I was talking to Andy recently about some of the best and worst jobs we’ve had in our lives. It was a pretty interesting conversation, so I thought it might make a good blog post. Also, it’s a good way to introduce a few idioms which can be used to talk about work. So, here’s a description of one of the worst jobs I’ve ever had. You’ll find 8 idioms. Can you guess what they mean? Definitions are provided at the bottom of the blog post.
The Hardest Job I’ve Ever Had
When I was a teenager I got a job in the local pub in my village. It was a busy pub with a large kitchen. I was given the job of kitchen porter, which means I had to do all the dirty jobs which no one else could be bothered to do: cleaning the pots and pans from the kitchen, washing all the dirty dishes from the restaurant, sweeping and mopping the floor and cleaning the ovens and washing machines. I used to work my fingers to the bone in that place, scrubbing, sweating and getting covered in grease and muck from head to toe. There was another kitchen porter who worked with me, but he was too lazy to lift a finger so I always had a lot on my plate. On Saturday evenings the restaurant was always full, so in the kitchen we’d be rushed off our feet, completely up to our eyes in work. I took the job to get money so I could go out and have fun with my friends. They used to be jealous of the extra spending money I had because of my hard work. I used to burn the candle at both ends sometimes, especially at the weekends, and then I’d be exhausted at work. In the end, I decided that I had to leave that place. It was a dead end job to be honest. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere, so I handed in my notice. These days I’m much happier working as a teacher and I don’t miss the kitchen, but sometimes I might have a cheese sandwich and it takes me back to those long evenings when I used to slave away over a hot sink.
to work my fingers to the bone = to work extremely hard
too lazy to lift a finger = too lazy to do any work
to have a lot on your plate = to have a lot of work to do
to be rushed off your feet = to be very busy and in a rush
to be up to your eyes in work = to have too much work to do
to burn the candle at both ends = to get tired because you are working hard during the day but also socialising and going to be late at night
a dead end job = a job with no future or career prospects
to slave away = to work hard on a tough job
Other vocabulary from this post:
can’t be bothered to do it = to be too lazy to make the effort to do it
sweeping = cleaning loose dirt from the floor with a broom
mopping = washing the floor with soap and hot water and a mop
scrubbing = cleaning something which is difficult to clean, using lots of speed and pressure
grease = fat or oil
muck = general dirt (quite an informal word)
to hand in your notice = to tell your boss you are going to leave your job
takes me back to = reminds me of
The Hardest Job I’ve Ever Had
When I was a teenager I got a job in the local pub in my village. It was a busy pub with a large kitchen. I was given the job of kitchen porter, which means I had to do all the dirty jobs which no one else could be bothered to do: cleaning the pots and pans from the kitchen, washing all the dirty dishes from the restaurant, sweeping and mopping the floor and cleaning the ovens and washing machines. I used to work my fingers to the bone in that place, scrubbing, sweating and getting covered in grease and muck from head to toe. There was another kitchen porter who worked with me, but he was too lazy to lift a finger so I always had a lot on my plate. On Saturday evenings the restaurant was always full, so in the kitchen we’d be rushed off our feet, completely up to our eyes in work. I took the job to get money so I could go out and have fun with my friends. They used to be jealous of the extra spending money I had because of my hard work. I used to burn the candle at both ends sometimes, especially at the weekends, and then I’d be exhausted at work. In the end, I decided that I had to leave that place. It was a dead end job to be honest. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere, so I handed in my notice. These days I’m much happier working as a teacher and I don’t miss the kitchen, but sometimes I might have a cheese sandwich and it takes me back to those long evenings when I used to slave away over a hot sink.
to work my fingers to the bone = to work extremely hard
too lazy to lift a finger = too lazy to do any work
to have a lot on your plate = to have a lot of work to do
to be rushed off your feet = to be very busy and in a rush
to be up to your eyes in work = to have too much work to do
to burn the candle at both ends = to get tired because you are working hard during the day but also socialising and going to be late at night
a dead end job = a job with no future or career prospects
to slave away = to work hard on a tough job
Other vocabulary from this post:
can’t be bothered to do it = to be too lazy to make the effort to do it
sweeping = cleaning loose dirt from the floor with a broom
mopping = washing the floor with soap and hot water and a mop
scrubbing = cleaning something which is difficult to clean, using lots of speed and pressure
grease = fat or oil
muck = general dirt (quite an informal word)
to hand in your notice = to tell your boss you are going to leave your job
takes me back to = reminds me of
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Interesting vocabulary :)
ReplyDeleteProbably most of the people had to have bad experience in first jobs