Tip 221 ”on your toes” 無料ビジネス英語学習

Hey, everyone! Welcome to this Bizmates words and phrases video series

and today's idiom is
on your toes.

You know, the toes of your feet
and to be "on your toes"

you know, like a ballerina. Like...

I can't do it. I can't do it, but to be on your toes

yeah, that's what it literally means. But
that's not the real meaning of this idiom.

So what does this mean? We will find out
but first let's do our review test.

OK, so I'm speaking to my colleague, or
you, and I say:

Where should I put this document?
Where should I put it?

and you want to tell me to put it in the garbage
but you don't say "garbage"

because it's kind of dirty.
So what do you say?

Five seconds. Go!

The answer...
There you go.

Yeah, it goes to file 13.

OK, I hope you said it like that.

It means to put it in the garbage, alright?
File 13.

OK let's go on to today's idiom
on your toes.

Now here's what I sometimes hear:

so let's imagine that our company
is launching a new system.

An important new big... there's a big project,
we're launching the system

and I say to Taro:

Hey, are we launching the new system now?

And Taro says:

Not yet but be ready.

This is OK, "be ready"

So we might launch in two minutes.
We might launch in one hour

but be ready. Be prepared.

You know, it's fine -- the sentence is fine

but just to make it sound a little more natural

instead of just "be ready"

We can say this.

So I say:

Are we launching the new system now?
And Taro says:

Not yet, but be on your toes.

Very natural!
Be on your toes.

So it means to be on high alert.
To be ready, you know?

OK, just like for example a martial artist.

You know, like a karate fighter?

They're trained to always be on their toes.

you know, something happens...

you know, they're ready.
OK, that's what it means.

Be on your toes.

OK, so let's look at pronunciation

it's just
Not yet.

but beon your toes.
Beon... your toes.

Not yet, but be on your toes.
You try...

Good.
Okay, with my question:

Are we launching the new system now?

Okay, okay. I'll be on my toes.

Perfect.


Alright, so for homework, okay?


I want you to tell me:
When do you need to be on your toes?


When do you need to be really ready?


OK, think of a situation like that.


You know, it could be in a meeting with the president.


The president is joining the meeting,
so I need to be on my toes.

I'm ready for any comments or questions
or feedback.

Okay? Or in my case when I go overseas.
You know, I've been in Japan for such a long time


that I feel so relaxed and carefree
whenever I walk in the streets

but when I go back home to Canada, my hometown

you know, I I feel like I need to be on my toes.

It's been so long since I lived there
that I feel like I need to...

make sure where I am so I don't get lost.

To make sure where my wallet is so no one takes it.

Or my cellphone, or my camera...

You know, I'm always on my toes.

OK so tell me a situation like that

When do you need to be on your toes?

Alright, so please practice this and
we'll see you in the next lesson

Thank you.