will do the trick. If it doesn’t, I’ll help you to work on your resume.

• to do the trick: to do something that is supposed to do, to work to be successful.

• resume: is a list of your experience that you use for a interview when you need to get a new job.

Gee, thanks. I’ve known all along that you’re after my job.

• has know all along: means she has known for a long time

• after someone’s job: means to want someone else’s job, to try to get another person’s job.

Me? After your job? I wouldn’t touch your job with a 10-foot pole. I couldn’t take the pressure. I prefer being a lowly employee and giving you a hard time everyday.

• I wouldn’t touch ….. with a 10-foot pole.: means I don’t want to be involved at all. I don’t want anything to do that. I don’t want to be close to this thing.

• pressure: means the very stressful feeling of having to do something. you’re anxious or nervous because you have to do all these work.
• to be under pressure.

• lowly: means not very important, not in a high position

• to give someone a hard time: means to make jokes about someone, to make things difficult for someone by making fun of them, by telling jokes about them.

Thanks a lot. Between you and Danielle, my days here are numbered.

• to have one’s days numbered: means you will not be here very long that you’re going to lose your job soon.

Come on. Let’s go before you get even more depressed.