There are several colourful idioms connected with having too much work to do. If you are up to your eyes/eyeballs/neck/ears in work, there is a very large amount of it to do. We can also say that we are rushed off our feet – this phrase is usually for when the work involves standing up or moving around, for example working in a shop or café. In UK English, an informal way of saying that a job or situation (for example, running a family) is busy is to say that it’s all go.

If you say you have your hands full with something, you mean that it takes up all your time and you can’t do anything else. You could also say that you have a lot on your plate. If you say you are chasing your tail orrunning (a)round in circles, you mean that you are very busy but not managing to achieve much. If people are trying hard to do something but they are in a panic and not being effective, they are running (a)round like headless chickens. Note that US English speakers usually say around while UK English speakers say either around or round.

If someone is working very hard at the moment, we can say that they have their nose to the grindstone or that they have their head down. These two phrases are often used for students who are trying to do well, especially when they are preparing for exams.

A general adjective for someone who works very hard is hard-working. A more formal word is industrious. If we describe someone as conscientious, we mean that they put a lot of effort into doing their work as well as they can. If someone is willing to go the extra mile, they do more than is necessary in order to do something as well as they possibly can. If it takes hard physical effort to do something (for example cleaning something) we say that it needs elbow grease, and if you want to say that you made an extreme amount of effort, you could say you sweated blood to achieve it.

I hope all this talk of effort, exertion and slog (informal) doesn’t make you feel tired – we all need to try to have a good work-life balance, so don’t bust a gut (work too hard)!

source: blog by Liz Walter In Vocabulary, A Blog from Cambridge Dictionary

Próbáld kiegészíteni a következő mondatokat a szövegben használt kifejezésekkel. A kifejezésekből pár szó meg is jelenik a mondatokban, segítségként.

1. Would you go the …… …… to get promoted?
 

2. My workmate? He is …..- working and …………….. , I mean he puts a lot of effort into doing his work.
 

3. To work as a cleaning lady, you need ……….. ……..
 

4. I can’t understand why you haven’t been promoted. You’ve …… …… to achieve it.
 

5. What are the others doing now? They have their ….. to the ………….., Boss.
 

6. Why are you so upset? Although I’m running ……… in ………, I can’t complete anything.
 

7. Will you come with me to have lunch? No, I have my …. full with correcting tests.
 

8. Poor Tom, he is always ………….off his ……………..in this cool café as a waiter.
 

Key/Megoldás: 1. extra mile, 2. hard, conscientious; 3. elbow grease; 4. sweated blood; 5.nose, grindstone; 6. a/round, circles; 7. hands; 8. rushed, feet 

IMPORTANT PHRASES

How can I help you? – Miben segíthetek?
I need a day off. – Szükségem van egy szabadnapra.
What day will you be travelling on? – Melyik napon fog utazni?
We are all looking forward to… – Mindnyájan nagyon várjuk…
Leave it with me. – Hagyja csak rám.
Is that right? – Így van?
That’s all right. – Rendben van.
Have fun! – Érezze jól magát!

IMPORTANT WORDS

wedding – esküvő
a day off – szabadnap
ferry – komp
the sailing – a komp/hajó indulása
busy – sűrű, elfoglalt
period – időszak
deadline – határidő
cousin – unokatestvér
occasion – esemény, alkalom
to organise – megszervezni
cover – itt: helyettesítés
to be interested in – valami érdekel valakit
overtime – túlóra

Cuts into 10 slices
Calories per slice: 228
Fat per slice: 6,5g
Saturated fat per slice: 1,5g
Suitable for freezing: YES

–          350g gluten-free white bread flour

–          50g raisins

–          2 level tsp easy-bake, fast-action dried yeast

–          1tspb ground cinnamon

–          1 level tsp caster sugar

–          1 level tsp salt

–          1 level tsp xanthan gum

–          250ml milk

–          1 large egg

–          4 tbsp sunflower oil

–          1 tsp vinegar

–          1lb loaf tin, buttered

1.     Tipthe flour into a bowl and stir in the raisins, yeast, cinnamon, sugar, salt and xanthan gum and mix well. Mix together the milk, egg, oil and vinegar.

2.     Pourthe milk mixture into the flour and mix well to give a soft dropping consistency.

3.     Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface, leaving it slightly textured. Cover the tin loosely with oiled cling film and leave the loaf in a warm place to rise – until it’s risen above the rim of the tin.

4.     Set the oven to 220C or Gas Mark 7. Bake loaf in the centre of preheated oven for 30-40 mins, or until it sounds hollow when tapped underneath, covering with a sheet of foil if it starts to brown too quickly. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve sliced, spread with butter.

Wrap cold loaf in freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow loaf to defrost before serving. Loaf may be refreshed in a hot oven for a few mins before serving.