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BEP 176 – English Idioms: Gambling Idioms (Part 2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

Welcome back to Business English Pod for the second episode of our two-part series on English gambling idioms.

Any time we take a risk with money, we’re gambling. Whether it’s a card game, a horse race, or a game of dice, we bet money in the hopes of winning more. Business also involves taking risks with money, and for this reason gambling idioms have become very common in business. They are especially common in the world of investing. If you think about it, betting money on cards is a lot like making a high-risk investment.

For today’s lesson, we’ll continue our look at gambling idioms and explore how they are used in business discussions. As you listen to the dialog, you might hear some phrases that are new to you. Keep a note of these expressions and we’ll go over them in the debrief and explain what they mean and how they can be used.

In our last episode, we heard Kevin and Dan talking about investing their money. Kevin likes to invest in stocks, but Dan normally prefers safer methods. However, Kevin tells Dan that he has just found out about an investment opportunity that might be very profitable. Today, we’ll hear Kevin try to convince Dan to accept some risk and take the opportunity.

Listening Questions

1. Why is Kevin excited about the company called Golem Mining?
2. What does Kevin say about the amount Dan would have to invest?
3. What does Dan finally decide to do about the investment opportunity?

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BEP 175 – English Idioms: Gambling Idioms (Part 1)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, Business Idioms, ESL Podcast /

This is the first in a two-part Business English Pod series on idioms related to gambling.

As gambling involves money and risk, it’s not surprising that we use gambling idioms in business. The verb “gamble” itself is very common. We often talk about “gambling” money on an idea or “taking a gamble” to mean taking a risk. Another very common one is “bet,” both as a verb and a noun. When we gamble, we “bet” money in the hopes of winning and getting more money back. In a way, business is one big bet.

In English, gambling idioms come from a few common types of gambling. Card games, especially poker, and horse racing give us the most idiomatic expressions, but we also get some from games such as dice and marbles.

In this lesson, we’ll hear a conversation between Kevin and Dan, two colleagues who are talking about investing. Kevin actively invests in the stock market, while Dan is more cautious and usually avoids risk.

Listening Questions

1. Which person thinks that luck is important in investing?
2. What did Kevin do when the stock market crashed?
3. What does Kevin want to tell Dan about at the end of the conversation?

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BEP 166 – English for Administrative Assistants (2)

Business English, Business English Vocabulary, ESL Podcast, Intermediate English /

This is the second in a two-part Business English Pod series on administrative assistants, their jobs, and related vocabulary and collocations.

Collocations are a challenge for anyone learning English. There aren’t any specific rules to follow. You just have to listen for what sounds right. Still, they’re essential for English communication and important to keep in mind when you learn new vocabulary – don’t just think about the new word, think about what other words it might be used with. We’ll point out some useful collocations related to daily office work as we go through this lesson.

Administrative assistants are important to any business organization. For example, they make sure data is handled responsibly and records are maintained properly. It might seem like they work in the background, but their jobs are critical to the smooth running of a company.

In the last episode we met Christina, the Head Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources department at LaFarge Automotive. In an interview, Christina told us about some of her usual job duties. Today, she’ll talk about why her work is so important to the company.

Listening Questions

1. What is one way Christina manages information for her company?
2. What is one way she mobilizes resources?
3. Does Christina like her job? Why or why not?

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