Vocabulary
Work
Study the following vocabulary.
On the day of the big presentation, Bob decided to dress up more than usual. He arrived at work early so he could touch up some of the charts before the meeting. When he walked into the conference room, he saw the CEO of the corporation sitting in the back – he was going to listen in on the meeting. Bob wondered why he was there, but he tried not to read into the situation too much; there were many logical reasons for his boss’s presence. He was nervous, but he knew that his hours of slaving away had prepared him. As the presentation began, and he zeroed in on his main point, he began to relax. After the presentation, the CEO approached Bob and asked him to have a meeting about a promotion. They penciled the meeting in for the following week.
slave away – to place emphasis on how hard you are working
I have been slaving away all day trying to get this work finished before the deadline.
dress up / down – to wear clothes that are more or less formal
More and more people are dressing down at work.
She got dressed up in a suit when she had to appear in court.
figure out – to come to understand by thinking carefully
I can’t figure out why he quit his job.
jot down – to write down quickly
I’ll just jot down their address before I forget it.
listen in – to listen on purpose to someone else’s conversation, often secretly
Have you been listening in on my phone calls?
major in – to study as your main subject and get a degree in
He majored in chemistry at Columbia University in NY.
pencil in – to write tentative information
Let’s pencil in the 3rd of May for the meeting.
read into – to think that something has a meaning or importance that it probably does not have
It is a mistake to read too much into just one opinion poll.
touch up – improve by making small changes
After she finished the presentation, I touched up the photos to make them a bit more clear.
zero in on – to fix all your attention on
She zeroed in on the main topic without wasting any time.