XH: Hello, welcome to RoundTable's Word of the Week. This week we are talking about some commonly used workplace idioms, especially in the US, right?
John: Yeah, most definitely in the US. It's funny because when we are coming up with this list, at first I was like what exactly I'm looking for, and then I found a whole bunch, I said “oh, yeah, all right, these words and phrases are used all the day and time.” So we're just going to go in a bit of random order, but keep up and you're gotta learn a lot today. The first one is “green light”, basically it just means to approve a project.
XH: green light就是允许为一件事情开绿灯。

John: Right, “The director wants to green light your scented wallpaper idea.” The next one is one of my favorites, and you can use it outside the workplace. It's called “brownie points”: to curry favor or get favor with someone, especially a boss. For example, “He earned brownie points by getting the boss's coffee.”
XH: Brownie是一种小甜点，但是brownie points的意思就是得到加分，印象分。
John: Climb the ladder or climb the corporate ladder: to advance in one's career through promotions. “Earning brownie points is one way to climb the ladder.”
XH: Climb the ladder也经常用，指事业上进步、得到晋升的意思。
John: “Team player” is pretty obvious: A committed employee who works well with other colleagues. “A team player often sees his proposals green lighted.”
XH：Team player就是有团队精神的人。
John: A “yes man”: an employee who always agrees with the boss. “He was a yes man, a team player and a chaser of brownie points.”
XH：Yes man也很形象，指唯唯诺诺的人、应声虫。
John: Then next one is “touch base”. Actually, my mother was a manager pretty much her entire career, and whenever I went to office with her, or she had to take a call at home, she would always use this phrase “touch base” or “touch base with someone”. It took me a long time to figure out. But basically, it's just to confer about the progress of a project. So just to talk about the progress of what is currently being worked on.
XH：Touch base就是碰个头，把事情进展知会给大家、互通情况。
John: For example, “Let's touch base tomorrow about the flea spray account.” Moving on to “crunch time”: When a project needs completed quickly. “It's crunch time – we need to touch base as soon as possible.”
XH：Crunch Time就是关键时刻。
John: Right. And then “plug or plug a product”: To promote or market a product. “I was on TV this morning to plug our new flea spray.” And actually you know shen we have guests on Round Table, one of the reasons we have them on sometimes, is so they can plug something they are doing.
XH：Plug有推广、销售的意思。
John: Cash cow: The product that generates the most revenue for a company. “This scented wallpaper will be the company's cash cow.”
XH：会挤出钱来的奶牛，叫做Cash cow，中文就是摇钱树的意思。
John: Then “On the ball”, “to stay on the ball” or “keep the ball rolling” is another one that is seen quite often outside the office, but is used especially in the office, meaning to ensure that a project is progressing efficiently and on time. So you have to “Keep the ball rolling on our green lighted projects.”
XH：Keep the ball rolling就是要继续做某件事情，某个项目。
John: Down to the wire: Said of something whose outcome or completion takes you to always the deadline. So you are working on a project and it will due on Monday at 9 o'clock. You are working at weekend. 8:55 on Monday you finish it. It called “come down to the wire”.
XH: When something is down to the wire, that means 这件事情已经到了最后关头，最后期限了。
John: “Glass ceiling” is used quite often when we talk about women and minorities, so the perceived struggle of women and minorities to achieve promotions. “She knew it would be hard to break through the glass ceiling and climb the corporate ladder.”
XH: 玻璃屋顶，也就是隐形的升职障碍”。
John: Pull the plug: To terminate a project or account. “He pulled the plug on the flea spray before we even got to plug it.”
XH: Pull the plug是把插头拔掉，指终止业务或项目。
John: Belt-tightening: To reduce expenses. “After we lost our cash cow, the HR department tightened its belt.”
XH:就是“勒紧裤腰带”的意思。
John: Work out the kinks: To revise, edit or otherwise improve a flawed product or service. “If you don't work out the kinks, they're going to pull the plug.”
XH: Kinks有扭曲、打结的意思。Work out kinks指解决问题。
John: Pull your weight: To share in the workload. “Since we've tightened our belts, everybody has to pull his weight.”
XH: Pull your weight指尽力的意思。
John: Axed: To be terminated; synonymous with being fired. “The yes man was axed when he came down with lockjaw.”
XH: Axed被砍掉被开除的意思。
John: Now, we are axed. That all the time we have for this week's RoundTable's Word of the Week.