在外企，當你的同事對你說， I’ll pencil you in ，可不是要你把鉛筆給他；而是他在和你“約開放的時間安排，暫定”（making a tentative appointment）
之所以這裡用pencil，是因為約會標註在日曆上的圈，可以隨時擦掉（because the appointment can be erased）,所以暗指你倆的行程安排是暫定，非確定的（non-confirmed）
這句話的隱藏意思是“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是什麼意思？
當年《紙牌屋》這部美劇，帶火了一個詞“黨鞭”，例如多數黨黨鞭- the majority whip; 那Pencilwhip又是什麼意思？鉛筆鞭子？
Pencilwhip- 指“人為偽造工作記錄，顯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.
那針對相似的意思“磨洋工、摸魚”，該如何表達呢？
1.Pay lip service- 光說不練，嘴皮子功夫耍得溜
2.Drag one’s feet- 半天不動一步，磨蹭
3.Bide one’s time- 拖延，等事情自己過去
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.
那與pencilwhip相似的詞組“crack the whip”是什麼意思呢？
Crack the whip: 發號施令，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.
【近義詞組】
Lay down the law: 立規矩，發號施令 (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
如何表達“與人預約和定時間”？
- 預約時間會面
可以說make an appointment / set an appointment
而對一個人來說，能否見面或確定預約，最重要的就是check his schedule （查自己的行程安排），以確定他是否有空（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
- 如何表達創造時間窗口，加塞一個預約？
可以說work me in / fit me in
- Is there no way to work me in? 沒辦法加塞下嗎？
- I can offer you an hour on Saturday, but if you need longer, I won’t be able to fit you in. 如果你需要更長的時間，那我就安排不了了。
最後，如何表達一個人很忙，有兩個甚至多個預約和會議呢？
可以說：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.
