Advanced English Conversations - Robert Allans, Ahmet Mustafaoglu, Metin Emir 2019

Set (61) - You just cut to the chase!

Dialogue

Peter: I saw the mayor and told him that the state's Sunday law is a dead letter as many stores open and conduct business on that day.

Ben: Well done! You just cut to the chase!

Peter: Regarding our license, I was informed that we still need two signatures to be home free. Steven is tracking it and he assured me that it is in good hands.

Ben: What’s the point of all this red tape? They’re just holding us back! When on earth will we get rid of these time-worn rules?

Peter: When the pigs fly!

Vocabulary

Dead letter: an existing law or agreement that is no longer obeyed or enforced.

Cut to the chase: to reach the most important points quickly.

Home free: to succeed without difficulty or obstacles.

In good hands: In competent or safe care.

What’s the point of: to ask about the reasons for something in a negative way.

Red tape: obstructive official routine or procedure; time-consuming bureaucracy.

Time-worn: belonging to, existing, or occurring in times long past.

When the pigs fly: that will never happen.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate expressions;

dead letter

cut to the chase

home free

in good hands

what’s the point of

red tape

time-worn

when the pigs fly

a. No one does anything about it and the law becomes a ..........

b. Because of all .......... at immigration I missed my connecting flight

c. ........... studying math in school anyway? No one ever uses it in real life.

d. He gave us the same .......... speech about the need to work hard.

e. A. “Jerry said she would quit smoking”. B; “Yeah! ..........”

f. I didn't have time to chat, so I told Ben to .......... and just tell me what he wanted.

g. I'm so relieved that the scans are clean. After months of treatment, I'm finally ..........!

h. The company is ........... It will be successful for many years, because the managers are all very smart and capable people.