Using English at Work：39 Scheduling a Meeting(4)

To be "tied up," here, means¹ to be busy or occupied and therefore unable to meet at a certain time.

In other words, I'm tied up on Monday and Tuesday because I have other appointments those days, so I cannot meet with her then.

If your friend asks you if you want to play basketball on Saturday and you're working that day,

you would say, "I'm sorry. I'm tied up on Saturday, I can't join you."

But if I tell my friend that I'm free on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday afternoon, then you're saying that you have time to meet during those particular days.

So "free" is the opposite of being "tied up."

If you're free, you have time; if you're tied up, you have something else on your schedule.

Andrea says that Wednesday afternoon suits her (I tell her that I am free on Wednesday afternoon).

"To suit someone" means to be convenient² for someone, or not to create problems for someone.

When Andrea says that Wednesday afternoon suits her, she means that she is available to meet with me on Wednesday afternoon.

"To suit someone" can also be used more generally to mean that it's okay or it's acceptable³ to someone.

For example, if your husband or wife asks you if you want to go on vacation to beautiful Los Angeles, California⁴, you might say, "That suits me!" meaning that you like the idea, it is acceptable to you. Then Andrea asks me what time would be good for me.

This is her way of asking me what time I would like to meet.

I tell her the earlier the better.

The phrase⁵ "the earlier the better" means the sooner the better or as early as possible.

I want to meet in the afternoon, not in the late afternoon.

The late afternoon would be after 3 or 4:00; I'm asking to meet in the early afternoon, in fact, the earlier the better.

I explain that the reason meeting earlier is better for me is that I'll be entertaining clients⁶ that night and I need to leave work a little early that day.

1 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

2 convenient   

adj.便利的，方便的

参考例句：

• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。
• Come at any time that is convenient to you.你哪会儿方便就哪会儿来吧。

3 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

4 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

5 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

6 clients   

n.顾客( client的名词复数 )；当事人；诉讼委托人；[计算机]客户端

参考例句：

• a lawyer with many famous clients 拥有许多著名委托人的律师
• She understood the importance of establishing a close rapport with clients. 她懂得与客户建立密切和谐的关系的重要性。