Crunch time: The English We Speak

Feifei: Hello I’m Feifei and this is
The English We Speak.
Rob: And hello, this is Rob. And it’s an
important day in the office today, isn’t it Feifei?
Feifei: Err, is it?
Rob: Yes, it is! Remember that big project
we’ve all been working on?
Feifei: Errr. A big project?
Rob: Yes, well it’s crunch time.
Feifei: Oh great – I’m starving. I’ll get my crisps.
Rob: No, I didn’t say ‘lunch time’.
Feifei: I know. You said ‘crunch time’ –
time to start crunching these delicious
crisps. I love crisps.
Rob: No, no – I didn’t mean it’s time to crunch
crisps. Crunch time is an important or
critical time when a decisive or difficult
decision has to be made. And it’s crunch
time for our big project.
Feifei: If you say so, Rob. Why don’t I
finish these crisps while we hear some
examples of the expression ‘crunch time’?
We’ve reached crunch time in our
relationship – I’m going to ask my
boyfriend to move in with me. I wonder
what he’ll say?
The team are doing well but come crunch
time, will they score that vital goal?
It’s crunch time for us tomorrow – that’s
when we find out if our building plans
have been approved.
Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English. We’re finding out
about the expression ‘crunch time’, which
describes an important moment in a
situation where a difficult or
decisive decision has to be made.
But, Rob, I’m still not clear why it’s crunch
time for our big office project?
Rob: Come on, Feifei, you know –
the project we’ve been working on for
months.
Feifei: Oh, you mean the biscuit project?
Rob: Exactly! We have to decide today
which biscuits we’re going to buy for our
meetings. And if we don’t order them
today, we won’t have anything
to eat in tomorrow’s meeting.
Feifei: So, Rob, your crunch time is just
about what you’ll be crunching tomorrow.
You really need to change your priorities.
I think I’ve reached ‘crunch time’ in this
programme.
Rob: What’s that? You’ve got a big
decision to make?
Feifei: Yes – to finish this programme or
finish my crisps?
Rob: Shall we just eat the crisps?
Feifei: OK. Bye.
Rob: Bye. Pass them over then!