Well, that was an entertaining day of football!
Mostly pleasant surprises overall. Except for Australia with that red card, but even they impressed by rallying well and not 'falling to pieces' like some other teams that went down to ten men. Great job on the tie.
We were expecting Cameroon to at least get another goal to draw with Denmark, but somehow they didn't find a way. We're sorry to see them go. But then, not everyone can continue on in the World Cup. We have made another step to finding the winners.
Who will be next to leave and who will be next to qualify for the next round?
Today, we found some expressions that can all be used at the workplace. Every word was stated by CBC football announcers during the Netherlands vs. Japan game.
1) "That's more like it." - This expression equates to "I'm impressed." or "Good improvement." and can be used everywhere including in business. You use these types of words as praise to someone who has completed a task that they could not before or someone who has made a stronger effort and found that their success is due to their hard work. In this case, the announcer was congratulating a player for kicking the ball with better precision towards the goal. You can use this expression when talking about your computer after the IT (information technology) team member has finished 'fixing' your machine. Now instead of beeping and showing an error message, you are able to continue through to the next screen so you say, "That's more like it." when referring to this positive result.
2) "makeshift defender" - "Improvised" or "temporary" are words that define "makeshift". It is a common term used in every type of setting. When the boss is away and a decision needs to be made in his/her absence, then the department head of sales may become the "makeshift" boss. Often this term is used when you don't have a correct tool to complete a job so you find some way to finish the job using a replacement tool. For example, you might find that the screen in the meeting room has been damaged and is not useable only at the moment in the meeting that you need to make your presentation. Do you cancel the meeting in the middle? No. You might lose the sale or promotion. So you rush to find a whiteboard on wheels that will serve as your screen for this meeting. The whiteboard is your "makeshift" screen.
3) They could have "put this game to bed". - To "put something to bed" or "to put something to rest" is to finish it. Maybe you are a salesperson that has been trying to get a new contract with another company. You might say to your contact person, "Let's sign these forms so we can put this paperwork to bed.". If you are the head of a department you might say to your team, "What can we do to put this project to rest?" to generate a plan to get the project finished. Usually you are talking about something that has taken alot of effort and/or time to try to complete. You wouldn't talk about "putting a project to bed" the same day you started it.
A similar sounding expression to "put something to rest" is to "give it a rest" but this one is commonly used to ask someone to stop talking about about a subject. These are not interchangeable. You might say to your teenager that has been complaining all afternoon about having to go on a family outing to "give it a rest already" so they will stop complaining. You would never ask your boss if he or she would "give it a rest" when talking about the appearance of your desk for the fifth time. This is definitely rude and implies you don't want to tolerate more of this type of discussion. Not something you would tell someone who has a position above you.
4) Netherlands haven't "slipped up" like other teams. - To "slip up" is to make a mistake. Not that I have ever made a mistake myself, but I have worked with some people who have. This is a very common phrasal verb you can use for any kind of mistake made by anyone. I still would not suggest saying it to the boss because you don't usually tell the boss that he/she made a mistake or "slipped up" during that meeting with our biggest client. Unless you want the boss to be angry with you.
A similar expression is "slip of the tongue". This is used to describe a mistake that has been made when speaking. Sometimes you use a word you are not supposed to with a specific type of person because it is offensive to them. For example, you are speaking with your boss and you say "like when you were my age" when describing your position at the company. To help stabilize what is now an unhappy relationship with your boss you very quickly say, "Sorry, that was a slip of the tongue. I meant to say like when you were at my stage in the company." Because "age" and "stage" rhyme you can plausibly suggest you made a small mistake is word choice and therefore change what was offensive to something that sounds more flattering.
We are ready to enjoy Matchday #10. Are you?
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