"Hungry for Success" by English Professionals. EPISODE 17 : As clear as mud - part 2

Tim's head feels like it's going to explode !

Transcript

HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS : Episode 17

“As clear as mud part 2”

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“Why do Macrosoft want Lightning Systems?” blurted out Tim

“They don’t” said Henry

Tim was not sure he had heard correctly.

“What do you mean, they don’t” - he asked

Henry paused for a second and began to explain.

“Macrosoft never had any interest in Lightning Systems. Why would they?  As Steve would say, we’re just a small fish in a medium sized pond. Macrosoft are in another league. I dare say Macrosoft doesn’t even know that Lightning exists.”

Tim and Derek looked at each other - both equally confused.

“But we had a video conference with them. We even spoke to Sebastian Walker.”

Henry didn’t reply but instead opened the tablet which he had been holding in his hand and set it down on the picnic table in front of them. He turned the screen slightly so that everybody could see. After briefly navigating through the file system he selected an mp4 file and tapped play. The video showed what was obviously a vast conference room. Around the conference table sat about ten people. Each of the ten people were staring directly into camera. Beyond the table could be seen floor to ceiling glass windows behind which was a city landscape of towering skyscrapers.   

After a second Tim realised what he was watching.

“It’s the video conference call I had with James and Macrosoft. Where did you get this recording from?”

“Just wait a moment” Henry cut Tim off abruptly

Tim knew what was coming next - it was engraved on his memory.

“It’s great to see you guys in the flesh as it were”, said the voice of Sebastian Walker. 

Then something unexpected happened. The video cut to a scene in another conference room with another conference table - there were three people around it who Tim didn’t recognise.

“And a pleasure to meet you too, Sebastian”. Said one of the three. “Let me introduce my team”.

If Tim had been confused before, now, he felt that his head was going to explode. Before he could find any words the video went on -

“Oh I know who you are” said Sebastian Walker ,“I had my people do a full profile some time ago. I just wanted to say howdy and then I have to move on to something else - Joe is probably waiting for me already. So I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Susie. She can introduce you to the guys. See you next week - looking forward to it”

Henry stopped the video. No need to go on.

Tim was lost for words. He sat motionless, his mouth open in astonishment.

“What you have just seen”, explained Henry, “is a video of a conference call  between Macrosoft and Roboworld. You remember that Macrosoft took over Roboworld last year - there was a lot about it in the papers”.

Tim remembered. The merger had made quite a splash. Roboworld had just unveiled their latest product - a robot capable of performing complex manual tasks independently of any human operator. No wonder that Macrosoft wanted to buy the company.

Tim by now had started to regain his senses. “But Libby Jones spoke to us directly - we had a conversation” 

“Just a minute, I didn’t see Libby in the video. Sebastian Walker spoke to another woman - he called her Suzie”

“Exactly” said Henry, interrupting him. “Susie Flemming”.

Henry glanced down at a notebook he had just retrieved from his pocket  - Macrosoft’s Head of Customer Engagement - whatever that means”.

Sue chipped in. “Henry explained everything to me earlier on. There is no Macrosoft takeover and Libby Jones is not LIbby Jones. At least the woman you thought you saw on the conference call is not Libby Jones - she’s actually Susie Flemming as Henry said”

“Now you’ve lost me” said Derek.

COMMENTARY

Having worked with Steve in the past, Henry knows the former’s liking for idioms. He then uses one himself, “a small fish in a medium sized pond”. The real idiom is “a small fish in a big pond”. The small fish represents a relatively unimportant person whereas the big pond represents more important powerful people. . So Henry is saying that Lightning is relatively unimportant and even the industry sector in which it operates is not so important - only a medium sized pond. In English it is quite common to modify idioms in this way or even to use only part. This assumes that the listener recognises the idioms and is able to complete it and thus understand what the speaker is saying.

Macrosoft are “in another league” - in other words far more important than Lightning and operating in a world which is far above that in which Tim and Henry find themselves.

After a few seconds of video, Tim realises what he is watching. The scene in the conference room is “engraved on his memory”. If you say that something is engraved on your memory it means that the event made such a strong impression on you, that you will never forget it. Tim was so nervous during the conference call which he believed to be with Macrosoft that the strong feelings he experienced - tension, fear, anticipation etc results in him remembering clearly every detail.

As the video continues Tim feels that “his head is going to explode”. Obviously nothing so dramatic is likely to happen. However the expression means that a situation causes you to feel overwhelmed or frustrated - a feeling so strong that it could almost be a physical pain in your head. Tim is, not for the first time, “lost for words”. He is so shocked that he can’t immediately think of anything to say. Not a surprising reaction given the magnitude of what he is hearing.

It turns out that the video which Tim is being shown is actually a recording of another conference call with Roboworld. Macrosoft “took over” Roboworld - a typical verb used to describe the acquisition of another company. In short Macrosoft bought Roboworld or acquired it. Clearly it was a big news story because there was “a lot about it in the papers” . in other words, the acquisition was widely reported in the media - newspapers, TV etc. There was, Henry says “quite a splash” - it was considered to be a very important and notable event. Imagine the picture when something large and heavy is thrown into the water - the displaced water is seen some distance away and also makes a noise.

Despite all the astonishing information, Tim starts to think clearly - he “regains his senses” - the ability to reason. He is now once again able to rationally consider the situation and the implications. Tim may have recovered from the initial shock but Derek is still confused. He says “you’ve lost me”. This simply means that he does not understand what is happening despite the explanations being given.

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