Accent Reduction Tips

Many of our clients at Accent Pros, who come in for accent reduction sessions, have advanced degrees and have excellent command of the English language. Given the evolving state of the English language; however, they may not understand informal slang and phrases that are regularly used in the workplace, and on various popular social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Occasionally our clients will understand the meaning of an idiom, but use it in an improper context, which could potentially have embarrassing consequences. In our continuing efforts to  feature only the most relevant and practical terms when helping you on your goals, here are three idioms that have become standard shorthand in the workplace.

Accent Reduction idiom 1 Graveyard Shift

Meaning: When you work the graveyard shift you are working early morning hours, usually a period when the majority of people are either asleep or just waking up. Typical graveyard shift hours entail working any time between midnight to 5 AM.

Example: He was asked the work the graveyard shift at the store. He had to come in at two in the morning to get everything cleaned up.

Origin: This idiom entered the American vernacular thanks to the English, as people in sixteenth century England would work during the early hours of the morning digging up old caskets in cemeteries. The bones would be transported to a designated “bone house” location in order to make room to bury someone else. When it was discovered that some people were actually being buried alive, a string with a bell attached to the end of it was placed on future corpses before burial. The night before a person was officially laid to rest, someone would stand guard over the burial site and report any bell sounds, thereby preventing accidental burials.  

Accent Reduction idiom 2 Dirty Work

Meaning: Dirty work is the work that you may complete for someone else because that person doesn’t want to do it. This usually involves work that is not very pleasant in nature but has to be done regardless.

Example: I was told to take care of cleaning out the garage for my boss even though he could do it himself. I don’t feel like doing his dirty work but I have no choice because I don’t want to lose my job.

Origin: This is slightly based off of an eighteenth century term where people in England were forced into having to clean up after the droppings of animals in a farm or other space that they were housed in. The phrase was often used to describe the nature of the work itself: dirty and unpleasant due to the strong odors and the potential for diseases to spread.

Accent Reduction idiom 3 Get Your Foot in the Door

Meaning: If you get your foot in the door then that means you are taking in a lower-level position at a workplace. This is done in the hopes that you will get the experience needed in order to reach a position that you desire to have in the future.

Example: She wanted to get her foot in the door at the fashion brand office and took a position as an assistant to a designer. She did this because she knew it would get her one step closer to someday being a designer herself.

Origin: This idiom is based on what traveling salesmen would do in order to try and get money. A salesman would go door-to-door and often put their foot in the door. This was to keep the home owner from trying to close the door and get out of the conversation quickly. The salesman would do this in the hopes that he would be afforded more time to give his sales pitch and persuade the customer to buy something. 

Accent reduction: Idioms Series

Accent Pros has a continuing series on Accent reduction tips, including common English phrases and American idioms.  Be sure to check out other blog posts to find your favorites.  Ready for a complimentary accent reduction tutorial or a free accent screening?  Check out our on-line accent reduction courses  available to students with Accent reduction goals all over the world. For consistent access to our idioms series and other Accent reduction tips Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.