Winning English - Idioms, Slang, and Cultural References
Jerk • Throw you under the bus • Stab in the back • Screw things up • Show them who's boss • Pick your battles • Let it ride
Imagine your friend calls you on the phone. Your friend is clearly angry about something.
Your friend says, “Do you remember my telling you about that jerk at work? Well, he threw me under the bus again today !”
“Oh, no”, you say.
“Yeah,” your friend says, “And even worse, a different co-worker who I thought was my friend stabbed me in the back! He listened to that jerk and told my manager that I was screwing things up! That’s enough. I’m sitting in my car right now, but I’m going back in there to show them who’s boss!”
“Now wait just a moment,” you say.
To be a “jerk” is to be an obnoxious and mean person. Sadly, there always seems to be one at work. This word has a very crude origin that I won’t describe.
To “throw someone under the bus” means to blame someone for a problem in an unfair way. Imagine a fast-moving bus represents a problem. To slow it down, you might throw something under the wheels - like a person. It’s a brutal saying, really. Again, it’s also used to describe an unfair situation. For example, you might really be to blame for the problem. But your co-worker chooses to tell your manager before you can fix it. That’s not nice at all. Alternatively, you both might be to blame for the problem, but your colleague says only you are to blame. That’s a lie and unfair.
To “stab someone in the back” means to betray someone secretly and by surprise. Like a murderer sneaking up on a dark street, you don’t see the person coming until they’ve hurt you.
To “screw something up” means to cause something to fail. Read more about “screw up” in a previous post.
To “show someone who’s boss” means that you intend to fight back against someone who’s causing trouble for you. The idea is that you are the one in charge - you’re the boss - but people aren’t giving you the proper respect, so you will remind them. Sometimes this saying gets shortened into a similar phrase, “That’ll show them.” This phrase is used when you’ve defeated someone.
Back to the conversation. You tell your friend, “Look, you’re really angry right now. I think you need to calm down and think about what to do.”
“Remember,” you say, “You have to pick your battles. Let’s figure out if you should just let it ride this time.”
“You have to pick your battles” is a common saying. People say it when they have decided not to fight back in a certain situation. The idea is that you cannot win every battle, so save your strength and energy for the really important ones.
“Let it ride” means to let a situation proceed without your taking any action at that moment. You will wait to see if the situation changes before doing anything about it.
Thanks for reading Winning English! Remember to listen to the podcast, as well, to reinforce your learning. And if you like what you read or hear, please tell a friend. Talk soon!