Summary:
Grace confirms that some former A&A employees have returned to the company, and says such people are called boomerangers. Collins says going back to work for a former employer is increasingly common lately. And Lyons describes how historically US companies didn't take back former staff. He says some companies still don't. And Grace says certain businesses even have a written policy not to rehire former employees.


bump into
誰々に出くわす、誰々にばったり会う
H: Meet without planning to. Meet coincidently. Once I bumped into a college classmate in Tokyo Station. How's that for a coincidence?
Run into can be used the same way. "I ran into Jerry in the cafeteria today."
S: bump intoのbumpというのは擬声語ですね。ドーンといったような音を表すわけなんですけれど。誰々にドンとぶつかる、衝突するということですが、そこから、偶然意図せずに出会うということですね。


on the payroll
雇用されて
H: Lyons means are they back working for us now? This expression can also be used to emphasize that someone is being paid.
Imagine a person who's accused of insider trading. You say "She's been suspended but she's still on the payroll until the investigation is finished." So she's still being paid.
S: payrollというのはいくつかの意味がありますね。辞書を見ると、給与支払い名簿とかですね、支払い台帳という訳が載っています。また同時に従業員に対する支払い給与総額もpayroll、それと従業員総数もpayrollで表されるわけですね。ですから、reduce the payrollと言えば、給与支払い額を減少させる、ということで、レイオフなどの婉曲語としても使われます。


That's a nice way of putting it.
それは良い言い方ですね、上手な言い方ですね。
H: This expression has two main meanings. McMillan means "Oh that's a nice expression. That's a nice way to say it." But we also use it when someone is being nice when the truth is much harsher. Like imagine a meeting that was a huge failure. I say "Well, that didn't go well." And you reply "That's a nice way of putting it. It was a disaster."
S: ビニェットの中では、上手い言い方、婉曲的な言い方ですね、という意味で言っているわけなんですけれど。もうひとつの用法として、いまヘザーさんが言ったのは、「それは随分控えめな表現ですね」という感じ。本当は"disaster"だったのに、それを控えめな言い方をした、といった時にこのフレーズを使うことがありますね。そういった控えめな表現のことを、understatementとも言いますね。


retread
(俗) 再雇用者、再就職者、復職者
S: retreadというと何を思い出すかというと、アメリカ人であれば、再生タイヤ、古くなったタイヤを再生して使うタイヤのことですね。
H: Retread sounds bad because using old ideas, content that have been used before. "That meeting was just a retread of earlier discussions." "This film is a retread of many other horror movies."
S: retreadと同じような意味で、rehashという言葉も使いますね。


be all the rage
大流行している、大人気である、盛んである
H: It's the latest popular trend. Something that's very popular lately. "Hot yoga is all the rage these days." "Why neckties are all the rage now."
S: このrageというのは「怒り」という意味ですね。激しい怒りのことをrageと言うんですけれど。be all the rageというイディオムで使うと、「大流行」「大人気」という意味になりますね。


That's been the case historically.
歴史的にそれは事実だった、本当だった。
H: That's what has happened in the past. That's been the case so far. And we can use just historically this way too. "This is a historically conservative region." And it can also mean in history. "Stock prices are at historically low/high levels."


in good standing
関係・信用などが良好な状態で
H: In a good position or a good condition in some profession or situation. If I'm a member in good standing of a club, that means I've paid all my membership fees, and I meet all the requirements for membership, that sort of thing.

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