Inspired by a visit to the zoo with my little fella (my son), I decided to write an office scenario using as many ANIMALLY terms as I could fit in.
Enter the wild office at your peril! The Personal Assistant puts the receiver down and speaks to another colleague in the room ….
P.A. “That was Dave & he’s not a happy bunny!”
Colleague. “What’s up?”
P.A. “He just wanted to know if the boss was in”
Colleague” What’s rattled his cage this time? Let me guess, he’s got the hump about André. He’s gonna charge into the office like a bull in a china shop and badger the boss to take André off the team, am I right or am I right?
P.A. “No shit, Sherlock! I mean Dave’s got this bee in his bonnet that André isn’t pulling his weight & letting the others do the lion’s share.
Colleague “If you ask me, Dave’s making a mountain out of a mole hill!
P.A. “I don’t know, slippery as an eel that André. He seems to have wriggled into the boss’s good books and now the whole pecking order in the marketing department has been turned on it head. I saw his job application, in his last place, he was a mere paper tiger but on the strength of him studying Marketing & Social Media at some evening school he got the job.
Colleague “Maybe sly fox is the better expression. Oh, I’d love to be a fly on the wall when Dave bursts in but I’ve gotta go. Do me a favour .. .
P.A. … and give you a blow by blow account at lunch? No worries. Toodeloo!, chuck!
at your peril (auf deine Gefahr), to put the receiver down (Hörer auflegen), to rattle sb’s cage (jdn verärgern), to get the hump about sb/sth (schlechte Laune haben), to charge into a place (stürmen), like a bull in a china shop (wie ein Elefant im Porzellanladen), to badger the boss (bedrängen), “No shit” (Hier: Was du nicht sagst), Sherlock (von Sherlock Holmes (der berühmte Detektiv) ironisch gemeint = schlaumeier), to have a bee in one’s bonnet (fixe Ideen haben), to pull one’s weight (sich am Riemen reisen), to do the lion’s share (den Löwenanteil machen), to make a mountain out of a mole hill (aus einer Mücke einen Elefanten machen), slippery as an eel (aalglatt), to wriggle into sth (sich hineinschlängeln), to be in sb’s good books (gut bei jdm angeschrieben sein), the whole pecking order (Hackordnung), to turn sth on its head (etw auf den Kopf stellen), mere (nur), paper tiger (Hier = Admin staff = Verwaltungspersonal), on the strength of (aufgrund), sly fox (schlauer Fuchs), to be a fly on the wall (Mäuschen spielen), to burst in (hereinplatzen), a blow by blow account (Bericht bis ins letzte Detail), Toodeloo (Bis gleich/Tschüss!), chuck (Liebling)!
Meet me (this post) again in the upcoming book ‘Fun on Friday’: Fun, Frolics & F bombs. OUT SOON