Shovels and sh-loads of work! --- I love this anecdote, Mohammad, thanks for sharing!

I also love the fact that every body's comments focus on the need for more context to be certain of the intended meaning.

The majority of you agree that the guest is probably refusing the coffee. The reasoning is probably along the lines of: Coffee has caffeine; caffeine keeps you awake; if you don't sleep enough you don't have a clear head; without a clear head you can't do your work well; since the guest has a lot of work to do, they had better not take the risk of drinking coffee. So, "no thank you!"

This is an apologia (an explanation) which is often what is used to beef up an excuse.

So sorry that the cow's death is imminent, Mohammad!

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu