#01-027: Talking about the Boss - Part I

"Rich Uncle Pennybags" from the Monopoly game is probably a "zillionaire."
(Wikipedia)

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Note: The best way to learn slang is to see (or hear) it in use. In this lesson and the next, we'll listen in as a couple of friends talk about one of them's boss.

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Get Ready: Do you have a boss? What is he or she like? If you don't have a boss, describe your teacher, or your mother or father.

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Two Americans, Jeff and Brad, are talking about work.

Brad: So, what's your boss like?

Jeff: He's a complete wuss. But he's like a zillionaire, so nobody wants to bad mouth him.

Brad: Why do you say he's a wuss?

Jeff: Like, the other night we went out to some dive to get some eats. The place served us some kind of mystery meat. I wanted to complain, but he was totally psyched about it! It's like he lives in some la-la-land where life is beautiful all the time.

Brad: I think you should back off. Cut him some slack.

Jeff: What are you saying?

Brad: It's a no-brainer. I mean, it's a good job. Don't blow it.

The conversation will continue in the next lesson, #01-028.

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Practice: Here are some of the slang terms Jeff and Brad used in this part of the conversation. See if you can guess the meaning from the context before checking the paraphrased version below.

1. back off
2. bad mouth
3. blow it
4. cut him some slack
5. dive
6. eats
7. la la land
8. like
9. mystery meat
10. no-brainer
11. psyched
12. What are you saying?
13. wuss
14. zillionaire

1. food
2. an imaginary place
3. a weak person
4. make a big mistake
5. excited, extremely happy
6. say bad things (about someone)
7. something obvious; doesn't require a lot of thought
8. common filler word, like "um" or "uh"
9. a very rich person (based on an imaginary number)
10. "Why are you criticizing me?" or "How dare you!"
11. low-class bar or restaurant
12. don't be so aggressive
13. so badly prepared, you can't tell what kind it is
14. give him a break

Answers with explanations are in the first comment below.

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Here's a paraphrase of the conversation so far, in more standard English:

Brad: So, what's your boss like?

Jeff: He's a weak person. But he's very rich, so nobody wants to criticize him.

Brad: Why do you say he's a weak person?

Jeff: For example, the other night we went out to a cheap restaurant to get some food. The place served us some badly-prepared meat. I wanted to complain, but he was excited about it! It's like he lives in some imaginary place where life is beautiful all the time.

Brad: I think you should stop being so aggressive. Be more forgiving.

Jeff: Why are you defending my boss?

Brad: It's obvious. I mean, it's a good job. Don't do something to jeopardize it.

Don't forget to read the next lesson for the rest of the story.

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Submitted to the Shenzhen Daily for October 22, 2007

This lesson and Part II combined received 387 visits on my old site between December, 2011, and June, 2021.