2010年ESL之日常生活 17 Being Pestered on the Phone

 

17 Being Pestered on the Phone

GLOSSARY

to ring off the hook – for a phone to ring many times in a short period of time,because one is receiving many phone calls

* Ever since our ad appeared on TV, our company’s phones have been ringingoff the hook!

What’s the deal? – What’s happening? A phrase used when one wants toreceive an explanation for something strange or unusual that is happening

* Last week, you said you had the best job in the world, but today you want toquit. What’s the deal?

to go out with (someone) – to date someone; to pursue a romantic relationshipwith someone

* How long have you been going out with Magda?

to let (someone) down easy – to end a relationship or reject or disappointsomeone gently, while trying not to hurt his or her feelings

* When Jack broke up with his girlfriend, he tried to let her down easy, but shescreamed and cried anyway.

to take the hint – to understand what someone is trying to say subtly andindirectly; to understand what is meant, even if nothing is said directly and clearly

* I thought the salesperson would take the hint and leave me alone if I said I was“just looking,” but he kept trying to pressure me to buy the car.

to screen calls – to accept telephone calls only from certain people, refusing totalk to others

* I wish someone could screen calls for us so that we never have to talk to the billcollectors.

to take the direct approach – to be very direct; to say exactly what one meansin a very clear way

* Eddy decided to take the direct approach when asking his boss for a raise.

to figure – to think that something is true; to believe a certain thing; to have acertain opinion

* I figure becoming a doctor is a good career choice, because no matter how badthe economy is, people will always need medical care.

to take (someone’s) calls – to receive telephone calls from another person; tospeak with someone who is calling oneself on the phone

* Do you think Chuck has stopped taking my calls, or is he just out of town?

to get the message – to understand what another person is trying to say,especially if that message is not expressed very clearly

* Virginia hasn’t seen, emailed, or spoken to anyone in her family for more thanthree years, but her relatives still haven’t gotten the message and they keeptrying to contact her.

voicemail – an electronic system that records audio messages from people whocall when one is not available to speak with them over the phone

* You have two voicemail messages: one from the doctor’s office and one fromyour mother.

caller ID – caller identification; a small box or a telephone feature that allows oneto see the telephone number and/or name of the person who is calling beforeone picks up the phone

* Mena always looks at the caller ID before answering a phone call.

sooner or later – sometime; at an unspecified time in the future* Sooner or later, we’re going to suffer the consequences of eating so muchunhealthy food.

to take the phone off the hook – to remove the headset (the part of the phonethat one puts next to one’s ear and mouth) from the base of the phone, so thatanyone who calls receives a busy signal and mistakenly believes that one istalking to someone else

* They always take the phone off the hook at dinnertime so that their family caneat together without interruptions.

on (one’s) doorstep – at one’s front door; visiting one’s home

* When the doorbell rang, she was really surprised to see her childhood friendstanding on her doorstep.

to pester – to bother or annoy; to do things that make another person feelfrustrated, annoyed, upset, or angry

* Excuse me, miss, is this man pestering you?

Timbuktu – a very faraway place that is difficult to reach or find, often mentionedwhen one wants to go where one cannot be found by other people

* I’ve never heard of the town they moved to. Why did they move to Timbuktu?

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What does Gisele mean when she suggests that Nobu “take the directapproach”?

a) He should change his telephone number.

b) He should tell Jeanine that he wants to end the relationship.

c) He should continue to date Jeanine.

2. What does it mean to “take the phone off the hook”?

a) To cancel one’s telephone service.

b) To change all the numbers in caller ID.

c) To make it so the phone does not ring.

______________

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

off the hookThe phrase “to ring off the hook,” in this podcast, means for a phone to ring manytimes in a short period of time, because one is receiving many phone calls: “Ourphone has been ringing off the hook with reporters asking for interviews with theboss.” The phrase “to take the phone off the hook” means to remove theheadset (the part of the phone that one puts next to one’s ear and mouth) fromthe base of the phone, so that a phone cannot ring anymore: “Some parents taketheir phone off the hook at night so that it doesn’t wake up their children.” Thephrase “to let (someone) off the hook” means to let someone get out of a difficultsituation and avoid punishment or negative consequences: “Why did the teacherdecide to let you off the hook after you misbehaved in class?”

to take (one’s) callsIn this podcast, the phrase “to take” means to receive telephone calls fromanother person: “Camilo got really angry at his sister and refused to take hercalls all week.” The phrase “to be on call” means for a person to be available towork when needed, even though it is outside of his or her regular work schedule:

“How often are emergency-room doctors on call?” The phrase “there is no call for (something)” means that something is unnecessary and inappropriate:

“There’s no call for bad language! Please watch what you say in front of thechildren.” Finally, the phrase “the call of nature” refers to the need to go to thebathroom: “Do you know where the nearest bathroom is? I need to answer thecall of nature.”

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CULTURE NOTE

Telephone companies now offer many “optional” (can be chosen or rejected)“features” (special characteristics or services) beyond basic calling. Asdiscussed in this episode, people can add voicemail and caller ID to their “phoneline” (the calling services for a particular telephone number), sometimes for asmall additional monthly “fee” (money paid for a particular purpose).

Many people like to have “call-waiting.” Normally, if Person A calls Person Bwhile Person B is already talking to Person C, Person A will hear a “busy signal,”

or an electronic noise that “indicates” (shows) that Person B is not available.

However, with “call-waiting,” Person B will hear a “beep” (electronic noise) or aclicking sound when Person A calls. Person B can then choose to put Person C“on hold” (waiting for a short period of time) while Person B speaks with PersonA.

Continuing our example, if Person B wants to talk with Person A and Person C atthe same time, Person B could use the “three-way calling feature,” which allowsthree people to participate in one conversation. Person B simply needs to “patchin” (add) the other caller, and then all three people can hear each other’s voices.

“Call-forwarding” is another popular feature. It allows all calls to a particularnumber to be “forwarded” (sent) automatically to another number. For example,if you are going on vacation and will be away from your home for one week, youcould “activate” (set up and start using) call-forwarding so that all calls receivedon your “home line” (home telephone number) are automatically sent to your cellphone. The home line would not ring, but your cell phone would, and the peoplecalling you would not realize that you were talking on your cell phone.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – b; 2 – c

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 607: BeingPestered on the Phone.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 607. I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in –everyone together – beautiful Los Angeles, California.

Go to our website at eslpod.com and become a member of ESL Podcast andhelp support us – keep us going. You can get all of our Learning Guides that wehave available that will help you improve your English faster when you become aPremium Member of our podcast.

This episode is called “Being Pestered on the Phone.” Being “pestered” meansbeing bothered. It’s a dialogue between Gisele and Nobu about Nobu’s girlfriendwho keeps calling. Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Gisele: Our phone has been ringing off the hook all weekend. What’s the deal?

Nobu: I think it’s Jeanine.

Gisele: Jeanine…Jeanine…Is that the woman you’ve been going out with?

Nobu: Yeah, it’s her. I tried to let her down easy, but she’s not taking the hint.

Gisele: I see. That’s why you’ve been screening calls. Why don’t you just talk toher and tell her that you don’t think you’re right for each other, take the directapproach?

Nobu: I figure if I don’t take her calls for a few more days, she’ll get themessage.

Gisele: Are you sure? There are 14 new voicemail messages. How many ofthose do you think are from Jeanine?

Nobu: All of them. I let calls go to voicemail if I see her phone number on callerID. I guess I should listen to those messages – sooner or later.

Gisele: Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

Nobu: I was thinking of taking the phone off the hook for the rest of day. Whatdo you think?

Gisele: You do that and she’ll be on your doorstep to make sure nothing bad hashappened to you. Listen, you don’t want to be honest with her, but you want herto stop pestering you, right? In that case, you only have one option.

Nobu: What?

Gisele: Tell her you’re moving to Timbuktu!

[end of dialogue]

Our dialogue begins with Gisele saying to Nobu, “Our phone has been ringing offthe hook all weekend.” Gisele and Nobu must live in the same house orapartment; perhaps they are brother and sister. “To ring off the hook” means thata phone rings many times in a short period of time because you are getting somany phone calls. The phone has been ringing off the hook – the phone hasbeen ringing a lot, many people have been calling. Gisele says that their phonehas been ringing off the hook all weekend. In a traditional telephone, the oldtelephones anyway, there were always two parts of the phone. There was thepart where you would dial – where you would press the numbers or, if you’re oldlike me, you would actually turn the numbers around in a circle, and then there’sthe part that you use to listen and talk to someone, what we would probably callthe “handset.” Well, the hook is the part where you put the handset down tohang up the phone. The expression “off the hook” has other meanings inEnglish, those can be found in our Learning Guide.

Gisele says, “What’s the deal?” which is an informal way of saying what ishappening, what is going on. Nobu says, “I think it’s Jeanine.” Gisele says,“Jeanine…Jeanine…” trying to think of who that person is. Then she says, “Isthat the woman you’ve been going out with?” “To go out with (someone)” is aphrasal verb meaning to date someone, to pursue a romantic relationship withsomeone. That’s what it usually means. It could just mean that you are goingsomewhere with someone. You could say to your wife, “I’m going out with mybrother to the bar to drink beer and watch a baseball game,” and your wife says,“Okay, don’t plan on coming home!” She’s not very happy that he’s going to abar to watch a baseball game. The problem is the bar, not the baseball, I think!

Well, that’s another way of using this expression “to go out with.” In this case, ifyou’re talking about a woman and a man, it typically means a romanticrelationship, someone you are dating but are not yet married to. Once you getmarried, you never go out again!

Nobu says, “Yeah, it’s her (it’s Jeanine). I tried to let her down easy, but she’snot taking the hint.” “To let (someone) down easy” is a phrase meaning to end arelationship or to disappoint someone without trying to hurt them. You meet abeautiful woman at the bar and you ask for her telephone number and she says,“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not dating any one now.” She’s trying to let you down easy.

What she’s really saying is “You’re ugly and I would never go out with you.”

Remember that boys!

So, Nobu says that he tried to let Jeanine down easy, he tried to end hisrelationship without hurting her, but Jeanine is not taking the hint (hint). “To takethe hint” means to understand what someone is trying to say indirectly. Theperson isn’t telling you directly what they mean, but they are trying to indicate toyou in a subtle or indirect way what they mean. “To take the hint” means tounderstand that indirect message.

Gisele says, “I see (I understand). That’s why you’ve been screening calls.” “Toscreen (screen) your calls” means to only accept – only pick up certain telephonecalls from certain people, refusing to talk to others. Now how do you know whois calling you? Well, you could have someone else answer your phone and thentell you who is calling and you can say, “I’m not home,” or “I can’t come to thephone.” Or, you could wait ‘til the person leaves a message on an answeringmachine, which is a recording device that records your telephone messages. Or,nowadays here in the U.S., we have something called caller ID, or calleridentification, where you see the person’s telephone number on your telephoneand you can decide whether you want to answer or not. That’s to screen yourcalls.

Gisele says, “Why don’t you just talk to her and tell her that you don’t think you’reright for each other,” meaning you’re not a good couple, you’re not a good matchor fit. In other words Gisele says, “take the direct approach.” “To take the directapproach” means to say exactly what you mean in a very clear way – notindirectly; not subtly, but directly.

Nobu says, “I figure (meaning I think that) if I don’t take her calls (if I don’t answerher telephone calls) for a few more days, she’ll get the message.” “To get themessage” means to understand what someone is trying to say even if the message isn’t very clear or direct. The expression “to take (someone’s) calls” isrelated to some other expressions with different meanings in English; take a lookat our Learning Guide for those.

Gisele, then, is advocating – is telling Nobu to take the direct approach withJeanine, but Nobu doesn’t want to do it. He thinks Jeanine will get the messageeventually. Gisele says, “Are you sure? There are 14 new voicemail messages.”

“Voicemail” is like an answering machine, but it is an electronic system thatrecords your messages; people who call you and you are not there, they canleave you a voicemail – a voice message.

Gisele says, “How many of those (voicemails) do you think are from Jeanine?”

Nobu answers, “All of them.” So Jeanine has called 14 times and left 14messages for Nobu. Nobu says, “I let calls go to voicemail,” meaning I don’tanswer the phone, and after usually four or five times that the phone rings it willautomatically start recording a voicemail message, or ask the person to record avoicemail message if they want to. He says, “I let the calls go to voicemail if Isee her number on caller ID.” We explained caller ID earlier, caller identification,which is a feature which is something that telephones have nowadays, both cellphones and what we call “landlines,” meaning traditional telephones that areconnected to wires. Caller ID allows you to see the phone number of the personcalling unless they have caller ID blocking, which means they don’t let you seetheir number.

Nobu says, “I guess I should listen to those messages – sooner or later.”

“Sooner or later” means some time in the future but you’re not saying specificallywhat time that will be. It could also be used to mean eventually, and you couldsay, “I’m going to listen to those messages eventually (sooner or later).” It alsohas the idea that you’re not in any hurry; you are going to wait some more.

Gisele says, “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” to listen to the messages, not towait. Nobu says, “I was thinking of taking the phone off the hook for the rest ofday.” “To take the phone off the hook” means to take the part of phone – thereceiver and transmitter, or the handset – and lift it up and put it down so that noone can call in – no one can reach you. That’s to take your phone off the hook.

You can do that with a traditional phone – with a landline, it’s not really possibleto do it with a cell phone, but with the landline it’s possible. When you take aphone off the hook you cannot leave a message because the line will be busy, itwill seem as though you are talking to someone. That’s to take the phone off thehook.

Nobu asks Gisele’s opinion of this idea. He’s trying to prevent, of course,Jeanine from calling and leaving more messages. Gisele says, “You do that andshe’ll be on your doorstep to make sure nothing bad has happened to you.” “Youdo that” here means if you do that then she will be on your doorstep. “To be on(someone’s) doorstep” (one word) means to be at the front door of your house orapartment, to be visiting someone. In this case, it means that Jeanine would getin her car and drive over to Nobu’s house because she would be worried abouthim if he never answered his phone – if his phone line was always busy oroccupied.

Gisele says, “Listen, you don’t want to be honest with her, but you want her tostop pestering you, right?” “To pester” (pester) means to bother or annoysomeone, to do things that make another person feel angry or frustrated or upsetwith you. We often use this verb when someone is asking you the samequestion over and over again, or trying to communicate with you five, six, seventimes a day. They are bothering you – they are pestering you.

Gisele says if you want Jeanine to stop pestering you, you only have one option– you have only one choice. Nobu says, “What?” What is that choice? Giselesays, “Tell her you’re moving to Timbuktu!” Timbuktu (Timbuktu) is used here tomean a very far and distant place, somewhere that is way far away from whereyou are now. Timbuktu is a real place however. It is a place in northern Mali –the country of Mali in Western Africa that was a famous place for trading,especially back in the 16th century. But now, it is used in English has anexpression to mean a long distance from where you are now, somewhere that isnot close to anything else. Gisele is telling Nobu to tell Jeanine that he is movingaway, he will no longer be living in this city. He’s moving far away – to Timbuktu.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Gisele: Our phone has been ringing off the hook all weekend. What’s the deal?

Nobu: I think it’s Jeanine.

Gisele: Jeanine…Jeanine…Is that the woman you’ve been going out with?

Nobu: Yeah, it’s her. I tried to let her down easy, but she’s not taking the hint.

Gisele: I see. That’s why you’ve been screening calls. Why don’t you just talk toher and tell her that you don’t think you’re right for each other, take the directapproach?

Nobu: I figure if I don’t take her calls for a few more days, she’ll get themessage.

Gisele: Are you sure? There are 14 new voicemail messages. How many ofthose do you think are from Jeanine?

Nobu: All of them. I let calls go to voicemail if I see her phone number on callerID. I guess I should listen to those messages – sooner or later.

Gisele: Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

Nobu: I was thinking of taking the phone off the hook for the rest of day. Whatdo you think?

Gisele: You do that and she’ll be on your doorstep to make sure nothing bad hashappened to you. Listen, you don’t want to be honest with her, but you want herto stop pestering you, right? In that case, you only have one option.

Nobu: What?

Gisele: Tell her you’re moving to Timbuktu!

[end of dialogue]

We come to your doorstep every day electronically any time you want us. Wecan do that because of the wonderful scripts that we have written by Dr. LucyTse.

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan. Thank you for listening. Comeback and listen to us next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan, copyright 2010 by the Center for EducationalDevelopment.