“I heard there are several vacancies in your company. Are you applying for any of them?”
“I already have. So has your friend, Sujatha.”
“I hope the two of you haven’t applied for the same post. Sujatha is a real go-getter. You don’t stand a chance against…”
“Go-getter? Is a go-getter someone who gets things?”
“A go-getter is an ambitious individual who is determined to be successful. This rather enterprising individual, in order to achieve his goals, takes matters into his own hands, instead of waiting for things to happen.”
“In other words, a go-getter takes the initiative. Acts before others do.”
“Sometimes, very aggressively. This individual is full of energy, exudes a great deal of confidence, and is good at dealing with problems. Here’s an example. My cousin has a startup, and he is keen on hiring a few go-getters.”
“Sujatha, as you rightly pointed out, is a go-getter. So, it’s not surprising that in the past few months, several companies approached her for...”
“Are the two of you competing for the same job? If so, what…”
“As far as I know, up to date, she hasn’t applied for the posts that I have.”
“You don’t say ‘up to date’ when you mean ‘till now’. It’s better to say, ‘to date’. To date, Sujatha hasn’t applied for any of the posts I have’.”
“To date, there has been no news about the missing plane.”
“That’s a good example. There are many people who prefer to use ‘until now’ instead of ‘to date’. For example, ‘Until now, we haven’t received any complaints from our customers’.”
“How about this example? To date, we haven’t had any problem with the car.”
“That’s a good example. I’m happy that you and Sujatha haven’t applied for the same post.”
“So am I! I would have had no chance against her.”
“So, how are things, otherwise? Have you finally managed to get some time off in order to visit your parents? You’ve been planning a trip for quite a while, now.”
“I know. But things have been crazy at work. Will talk to my boss this week and get her to…”
“That’s what you said last week. It seems to me you’re not keen on making a trip to Chennai. You’ve been dragging your feet quite a bit. I don’t understand…”
“Dragging my feet? What are you talking about? I never walk slowly, I always…”
“You always walk briskly. That’s true! When you accuse someone of ‘dragging their feet’ regarding something, what you’re saying is that they’re deliberately delaying doing things in order to…”
“Let me guess! They’re deliberately slowing things down because they really don’t want to do it. They’re very reluctant.”
“Excellent! That’s one of the meanings of the informal expression ‘drag one’s feet’. Here’s an example. Several big companies have been dragging their feet over the issue of promoting women to senior positions.”
“The police are dragging their feet over filing charges against the Chief Minister’s son.”
“Even policemen are scared of our politicians, I guess. It’s also possible to say, ‘drag one’s heels’ instead of ‘feet’. For several decades, our government dragged their heels over banning cigarette advertising.”
“That’s true!
upendrankye@gmail.com
