... leaves something to be desired

Ad = advert = advertisement 

If (anything) leaves something to be desired, it does not meet your expectations… it is not as good as it should be. It’s a diplomatic way of saying that something was terrible.

1. Do you live in a city where you get great service in stores and restaurants, or does the customer service in your city leave something to be desired? Does good or bad service depend on someone’s level of education, or do you think it’s a cultural thing?

2.  Have you ever watched a pirated movie that was filmed in the cinema? The image and audio quality leave a lot to be desired, so it’s not worth watching. It’s better to go to the cinema or wait for the DVD release.

3. FIFA has said that Brazil’s preparation for the 2014 soccer world cup leaves much to be desired. They say that the progress with the construction of stadiums, transportation infrastructure and hotels is far behind schedule. FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke was criticized for stating that Brazil needed a "kick up the backside" to get everything ready on time.

4. Did you ever study in an English course that left a lot to be desired? Was it the material or the teacher?

Come up with

                   Bug = irritate          Sharp = intelligent           retort = answer/ response

When you “come up with” something, you think of something original; you find a creative solution/ plan. A synonym is “to think up”.


1.  People who work in the advertising industry need to come up with original and dynamic marketing ideas. Do you need to come up with new ideas or plans in your line of work?

2. Often people come up with the best ideas when there is a necessity. There is an expression: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Can you think of any inventions that were born out of need?

3. Do you know who came up with the idea of the Leap Year? Leap years are years with 366 days, instead of the usual 365. Leap years are necessary because the actual length of a year is 365.242 days, not 365 days. Julius Caesar was behind the origin of leap year in 45 BC.

4. Can you come up with new ideas under pressure, or do you get inspiration when you are relaxing? Some people come up with ideas when they are in the shower, driving, exercising or walking on the beach.

Up to speed

   

If you are up to speed with a subject or an activity, you have all the latest information about it. It relates to being competent in knowledge, skill or training. This expression is similar to: “fill someone in”.

1. When you’ve missed a couple of episodes of your favorite TV series, do you like to get up to speed by watching the ones you missed, or are you OK to continue with the latest episode?

2. When you haven’t spoken a 2nd language for quite some time, you might want to brush up on (practice/ revise) your ability and get a bit of practice before you plan to engage in that language. A good way to bring yourself up to speed would be to read a book in that language or take a few conversation classes.

3. Why do you think Africa is so far behind the rest of the world in technology? Is the problem cultural… or is there maybe a historical disadvantage? What do you think it would take to bring Africa up to speed?

Burn out

“Burnout” is what happens when you have been pushing yourself or working too hard for too long. It is physical or mental exhaustion caused by long-term stress.

1. Many people are experiencing burnout and they don’t even know it. They are so used to working under stress and pressure that it seems normal to them. Some symptoms of burnout are: emotional, physical and mental exhaustion, disillusion, depression, a loss of interest in your work or life in general and becoming susceptible to illness.

2. Is your boss working you too hard… or are you maybe pushing yourself too hard? Sometimes if you are self-employed (work for yourself) like myself, you have to regulate how many hours you work a day or force yourself to work less, so that you don’t burn yourself out.

3.  People who are living a fast-paced lifestyle are living in what we call “the rat race”. The rat race often leads to burnout. Working long hours in a competitive environment will cause stress, and eventually, burnout. Not many people are able to keep up with a lifestyle that demands so much over the long-term.

4. When you have been “burning the candle at both ends” and not getting sufficient sleep, it could definitely lead to burnout. How many hours of sleep a day do you think are sufficient for you to function normally? If you are sleeping less than 5 hours every night, and if you aren’t able to take a nap during the day, then you are heading for a burnout.

Make do (with)

If you “make do” with something, you have to use what you have at the moment; you have to make a plan with what is available - even if it is not the best or ideal. You improvise until you can have what you want later.

1. I would love to have air conditioning in our apartment, but for now we will have to make do with fans.

2.  Before I got my first computer I had to make do with going to an internet café and also storing all of my important information on a USB/ pen drive.

3. If you don’t have a car, you need to make do with public transportation or getting lifts (rides) from friends.

4. When you make do with what you have, you are being resourceful. You use your creativity and ingenuity to improve your situation when you have limited resources. During my first months in Brazil, we didn’t have a washing machine, so I used to put all of our clothes into a big plastic tub, climb into the tub and run on the spot, churning the clothes with my feet. I had to make do with a plastic tub until we could afford a washing machine.

Settle for

When you “settle for” anything, you are accepting second best or something that is inferior to what you really wanted – because you have limited options, or what you want is not possible.

1.  I would really love a house right on the beach one day - but if not possible I will have to settle for renting an apartment with a sea view.

2. If I ask for a pineapple juice when I am at a restaurant, and they don’t have any, I usually settle for an orange juice.

3. If you can’t get into the course at university that you really want, you may have to settle for something similar… or even consider studying another career. Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way we want or expect.

4. What brand names do you have to settle for because the product that you want is either not available or much more expensive?

Scrape the bottom of the bucket

   

to choose from what is left over, or to select from among the worst. There is the idea of settling for 2nd best because you have no other options or you may also be desperate in your decision-making.

Man: Wow!     “Talk about…”: to emphasize something, especially when criticizing or complaining, e.g.: “Talk about bad luck!”

1. I have watched so many movies that it’s difficult to find a good movie to rent or download, so these days I’ve been scraping the bottom of the bucket and watching movies that I normally wouldn’t consider. It’s amazing what we will settle for when we are desperate for entertainment or really bored! Recently I watched the movie, “Brokeback Mountain”. Talk about scraping the bottom of the bucket!

2. Don’t you feel sometimes that we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes time to vote for a presidential candidate, mayor or governor? Many times it’s a case of choosing from the least worst. Don’t you ask yourself, “Man, where do they find these people!?”

3. When you buy an air ticket at the last minute, you may have to scrape the bottom of the bucket… you will probably not get the seats of your choice, and may not be able to sit together with your friends or family because you have to accept the seats that are left over. You will likely sit right next to the toilet!

Set up

The “Huns” are a tribe of barbarians who are the enemies 
of the imaginary kingdom of Id.

To set up: to construct, to configure (electronics), to assemble, to establish (create) something, to erect or to organize.

1. When you want to set up (establish) your own business, you will probably need some capital (money) to start with… at least for advertising your services. You will also need a game plan - and more than that you, will need persistence.

2. To “set up shop” is an idiomatic expression which means to establish a business or an organization. When a company of any sort sets up shop in a foreign country because the exchange rate is more favorable (and thus the labor is cheaper), we call this outsourcing. Do you know of any companies that outsource their manufacturing and set up shop overseas?

3.  It is becoming easier and easier to set up (create) a blog page. Google is making the interface really easy for new bloggers to figure out exactly what to do step by step.

4. Before any band plays music, they need to set up the drums, microphones, amplifiers etc.