在外企，当你的同事对你说， I’ll pencil you in ，可不是要你把铅笔给他；而是他在和你“约开放的时间安排，暂定”（making a tentative appointment）
之所以这里用pencil，是因为约会标注在日历上的圈，可以随时擦掉（because the appointment can be erased）,所以暗指你俩的行程安排是暂定，非确定的（non-confirmed）
这句话的隐藏意思是“I’ll pencil you in( to my schedule book)”
例句：
A. Hey, can I come up to your big fancy office and make fun of you?
B. Er. I’m kind of busy this week. Tell you what, I’ll pencil you in for 4:30 on Thursday.
Pencilwhip是什么意思？
当年《纸牌屋》这部美剧，带火了一个词“党鞭”，例如多数党党鞭- the majority whip; 那Pencilwhip又是什么意思？铅笔鞭子？
Pencilwhip- 指“人为伪造工作记录，显得自己真的做了某事”The act of falsifying documents for work that was in fact not really done at all.
例句：Instead of doing the job as required the mechanic pencilwhipped the paperwork, so his boss would think he really did the job.
那针对相似的意思“磨洋工、摸鱼”，该如何表达呢？
1.Pay lip service- 光说不练，嘴皮子功夫耍得溜
2.Drag one’s feet- 半天不动一步，磨蹭
3.Bide one’s time- 拖延，等事情自己过去
例句：A few of old men thought they could wait Mullay out—pay lip service to his reforms, but drag their feet and bide their time.
那与pencilwhip相似的词组“crack the whip”是什么意思呢？
Crack the whip: 发号施令，威逼 (to use your authority to make someone work harder or behave better)
Eg. We are two months behind schedule, so I decide it’s time to crack the whip.
【近义词组】
Lay down the law: 立规矩，发号施令 (to tell people what they must do, without caring about their opinions)
Eg. Some parents choose to talk things through with their kids instead of simply laying down the law
如何表达“与人预约和定时间”？
- 预约时间会面
可以说make an appointment / set an appointment
而对一个人来说，能否见面或确定预约，最重要的就是check his schedule （查自己的行程安排），以确定他是否有空（available）
例句：
A. Hey! I would like to make an appointment with Mr. Johnson on this Tuesday morning!
B. Ok, let me check his schedule first. Oh, I am sorry, Mr. Johnson will be not available at that time
- 如何表达创造时间窗口，加塞一个预约？
可以说work me in / fit me in
- Is there no way to work me in? 没办法加塞下吗？
- I can offer you an hour on Saturday, but if you need longer, I won’t be able to fit you in. 如果你需要更长的时间，那我就安排不了了。
最后，如何表达一个人很忙，有两个甚至多个预约和会议呢？
可以说：double-booked or triple-booked
例句：
A. Hey! I would like to make an appointment with Mr. Johnson on this Tuesday morning!
B. I'm sorry, Mr.Johnson is not avaible to meet you then, as he is double booked at that time.
