What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

PART 1 Expressions

1. It's Penick's indelible description of the cornerstone of the golf swing.

indelible: [ɪnˈdeləbl] impossible to remove or forget

Her words left an indelible impression on me for years to come.

indelible ink/ pencil/ marker: ink etc that makes a permanent mark which cannot be removed

2. Some thought Clarke was grandstanding.

grandstanding: (n.)  (especially in business, politics etc) an action that is intended to make people notice and admire you 哗众取宠的行为

His opening the new school is just a piece of political grandstanding.

grandstand:(v.) 哗众取众；(n.)（运动场的）大看台

3. The apology gave him and the people he was addressing a sense of closure.

closure: 这里是指（因困境结束或事情得到妥善处理的）宽慰，如释重负

The conviction of their son's murderer helped to give them a sense of closure.

4. I'm puzzled that anyone was surprised by the emotional wallop packed into his mea culpa.

wallop:  [ˈwɒləp] (n./v.) 1. 猛击；痛打; 2. (比赛中) 彻底击败某人

We walloped them 6-0.

mea culpa: [ˌmeɪə ˈkʊlpə] 拉丁语，我的过失；我应负的责任 used humorously to admit that sth is your fault

5. Of all the charges you level at me, the third is the one that pains me most.

level charges/ criticism/ accusations etc at/ against sb: to aim criticism etc at a particular person, country etc, especially publicly

the criticism levelled at the United States

Serious allegations were levelled against the minister.

6. The wives again interceded, begging Vince to read the letter.

intercede：（v.）调解；斡旋；

intercede (with A) (for/ on behalf of B): 为了B向A说情

They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees.

interceder: (n.) 调解者；仲裁者

7. The logic behind this is, as I've explained in Chapter 3, cognitive dissonance: To recap, we view people in a manner that is consistent with our previous existing stereotypes, whether it is positive or negative.

dissonance: [ˈdɪsənəns] 不协和（音）；不谐和  (a.) dissonant

(OPP) consonance, consonant

In acoustics he studied the propagation of sound and musical consonance and dissonance.

recap: (v.) to repeat the main points of sth that has just been said 扼要重述

Let me just recap on what we've decided so far.

8. So we opened the bottle, decanted it, poured it into sparkling crystals. and then eagerly tasted it.

decant：to pour liquid, especially wine, from one container to another 

He decanted the rich red liquid into a pair of glasses.

decant the wine

9. The wine was totally bland.

bland: 1. food that is bland has very little taste 清淡的；无滋味的；eg, a bland diet

2. without any excitement, strong opinions, or special character SYN dull 平淡的， 乏味的

a few bland comments, a bland statement

a bland smile

10. These three phrases are the sine qua non of getting things done.

sine que non: [ˌsɪneɪ kwɑ: ˈnəʊn] 拉丁语，必要条件（sth that you must have, or which must exist before sth else can happen）

The control of inflation is a sine qua non for economic stability.

11. It takes time and relentless persuasion for any idea to gain traction.

traction: 1.牵引；拉力; 2. （轮胎对地面的）附着摩擦力

The tires were bald(= completely worn) and lost traction on the wet road.

3. if a new idea or thing gains traction, it becomes accepted by or popular with more and more people

The idea of changing the structure of the school year is gaining traction.

12. I'm not asking people to obfuscate or display selective memory or avoid questions.

obfuscate: [ˈɒbfʌskeɪt]  (v.) 混淆，使困惑 to deliberately make sth unclear or difficult to understand SYN confuse

It is more likely to obfuscate people than enlighten them.

obfuscation: (n.)

13. It may be patently obvious to you, but it takes a lot more than a few weeks of behavioral modification for people to notice the new you.

patent:（n.） 专利；

（a.）1.有专利的；2.明显的 SYN obvious, 通常是用于修饰负面的东西 eg, patent lie/ nonsense/ impossibility

To say that the proposal has no disadvantages at all is patently true.

It was patently obvious that she was lying.

PART 2 Sentences

Finally, our oenophile(品酒的行家) host explained that some truly great wines, which can last for decades and tend to improve with age, go through a "dumb period" when the wine goes to sleep for a few years and then wakes up and improves dramatically in the bottle. It happens anywhere from age 6 to 18 years, depending on the wine. 

It's the same with any project you undertake at work, whether it's a campaign of personal change or an initiative that can transform your company. The best ideas are like great wines. They improve with age. But they can also go through a dumb period when they need time to settle and sink in.