M: Hey, Li Hua, Come on in. How’re you doing?
L: 我挺好。你怎么样？对了,你下午想干什么？
M: Ah, I’ve got a meeting with the big guns this afternoon. They want to talk to me about continuing to work here after graduation.
L: 我听懂了你后面的一句话，他们要跟你谈关于毕业后回来工作的事。那真是太好了。可是，你刚才说今天下午要跟谁开会？
M: Yea, I’m meeting with my bosses. Sometimes we call them the big guns of the office.
L: 噢，你要跟你的几个老板开会。你们把老板叫做the big guns!
M: It’s an expression that can be used to describe powerful people.
L： 噢， 那是指权力很大的人， 也就是大人物。那么，总统的顾问能称为big guns吗？
M: Yes, a president’s advisors are big guns. But it can also be used in sports. In soccer the stars of a team are the big guns.
L: Big guns 还能用在体育方面。
M: OK, let me show you around the rest if the office.
L: 你要带我去看看这公司的大楼，那太好了。Let’s go!
M: This is the conference room. We had a meeting here yesterday on our plan for a new building. The project leader quarterbacked the meeting.
L: 等等，你说这是会议室，你们昨天在这里开了一个会， 讨论盖一栋新楼的计划。可是，你还说那项目主任是踢美式足球的，是quarterback，四分卫，对不对？
M: No, no, no! Quarterback here is a verb, meaning to lead. The word quarterback is borrowed from American football, where the quarterback leads the team.
L: 噢，quarterback 在这里是动词，意思是领导。你说这里的 quarterback 是从美式足球里借来用的，因为quarterback在球队里是 主力。你刚才是怎么说的？
M: The project leader quarterbacked the meeting.
L: 现在我听清楚了，你刚才说的是：项目领导人主持会议。
那么，to quarterback 还能用在别处吗？
M: To quarterback is business slang. If someone is responsible for a group working on a new project that individual is quarterbacking the team.
L: 知道了，to quarterback 是用在商业方面的。要是某人负责一个新项目，这个人就是在领导这个项目的小组。要是某人在一个法律事务所主持会议，那该怎么说呢？
M: Someone quarterbacked the meeting at the law firm.
L: 你们公司的一位重要领导主持会议，讨论公司的收入报告，这又该怎么说？
M: The company’s big gun quarterbacked the meeting about their revenue report. Hey, I need to get back to work. I’ll call you later.
L: 好吧，那就再见吧！希望你将来成为a big gun.
M: Oh, yea, I’m sure soon I’ll be quarterbacking every meeting and every project.
L: 你真的当真呐！ 还想主持所有会议，总管所有项目。得啦，再见吧！
Michael 和李华在对话中用了两个常用语，一个是：the big guns， 意思是大人物，对决策有重大影响的人；另一个是：to quarterback，意思是主持会议，或总管项目。这次“流行美语”就播讲到这里。下次节目再见。