用法学习: 1. sustenance [ˈsʌstɪnən(t)s] 食物, 营养, 支持 I. Sustenance means the food, drink, or nourishment that people, animals, and plants need to live, grow, and stay healthy. food, or the energy and other things food provides people and animals to keep them strong and healthy: The ranch animals get a lot of their sustenance from grazing. The state provided a basic quantity of food for daily sustenance, but little else. During this freezing weather, the food put out by householders is the only form of sustenance that the birds have. II. the ability of food to provide people and animals with what they need to make them strong and healthy: A stick of celery does not provide much sustenance. III. emotional or mental support: When her husband died, she drew sustenance from/she found sustenance in her religious beliefs. 2. lop off I. If you lop something off, you cut it away from what it was attached to, usually with a quick, strong stroke. We've got to lop off the lower branches of this tree. Somebody lopped the heads off our tulips. ...men with axes, lopping off branches. His ponytail had been lopped off. II. If you lop an amount of money or time off something such as a budget or a schedule, you reduce the budget or schedule by that amount. The Air France plane lopped over four hours off the previous best time. More than 100 million pounds will be lopped off the prison building programme. fig. The city council lopped thousands of dollars from the budget. lopper: a garden tool used for cutting branches off trees, or thick stems from plants, in one quick movement: A well-used lopper, perfect for pruning, stands by the door. Put down the secateurs, and use long-handled pruning loppers instead. pair of loppers She rummaged through the gardening tools until she found a pair of loppers. A tree lopper is a long-handled pruning tool used to cut thick branches up to 2 inches in diameter from trees and shrubs. wiki: Loppers are a type of scissors used for pruning twigs and small branches, like pruning shears with longer handles. They are a larger type of manual garden cutting tool, but not as long as pole pruners (averruncators [ˌævərʌŋˈkeɪtə] in British English: Averruncators are long-handled shears or pole-mounted cutting tools used for pruning high tree branches. ). Loppers are usually operated with two hands, and have handles typically between 30 centimetres (12 in) and 91 centimetres (36 in) long to give good leverage. Some have telescopic handles which can be extended to a length of 2 m (6.6 ft), in order to increase leverage and to reach high branches on a tree. Loppers are mainly used for the pruning of tree branches with diameters less than 5 centimetres (2 in). Some of the newer lopper designs have a gear system, a compound lever system, or a ratchet drive, which increases the force applied to the blades. Etymology: The word lopper can be used in the singular or the plural, with precisely the same meaning. The plural form, most common in speech but less so in print, is a plurale tantum, and seems to be on the model of a pair of scissors. The name of the tool is derived from the verb "to lop", meaning to cut off (especially branches or twigs), which in turn is related to a noun of precisely the same form: a "lop" is a period or session of branch cutting. 3. Pilchers (Australia, New Zealand, dated): traditional waterproof covers or plastic pants worn over cloth nappies or diapers to prevent leaks. Synonym of plastic pants ("an undergarment worn over a diaper/nappy (or underwear) to prevent leakage."). 3. A bookend is an object tall, sturdy, and heavy enough that is placed at either end of a row of upright books to support or buttress them. Heavy bookends—made of wood, bronze, marble, and even large geodes—have been used in libraries, stores, and homes for centuries. The simple sheetmetal bookend (originally patented in 1877 by William Stebbins Barnard) uses the weight of the books standing on its foot to clamp the bookend's tall brace against the last book's back. In libraries, simple metal brackets are often used to support the end of a row of books. Elaborate and decorative bookends are common as elements in home decor, and may display or represent elements of the contents of the books they support. The word "bookend" is also used metaphorically to refer to any pair of similar things that mark a beginning and an end.
I, Jack Write: 1. I'm just not sure why you're asking me. Because you're our lawyer. Er, I'm your lawyer, but I'm not your late husband's lawyer. I'm sorry? Right. I assumed he would have told you. My apologies. Told me what? That your husband dis-instructed ( Disinstruct means to withdraw or cancel the instructions previously given to a professional, such as a solicitor, lawyer, or estate agent, effectively firing them or ending their representation. To officially revoke an order or cancel a professional agreement where you previously asked someone to act on your behalf. Mostly used in British and Commonwealth English legal and business settings. Can be done by a client firing their professional (e.g., a client "disinstructs" their lawyer), or sometimes by a professional deciding to stop acting for a client (also phrased as "disinstructing oneself"). It is a functional industry term rather than a formal dictionary word, so standard dictionaries often omit it even though it appears frequently in legal blogs and contracts. ) us about three months ago. The will we drew up 立的遗嘱 for him is now null and void. In fact, we shredded both copies of it in this office in early August. And I've just learnt that my late husband instructed you to write a new will for him. And I was hoping you could call me back, please. A-S-A-P. 2. Did the autopsy mention anything about it? I'm not sure they were very interested in his brain given the very large hole he had in his chest. But the big advantage of a capacity challenge, as I remember from law school, is that if we can prove it, the current will becomes invalid. It would, you'd revert to the previous version, which I presume you've seen. We drew it up together. Okay. So, first off I suggest we enter a caveat ( A caveat is a formal written objection that puts a temporary stop to a pending probate application. It prevents the court from approving the will or giving the executor authority until your concerns are heard. It generally lasts for six months unless the court removes it or extends it. ) on the estate of your husband to stop probate ( Probate is an official court order from the Supreme Court of NSW that confirms a deceased person's will is valid and gives the named executor legal authority to manage and distribute the estate. In common law jurisdictions, probate is the judicial process whereby a will is "proved" in a court of law and accepted as a valid public document that is the true last testament of the deceased; or whereby, in the absence of a legal will, the estate is settled according to the laws of intestacy that apply in the jurisdiction where the deceased resided at the time of their death. ) being applied for. Okay. We should also probably instruct ( I. to order or tell someone to do something, especially in a formal way. to order or tell someone to do something, esp. in a formal way: The police have been instructed not to let anyone leave the area. be instructed to The police have been instructed to patrol the building and surrounding area. instruct sb to do sth They were instructed to remove the vehicles from the site immediately as they were causing an obstruction. II. UK to employ a lawyer to represent you in court. to employ a lawyer to deal with a legal case, and to tell them what you want them to do: We'll instruct our lawyer to draw up an agreement. III. When a judge instructs a jury, he or she tells it what the law means and how to use it. IV. to teach someone how to do something: instruct someone in something He works in a sports centre instructing people in the use of the gym equipment. I need someone to instruct me on how to use the computer. Employees will be instructed on the use of the new invoicing system that is being introduced next month. ) a capacity expert. And then if they feel the evidence you provide them with regarding your husband's behaviour over the last year or so is robust, I'm thinking we might need a second autopsy. 3. James Hibbs for the Radio Times thought that "as a character study and a family drama, it works, with enough twists and turns to keep thing[s] interesting. It may not be the most cohesive [kəʊˈhiː.sɪv] ( united and working together effectively: a cohesive group. cohesive forces. ) piece of television you see this year, with far too much going on – but it is certainly an entertaining ride nonetheless." He did not like "the flash-forward interviews ... [which] add to the sense of mystery, but also add an unnecessary layer of artificiality. Many of them look and feel both tacked on and also a bit cheap, detracting from the more impressive work done throughout the bulk of the episodes. 4. Thought she would have retired already. Not sure if money was ever Annie's primary driver 动机, 主因 ( primary driver: A primary driver is the person who operates a specific vehicle more frequently than anyone else. Occasional Driver vs Primary Driver. ). Yeah. Sorry, bad joke. 5. Emily, it's lovely to see you, but we are in the middle of an acquisition. Speckmans, yes. And given that all this will be yours one day soon Possibly. I'm sure you'd want me to be bending my mind to the job in hand. Absolutely. I just came to say I've always admired you John, immensely. And I'm so embarrassed about Friday. Obviously I had no idea that he was gonna do that, otherwise, I would have tried to persuade him against it. Because from everything I saw when I worked here, from everything I've known about you my entire life, from everything Granddad told me about you, I can't think of a better person to run this company than you. Well, that's very sweet, Emily. I'm sure Dad never said anything of the sort, but thank you for a creditable fib( fib: to tell a small lie that does not cause any harm: George was fibbing some to make things seem more exciting. I can tell he's fibbing because he's smiling! a small lie that does not cause any harm: Apart from the little fibs, she did nothing wrong. tell a fib 无伤大雅的谎话 Don't believe him - he's telling fibs again. The phrase "a creditable fib" means a believable lie or a very plausible, well-crafted untruth. Here is the breakdown of what those two words mean when put together: Creditable: This means believable, plausible, or worthy of commercial/intellectual credit. In this specific context, it means the story makes sense and is easy to accept as the truth. Fib: This is a soft, informal word for a small, relatively harmless lie or untruth. When someone tells a "creditable fib," they have spun a story that is false, but they did it so well that it sounds perfectly realistic and convincing! ). Well, it's true. But either way, my sense is I'm gonna be here for a while now, just to get my thoughts straight. So, I just wanted to say if you ever needed a friendly ea 需要倾诉, 需要发牢骚, 需要倒苦水 from a fellow chief exec, please do call. A fellow chief exec? Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. I'll get out of your hair. 6. make good I. to succeed and become rich: He's a boy from a poor background who made good on Wall Street. a working-class boy made good. II. When someone makes good something, they either pay for it, or make it happen: make good on My uncle owed thousands, but eventually he made good on all of his debts. III. If you make good some damage, a loss, or a debt 纠偏, 修复, 纠正, you try to repair the damage, replace what has been lost, or repay the debt. It may cost several billion roubles to make good the damage. IV. To amend or correct something; to make something more accurate or fair, or return it to its desired position or status. The product broke within a week, but the company made things good by refunding me straight away. I know I said some things I shouldn't have, so I'm here to make things good between us. Why would he do that to us? Right this minute I'm not entirely sure. But how he died, the fact that his old will, which I saw just a year or so ago, was totally normal, added to certain behaviours I saw in the last few months, suggest to me some sort of mental health issue. So, my guess is this isn't about either of you, or me. This is about him. About stuff going on in his head. And I promise you whatever caused him to make these awful decisions, I will get to the bottom of it, and I will make it good. 7. So, what was his shareholding? Fifty-one percent. So, you'd have control of the company? I would if I wanted that. If any challenges to the will were unsuccessful if I stayed. And are you even considering that? I don't know. Em we have a business here that we've spent the last three years developing. Our future is here, is it not? Yes, almost certainly. Jesus, what is this? I have the pitch at Ipcon tomorrow. This isn't exactly instilling me with confidence. I'm just struggling to process everything. Struggling to process what? Whether you come back to continue growing our company, or stay there to make fucking bricks? Kyle. In a failing city in a failing country? 8. Mr Wright, there's a bloke outside waiting to see you. He says he's a bailiff([ˈbeɪ.lɪf] I. (in the UK ) an official who takes away someone's possessions when they owe money. an official who takes possession of someone's property when they cannot pay their debts: They threatened to call in the bailiffs to recover the family's debts. They didn't pay their rent, so the landlord called/sent in the bailiffs. II. (in the US) an official who is responsible for prisoners who are appearing in court. III. (in the UK ) a person whose job is to take care of someone else's land or property. wiki: A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a bailiff was the Vogt. In the Holy Roman Empire a similar function was performed by the Amtmann. They are mostly known for being the officer that keeps the order in a court of law and who also administers oaths to people who participate in court proceedings. ), erm, and he wants his money, or he'll cut your cock off. Okay, er, just for future reference, Ruby, that is not generally bailiffy language. Under no circumstances let him in. 9. Because that money, the money he's given you, I think you know that's mine. In your heart 从心里, 在你心里 I think you know that. And what exactly will you be spending it on, Graham? Oh, here we go. Because that's what we're dealing with here, innit? Your preconceptions 先入为主 and fucking historical judgements. Historical? Did you say something to him? Did I what? Oh, you did, you cow. I can see it in your eyes. You absolute bitch. You turned him against me. Well, you never needed my help on that front. Oh, that's nice. From me own mother. 10. I have to ask these questions, no other people in the marriage? Nope. Always better I know upfront. No, we were very happy. Okay, so couple of top line thoughts. Your son is relatively straightforward. Josh was his child, and contesting he didn't make reasonable provision should be fairly easy. topline adj. I. so important as to be named at or near the top of a newspaper item, advertisement, or the like. a topline actor. topline news. II. of the highest reputation, importance, etc. a topline business firm. III. 顶级的. top-line goods are expensive and thought to be of high quality top-line cars such as Mercedes, BMW and Porsche. "topline thoughts" means a quick summary of the main ideas, key points, or overall impressions on a topic, without getting bogged down in minor details. Last year we focused on cost-cutting rather than revenue, but this year we need to focus on the top line. top-line revenue growth. the first line in the accounts of a company or organization, which states the amount it receives from sales, rather than its final profit or loss: The top line normally includes gross revenues before any deduction of costs or expenses. Advance orders are up 93% - that's going to help us grow the top line. bottom line 净利润或者亏损 the final line in the accounts of a company or organization, stating the total profit or loss that has been made. the total profit or loss of a company at the end of a particular period of time. the final line in the accounts of a company or organization, which states its total profit or loss: help/benefit/boost the bottom line Many companies see that becoming more energy efficient, recycling waste, and having a good corporate image can all help the bottom line. hurt/impact on/affect the bottom line When he considers a potential investment, he looks strictly at the bottom line. How will the rise in interest rates affect our bottom line? How will the rise in interest rates affect our bottom line? the bottom line the most important fact in a situation. the final result or the most important consideration of a situation, activity, or discussion: The bottom line is that they lost the game. The bottom line is that we need another ten thousand dollars to complete the project. sb's bottom line the final offer someone will accept: Before beginning a negotiation, know your bottom line. They will accept $235,000 for the house, and that's their bottom line. 11. You said you signed a preen? Yes. Er, obviously I need to look at that, see what qualifications, and exclusions, and in-the-event-ofs there are. But all being equal(All things being equal 没有意外的话, 没特殊情况的话 assuming that all other conditions or factors remain the same while you focus on one specific part of a situation. if everything happens as expected: All things being equal, I'll be at home on Tuesday. ), the changes he made would seem very unreasonable. Unless for whatever reason, the defence can show in some way they weren't. And are there any other options? Such as? Well, I am starting to wonder if he was of sound mind. You think he was mad? No, but I think he may have had dementia. 12. Did he give you any sense at all 示意, 表示( give (somebody) an impression/a sense/an idea 给暗示, 给想法, 给印象 to make someone think about something in a particular way I didn't want to give him the wrong idea about the job. The report gives us a very accurate picture of life in the inner cities.) as to why he was changing his will? No. Or changing lawyers? No, although given the changes, it's not a big leap to assume I was hired to keep the new will from his wife. So, did the new will change lot from the original one? The changes weren't many, but they were significant. Okay. So, what were they? So, his granddaughter's bequest ( 遗产份额 the money or property belonging to someone that they say that, after their death, they wish to be given to other people. money or property that someone has left to a person or organization in their will (= a document stating who will have your money and property after you die): bequest to Her will included small bequests to her family, while most of her fortune went to charity. Her will included large bequests to charity. ) went up from 5.5 percent of the company shareholding, er, to 51 percent. Basically, all of his shares. Well, that's an extraordinary shift. So, er, John's shares went from 10 percent to zero in the new will. And after I read the draft of that change back to Jack, he nodded as if to approve. And then he muttered 小声说, 嘀咕 something along the lines of, "He'll thank me for it in the end." So, her bequest went from 15 percent to zero, Joshua's from 10 percent to zero, and she lost their three properties. So, sorry, a wife doesn't automatically get 50 percent? Except there was also a pre-nup, which had various clauses and exclusions in the event of divorce or death, which were compliant 一致的, 符合的 with ( I. willing to do what other people want you to do: a compliant child. II. used to describe someone or something that obeys particular rules or laws: compliant with sth The company expects to be reclassified as soon as its factories are fully compliant with the Federal Clean Air Act. ) the will. Can I see that pre-nup, please? I'll dig it out 找出来. 12. You, me, and Sal, we hire the best lawyers. We band together, three amigos, and we get back what's rightfully 合理合法的 ours. And have you spoken to Sal? Not yet, no. But she's bound to contest it, isn't she, after what she said in the room? And you're aware that any challenge, if successful, would almost certainly mean taking money from Mum? And Emily, from your own daughter. There's a lot of dough sloshing around ("Dough 现金, 资金": A classic slang term for money. "Sloshing around 晃荡着": A term used in economics and business to describe excess liquidity or capital that is moving freely, aggressively, or loosely throughout a market. When put together, it means there is a massive amount of capital available looking for a place to be invested, spent, or deployed. slosh (of a liquid) to move around noisily in the bottom of a container, or to cause liquid to move around in this way by making rough movements. (of a liquid) to hit against the inside of a container, or to cause liquid to move around in this way: I could hear you sloshing around in the bath. We sloshed through the puddles. She sloshed (= poured without care) some more brandy into her glass. Water sloshed over the sides of the pool as the children jumped in. John sloshed juice on his jacket by pouring too fast. ), John. There's loads going to charities. Oh, that's okay then, let's take it from the poor and needy instead. I'm fucking poor, Jono. I'm needy. 13. Give us a call, big man, sooner rather than later 越早越好, 早点比晚点好, yeah? 14. Listen, if you need to head home to see your mum. No, you're alright. I've got stuff to do down here first. And it didn't sound that serious. Well, I think it's not brilliant, Gray. To be honest with you, me and me mum had a bit of a ruck ( ruck I. A ruck is a situation where a group of people are fighting or struggling. There'll be a huge ruck with the cops as they try to take photographs. Ministers will find their budgets being decided in a political ruck with their colleagues. II. In the sport of rugby, a ruck is a situation where a group of players struggle for possession of the ball. a group of players in rugby who are all together around the ball when it is on the ground: The front row is doing better in the scrum but not so good in the ruck. He served time in the sin-bin for using hands in the ruck. III. A ruck is a fold or crease in cloth or clothing. ...a small ruck in the carpet. the ruck UK ordinary people or things, that you consider boring: Carter's brilliant second novel lifted her out of the ruck. Come out from the ruck of grumblers, who just criticize and do nothing, and try to do something to help. ruck up If cloth or someone's clothing rucks up, it forms folds so that it covers a smaller area than it did before. His designer suits ruck up round his middle. His shoe had rucked up one corner of the pale rug. ) yesterday, so, I weren't in the mood to talk to him. Right, well, I think you should go and see her as soon as you can. 15. Do you know what, babe? Me appetite's gone 没胃口了. I think it's fear about Mum. Do you mind if I get that to go 拿着路上吃? Of course. 16. Graham and John have already given their consent. I understand how hard this is for you all. I mean, obviously it is for me too. So, it looks like it's all been decided. I don't even know why you're here. As a mark of respect(a mark of respect/honour/affection etc for 以表尊敬, 表示尊敬, 作为一种表示, 以示荣耀 something that happens or is done to show respect, honour etc. The plaque awarded to Grant is a mark of recognition for his years of service. There was a two-minute silence as a mark of respect for the dead. ). Hah! And to see how you were. I'm fine, lovey. But I've suddenly become very tired. So if you wouldn't mind, Emily will show you out. 17. I married him when he didn't have a pot to piss in. Sorry, Sal. She starts chemo tomorrow,
and I know she's super stressed about it. Oh, of course she is. Look, I meant it, I don't underestimate
how traumatic a thing this is to have to contemplate. Well as you say, it's for Josh. Jack left him nothing, Em, absolutely nothing. And how's he doing? Not brilliant. Could I come see them both? I think they'd love that. When are they home next? Erm, they both have an exeat ( exeat [ˈɛksɪət] 休假 I. leave of absence from school or some other institution. II. Roman Catholic Church a bishop's permission for a priest to leave his diocese in order to take up an appointment elsewhere. wiki: Exeat is used in Britain to describe leave of absence from a boarding school. It is also used at certain colleges to define a required note to take absence -- such as for entire days, parts of a day, for appointments, interviews, open days and other fixtures. Students at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and other British universities have in the past also been required to obtain such permission to leave college overnight, though such regulations are now less stringent. ) this weekend. Perfect. Saturday night? You're welcome to stay, obviously. Open offer, in fact. 18. You do know, don't you, that as primary beneficiary of the will, if you contest it, I'm the defendant? I did not know that, no. So, really, whether or not I stay here, it's gonna be partly down to whether or not you successfully sue me. Fair play, that is not ideal(nonideal [ˌnɒnaɪˈdɪəl] not ideal; real. not exactly right for a particular purpose, situation, or person. nonideal circumstances. ). So I suppose now's not a good time to ask for a loan, then? Just 10K, Em. I'm in a real spot. Don't, don't be like that. Be like what? Be like a daughter? Be like someone who might expect their dad to exhibit a single molecule of care. Don't you be like that. Don't you fucking be. Nice motor your friend's got. Tasty ("Tasty" = slang for attractive, good-looking, nice. "them old threes" = those old threes. BMW 3 series. ) them old threes, aren't they? 19. So, how did you feel about the will? Oh, well it was a bit of a shock. Would it be fair to say you'd expected to be the one handed the company reins? Yes, that would be fair to say. Okay. And so, you're gonna be challenging it or? Sorry why's that relevant? I'm just trying to get an idea of the strength of your feeling about it. We're exploring options. And was there any indication
before he died that he was gonna hand his shareholding, effectively your shareholding, to your niece?
