Phrasal verbs and idioms in context - Lession 10: Mark’s housewarming

PHRASAL VERBS AND IDIOMS 10
MARK’S HOUSEWARMING
 Mark woke up in good spirits. Spaghetti Bolognese was on the menu for his guests that evening. This was Mark’s specialty. He’d cooked it hundreds of times back home in Liverpool. Now he was going to put his cuisine skills to work. Karen and Maria were coming and so was Signora Dora. They’d have a nice little happy evening together.
 Gawd! Wasn’t he so glad to be seeing Maria again? He fancied her like mad. She was on an entirely different level to that Katrina he’d married. He wondered in what state of mind he’d been in at the time to even contemplate marrying such a hard, callous bitch. Now with hindsight he realised what a lucky escape he’d made that day she walked out on him.
 His thoughts came back to the present. He was so glad they’d managed to talk Dora into coming. She hadn’t wanted to come at first but had eventually agreed when Karen reminded her of one of the idioms taught to the students earlier that day.
 ‘Dora, all work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy,’ she’d said. Dora had thought about it for a bit then agreed to join them.
 During the meal he’d talk to Dora about giving him these extra hours work at the school.
 Later on Mark headed on out to do some food shopping. First he stopped off at the butcher’s to buy some minced beef for the Bolognese sauce and then he made his way to the supermarket. He strolled up and down the aisle wheeling the supermarket trolley and eyeing up the food on display. Once he had everything he needed he headed for the checkout.
 Once back at the flat he got down to getting things ready for his housewarming. Everything had to be well organised. He took out the chopping board and then opened the cutlery drawer and took out a sharp knife. He then chopped up the onions and tossed them into a saucepan with a dash of olive oil. Next he added the minced beef and stirred it in with the onions using a large wooden spoon. Once the beef was browned he tossed in the tomatoes, added some salt and put the lid on. He turned down the gas and left the sauce to simmer for three quarters of an hour, taking the lid back off from time to time to give it a good stir. Ten minutes before the sauce was ready, he threw in some chopped mushrooms. This was his little additional ingredient he was famed for adding He then took out the grater and grated a small mountain of parmesan cheese. Great! There was nothing like the real McCoy he thought as he grated away at the block of parmigiano reggiano. Back home in Liverpool he’d had to put up with those bags of already grated stuff that smelled like smelly socks that had been worn for a week or so without being washed. It had been a long time since he last made trifle so he had a quick look on the internet to see if he could find a hassle-free recipe.
 That afternoon he cleaned the flat and then lay back on his bed settee to relax in front of the TV for a couple of hours though he didn’t understand much as it was all in Italian.
 His guests would be arriving at eight so about an hour before, he got to work on setting the table.
 Maria and Karen were the first to arrive carrying a couple of plants they’d bought for Mark from the florist’s at the end of the street.
 ‘Hi Mark, we’ve brought you a couple of plants.’
 ‘Thanks a lot but really, you shouldn’t have. Hey, they’re really nice. No one’s ever bought me a plant before. Let’s put them out on the balcony shall we? I don’t want them to die off in here through lack of fresh air.’
 Next Mark showed them around.
 ‘It’s a delightful little place Mark,’ said Karen. ‘And it’s within easy reach to the centre.’
 ‘Oh you are so lucky Mark,’ Maria said. ‘It’s small but it has everything you need and to be so close to the underground is a huge plus.’
 A very apologetic Signora Dora turned up twenty minutes later.
 ‘Oh I’m so terribly sorry I’m late but I couldn’t find a parking space.’
 ‘Not to worry. You know what they say; better late than never.’
 ‘Yes, of course,’ replied Dora who proceeded to take a bottle of red wine out of her bag.
 ‘Here’s a little something to go with the meal.’
 ‘Brilliant, thanks a lot Dora,’ smiled Mark.
 Mark opened the cutlery drawer and rummaged around looking for a corkscrew.
 ‘We’re in luck,’ he said. ‘The landlord has thought of just about everything.’
 Mark hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since he’d left Liverpool. It wouldn’t be polite not to taste the wine Dora had so kindly given him. Well a few drops wouldn’t do him any harm; after all, he wasn’t exactly an alcoholic where one drop of the stuff would put him on the road to ruin. Yes he’d been a heavy drinker but definitely not an alcoholic. He uncorked the bottle and poured some wine into the glasses.
 ‘Cheers.’ said Karen ‘and lots of luck in your new flat Mark and cheers to you Maria that you’ll find happiness with or without Giancarlo.’ Karen then turned to Dora. ‘Cheers Dora that the English school will go from good to better.’
 Mark wondered who the heck this Giancarlo was. He must be an ex boyfriend he thought jealously.
 Dora’s smile vanished from her face.
 ‘Is everything alright Dora?’ asked Mark.
 ‘Well to be honest with you all, the school is not going as well as you think it is.’
 ‘What do you mean Dora? You’ve got quite a lot of students.’
 ‘Yes I know Mark, but my accountant informed me that I’m just managing to pay my overheads with a small margin left over. He reckons that within six months the school will go under if I don’t come up with a way of upping the profits.
 ‘Oh Dora, that’s awful,’ exclaimed Mark thinking to himself that his plans to ask for more work would now be up in the air.
 ‘We’ll have to come up with some kind of plan,’ said Karen. ‘You love your little school Dora and so do we. You can’t just sit back and let all your hard work and dedication go up in smoke.’
 ‘I’ve thought of just about everything and I can see no way out,’ replied Dora. ‘The school really took off when it first opened. That was thanks to my brother. He has an acquaintance – a big shot in a company in Milan – who owed him a favour or two. He was able to get me a two-year contract for incompany language courses in their Rome subsidiary also because I could provide highly targeted sector-courses. I had ten specialised teachers out there teaching all day every day. There were no overheads and no classroom space needed so that turned out to be a huge saving. When the contract came to an end my brother was promised that new courses would be starting up soon after. That was over a year ago and there still seems to be no sign whatsoever of this happening. They keep putting it off. They say they’ve run into some administrative issues. That contract was what got the school up and running and kept it on an even keel.’
 Karen had an idea ‘Dora, you could save so much classroom space by getting those spacesaving chairs with flaps on them instead of having desks which take up so much space. You’d be able to have larger classes. More students means more money.’
 ‘I’d never really thought about that,’ replied Dora. ‘That is a good idea Karen though I wonder how much they’d set me back.’
 ‘We could have a look on internet and maybe find a good deal.’
 ‘That sounds excellent Karen. Thanks for this suggestion.’ ‘You could also start some early morning and late night courses Dora?’ Mark suggested. ‘The school is open from ten in the morning ‘til eight thirty in the evening. You could have an extra two classes in the morning; one from eight o’ clock until nine o’clock and another from nine o’clock until ten o’clock. That would be an extra twenty students, that is, if we can find enough students to fill the classes. In fact you could have an extra sixty students given that you have three classrooms in the school. And in the evenings you could have another three classes from half past eight until half past nine. I’m sure there are many people who work all day and don’t manage to find the time to attend daytime language courses.’
 ‘That sounds like a good idea Mark, but I’m already in the school enough hours as it is. Any more hours and I would end up having a breakdown.’
 ‘If you trust me enough Dora I could open the school early in the morning and do two of the classes and one of the late evening classes as well. I can get to the school in just fifteen minutes. You could come in at ten and go home at eight like you’re already doing. That way you wouldn’t tire yourself out too much.’
 ‘Seeing that I’m already here in the evening I could stay on and do one of the extra evening classes,’ said Karen. ‘You’ve got four other teachers who I’m sure would be more than willing to do the other classes. Everyone could do with a bit of extra work. You can’t give up Dora. Not now after investing over three years of hard work.’
 ‘We’d need to find new students pretty quickly. It takes time to get the right level of students for each class. It’s not just something that can magically happen overnight,’ said Dora. ‘It takes quite a bit of planning and good organisation.’
 ‘Hey Dora, what about if I were to go down and stand outside Termini station and hand out flyers,’ Mark said. ‘There are thousands of people coming and going from the train station and underground all day long.’
 ‘Yes Mark,’ said Dora ‘but there is one problem when it comes to handing out flyers. Most people just screw them up into balls and chuck them away.
 For every one hundred flyers we’d be lucky to recruit one student. Statistics have proven this.’
 ‘But they are the most cost effective type of advertising Dora.’ 
 Mark continued. ‘How about if I were to get a brightly coloured eyecatching T-shirt made – with the school advertised on it along with its phone number? Maybe bright red or something with white writing. People would see at a glance what the flyers were all about. I could even get the Union Jack printed on it. That would certainly draw attention.’
 ‘Great idea,’ said Maria. ‘I could come with you when I’m free. You could maybe offer something free. Not many people turn down free offers.’
 ‘Yes,’ said Karen. That does sound like a really great idea. Maybe we could organise ten hours of free conversation, or something like that, to the lucky winner. Participants would be new subscribers to the courses. We could have a draw, with the students present, and pull out the winner.’
 Karen had another idea. ‘Why don’t we get a whole batch of level tests printed out to hand out along with the flyers? Let’s say a grammar and reading test that they could do at home and the listening and speaking test they would have to come down to the school to do. That would be a good way to get their interest up and at the same time lure them into the school.’
 ‘Who would do all those free hours,’ chimed in Dora.’
 ‘I would,’ said Mark. ‘Don’t forget I’ve got plenty of time on my hands and I live so close to the school now – just four underground stops away so I can get here in a jiffy. You could also have Saturday morning classes. Think about how many people would be interested. You’ve got nothing to lose Dora and everything to gain. Let’s give it a try.’
 Dora finally agreed to put the plan into action with the help of what she now called “her three guardian angels”.
 ‘Mark, get the pasta ready. I’m starving,’ said Karen. ‘It’s almost nine thirty. We’ve been chatting away for over an hour.’ ‘Yes,’ added Maria. ‘My stomach’s rumbling. I haven’t eaten a thing since breakfast time.’
 ‘Don’t worry,’ said Mark. ‘The sauce is ready and the parmesan cheese is grated. I just have to toss the spaghetti into the pot.’
 The pot was already filled with water and sitting on the stove. Mark lit the gas and threw in the spaghetti.
 ‘No Mark,’ exclaimed Dora in horror. ‘You must wait until the water boils. Never ever put pasta in cold water.’
 Mark had never thought about this. Back home in Liverpool he’d always put the pasta directly into the cold water.
 ‘Really,’ he replied. ‘I didn’t know that.’
 ‘Yes,’ Maria added. ‘Always wait until the water boils.’
 ‘I would never have thought. It’s true what they say. You learn something new every day,’ he replied.
 Mark heated up the Bolognese sauce and took the grated parmesan cheese out of the fridge. He’d also bought some cooked turkey slices and Russian salad so he wouldn’t have to waste time cooking the second course. The trifle was in a dish in the fridge. He’d found an extremely simple recipe on the web.
 They all sat eating the pasta. ‘What do you think of my cuisine skills,’ asked Mark.
 ‘They’re very good,’ said Dora, ‘but the spaghetti is a bit overcooked. Here in Italy we eat our pasta “al dente” – to the bite. So if you want my advice, next time cook it according to the instructions on the packet and taste it from time to time to makes sure it doesn’t go soggy. And remember to wait until the water boils before adding the pasta. This could account for the sogginess.’
 ‘Thank you ma’am, I will do, I will.’
 They all enjoyed the meal, despite the spaghetti being rather soggy, but they especially liked the trifle. It’s quite similar to the Italian “tiramisu”,’ said Maria.
 ‘Yes it is as a matter of fact,’ added Dora.
 At eleven o’clock the girls and Dora said their goodbyes to Mark and thanked him for such a wonderful evening. Dora offered to give them a lift home but Karen wouldn’t hear of it. ‘You live on the opposite side of town Dora so please don’t put yourself out for us. We can get the underground to the last stop and then catch a bus. We’ll be home in next to no time. Thanks anyway for offering.’
 Dora was quite thankful they hadn’t accepted. She didn’t feel comfortable driving at night and it would have meant quite a round trip. She’d only offered out of politeness.
 Mark cleared up the table and put the dishes in the sink. He’d wash them in the morning. It was time to get a good night’s sleep. He went to bed tired but happy. He went over Maria’s words in his head. Had she really said she’d help him give out the flyers? Yes she had. It wasn’t a figment of his imagination. She’d definitely said it. But she had added, ‘if I have time.’ He knew she worked in the primary school until four and spent a couple of evenings down at the English school. Maybe one of these days they could arrange to meet early evening and hand out the flyers and level tests. It would be nice for them to spend some time together alone for a bit to get to know each other on a deeper level, and why not, maybe exchange their first kiss.
 Maria could go more into detail about the courses for those who did not speak much English. Mark only knew a few phrases in Italian. He carried his phrasebook everywhere he went but it just wasn’t enough. He’d have to start learning the language properly. Maybe the time had come to enrol on an Italian language course, he thought to himself.
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GLOSSARY – PHRASAL VERBS
Account for – explain/justify
Be (all) about – concerning
Chime in – interject a conversation to express one’s opinion
Chop up – cut into small pieces
Chuck away – discard of (colloquialism)
Clear up – remove things and make tidy
Come back – return
Come to an end – reach termination
Come up with – find a way/think of a solution
End up –be or do something in the end/an unplanned end result of something/eventually
Eye up – slowly look from top to bottom and then from bottom to top 
Get down to – start to do something that requires attention
Give out – distribute
Give up – renounce/quit
Go over – carefully think about something
Go under – go bankrupt/when a business fails
Go with (something) – complement
Hand out – distribute by hand
Head for – go in the direction of
Heat up – make hot
Lure (somebody) in – use something as bait to tempt a person to go somewhere or do something
Put (something) off – postpone/change for a later date
Put (oneself) out – inconvenience oneself
Put up with – tolerate
Rummage around – to search chaotically for something amongst other objects by moving and turning everything over and leaving an untidy mess in the process of doing so.
Run into (difficulties) – unexpectedly encounter
Scrunch up – compress and crumple into a ball
Set (someone) back – cost (colloquialism)
Show (someone) around – when a person doesn’t know a place and is seeing it for the first time, ‘show around’ means that you lead the person around the different parts so he/she can see it all, you act rather like a guide
Sit back – watch a bad situation and do nothing about it
Start up – to undertake a business venture/make an activity become operational
Stop off – visit and stay briefly at a place
Take off1 – remove
Take off2 – make sudden progress
Take up – occupy space or timeTalk (someone) into (doing something) – persuade someone to do something
Tire out – become/make exhausted
Turn down – lower (the volume)
Turn down – refuse/decline
Turn out (to be) – reveal to be
Turn up – arrive/appear
Wake up – finish sleeping
Walk out on (someone) – leave/abandon someone usually by leaving the home you share with the person
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GLOSSARY – IDIOMS AND EXPRESSIONS
A big shot – an important, influential person
After all – gives emphasis to a point by adding an additional reason - similarto ‘when all is said and done’. It reinforces and supports what was said before
All day long – from the morning until the evening
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy – an expression used when someone works all the time and never does anything enjoyable such as going out for an evening with friends. ‘Dull’ in this context means ‘uninteresting’.
Along with – together with
As a matter of fact – used to give emphasis, similar in meaning to ‘actually’/to be honest with you
Be in good spirits – be happy and cheerful/in a good mood
Could do with (something) – be in need of/have the desire for
Fancy someone (like mad) – be really attracted to
From time to time – occasionally/at regular intervals
Get to know – to begin to know a person on a deeper level
Have time on (one’s) hands – have a period of time with nothing to do
In next to no time – almost immediately/very quickly
Get to work on (something) – initiate (similar to the above expression ‘get down to’)
Give a lift to (someone) – accompany from A to B by car or other means of transport
Go soggy – become horribly soft, usually for pasta that is overcooked or biscuits and cereal that have been exposed to the air for some time
Go up in smoke – evaporate into nothing
In a jiffy – very soon
Keep (something) on an even keel – keep stability/maintain balance/keep control of
Make a lucky escape – succeed in avoiding a bad situation/ narrowly escape danger or an unpleasant situation
Make (one’s) way to a place – begin to go in the direction of
No way out – see no solution to a problem
Not hear of (something) – not permit
Thanks a lot but you shouldn’t have – English people usually say this when someone gives them a gift
The real McCoy – the genuine thing
Up and running – in operation
Up in the air – end with no solution
With hindsight – be able to understand a situation only at a later moment