Using English at Work：58 Socializing with Coworkers(4)

"Chips and dip" is a plate with a lot of potato chips or perhaps tortilla chips that are fried¹ in oil and salted.

The dip is a creamy sauce²; for example, the sauce may be made with onions and sour cream. There are many different types of dip.

We use the chips to pick up a little bit of dip and then we eat the chip and the dip together. I love chips and dip!

When I see a lot of deep-fried foods and chips and dip, I load up and go back to the table.

"To load up" means³ to put a lot of something on your plate, or perhaps in a container, or something that can hold other things.

For example, if I'm moving from one apartment to another,

I would load up my car with things from my old apartment to take to my new apartment.

I'm putting as many things as I can into my car.

When I get to my new apartment, then I would "unload," or take those things out of my car and put them in the apartment.

In this lesson, I'm loading up by putting a lot of food on my plate.

Then I go back to the table where my coworkers are and I say, "I'm going to eat this all by myself. You can't have any!"

No, I don't say that! I'm a nice person so I let them eat the food also.

One of the guys, or male coworkers, is Brian. We use the word "guy" to informally⁴ refer to a man.

Brian starts to grumble⁵ about work.

"To grumble" means to complain quietly, or sometimes not so quietly, about something.

You're not saying it very loudly so that everyone can hear you, but you're indicating that you are unhappy by the things you say.

In this case, Brian is grumbling⁶, probably talking about the reasons why he doesn't like his job.

Brian also starts to bad-mouth the boss.

1 fried   

adj.油煎的；油炒的

参考例句：

• I ate everything fried.所有油炸的我都吃。
• I prefer fried peanuts.我选择炸花生。

2 sauce   

n.酱油，酱汁；调味汁

参考例句：

• Some cream will enrich the sauce.在调味汁里加一些奶油会使其味道更加丰富。
• This sauce is too thick-- add some milk.调味汁太稠，再加点奶.

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 informally   

adv.非正式地；不拘礼节地；通俗地

参考例句：

• You will have a chance to circulate and chat informally. 你们会有机会四处走动一下，互相聊聊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The senator addressed the gathering informally. 那位参议员非正式地向与会者发表演说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 grumble   

vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声

参考例句：

• I don't want to hear another grumble from you.我不愿再听到你的抱怨。
• He could do nothing but grumble over the situation.他除了埋怨局势之外别无他法。

6 grumbling   

adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的

参考例句：

• She's always grumbling to me about how badly she's treated at work. 她总是向我抱怨她在工作中如何受亏待。
• We didn't hear any grumbling about the food. 我们没听到过对食物的抱怨。