Idioms Grammar Accent Reduction Business English Reading the News ESL Books

Reference Tools Where to Study lassroom !aterials ESL Teacher Talk ontact "s

I#I$!S
American English Business Idioms
For better or worse, the American workplace is full of
idioms. People dont begin a project. They get a
project off the ground. They dont call each other to
discuss progress ! they touch base. "ater, if the
project is not going well, they dont end it. They pull
the plug. #ere are some idioms you$re likely to
encounter in the workplace. They$re taken from the
book, Speak Business English Like an American, which
contains o%er &'( business)related idioms and
e*pressions. After getting to know the idioms, listen
for them in e%eryday con%ersations and look out for them in
newspapers and maga+ines.
at a %remium
at a high price, at a relati%ely high price
-*ample. /hen flat)screen tele%isions first came out, they were selling at a %remium.
&ack'of'the'en(elo%e calculations
0uick calculations, estimates using appro*imate numbers, instead of e*act numbers
-*ample. 1 don$t need the e*act numbers right now. 2ust gi%e me some &ack'of'the'en(elo%e
calculations.
3ote. This e*pression refers to the 0uick calculations one would do informally, as on the back of an
en%elope.
&elt'tightening
reduction of e*penses
-*ample. /hen worldwide demand for software decreased, 4icrosoft had to do some &elt'tightening.
)to* &ite the &ullet
to make a difficult or painful decision, to take a difficult step
-*ample. /hen demand was down, 5.6. automakers had to &ite the &ullet and cut jobs.
7rigin. This idiom comes from the military. 8uring the 9i%il /ar in the 5nited 6tates, doctors sometimes
ran out of whiskey for killing the pain. A bullet would be put in the wounded soldier$s mouth during
surgery. #e would :bite the bullet: to distract him from the pain and keep him 0uiet so the doctor could do
his work in peace.
&itter %ill to swallow
bad news, something unpleasant to accept
-*ample. After ;ina spent her whole summer working as an intern for American -*press, failing to get a
full)time job offer from the company was a &itter %ill to swallow.
&lock&uster
a big success, a huge hit
-*ample. -li "illy made a lot of money with the prescription drug, Pro+ac. 1t was a real&lock&uster.
7rigin. This term comes from the blockbuster bombs used during /orld /ar Two by the <ritish =oyal Air
Force. They were huge and created a large e*plosi%e force. <lockbuster ideas similarly create a big impact
) and hopefully don$t cause destruction like blockbuster bombs>
&rownie %oints
credit for doing a good deed or for gi%ing someone a compliment ?usually a boss or teacher@
-*ample. 6ara scored &rownie %oints with her boss by %olunteering to organi+e the company$s holiday
party.
7rigin. The junior branch of the ;irl 6couts is called the <rownies. <rownies earn credit to then earn a
badge by doing good deeds and tasks. /hen applied to adults, the meaning is sarcastic.
cash cow
a product, ser%ice, or business di%ision that generates a lot of cash for the company, without re0uiring
much in%estment
-*ample. /ith strong sales e%ery year and a great brand name, 4ercedes is a cash cow for
8aimler9hrysler.
)to* cash in on
to make money on, to benefit financially from
-*ample. 2amie 7li%er, star of the TA show The 3aked 9hef, cashed in on his popularity by writing
cookbooks and opening restaurants.
)to* clim& the cor%orate ladder
ad%ance in one$s career, the process of getting promoted and making it to senior management
-*ample. Bou want to clim& the cor%orate ladderC 1t helps to be producti%e and to look good in front of
your boss.
)to* com%are a%%les to oranges
to compare two unlike things, to make an in%alid comparison
-*ample. 9omparing a night at -cono"odge with a night at the Four 6easons is likecom%aring a%%les to
oranges. 7ne is a budget motel, and the other is a lu*ury hotel.
3ote. Bou will also see the related e*pression :compare apples to apples: which means to compare two
things of the same type. This means that you are making a %alid comparison, as opposed to when you$re
comparing apples to oranges.
crunch time
a short period when there$s high pressure to achie%e a result
-*ample. 1t$s crunch time for stem cell researchers in Dorea. 3ew go%ernment regulations may soon
make their work illegal.
dog'eat'dog world
a cruel and aggressi%e world in which people just look out for themsel%es
-*ample. Bour company fired you shortly after you had a heart attackC /ell, it$s certainly adog'eat'dog
world>
7rigin. This e*pression dates back to the E'(($s. /ild dogs were obser%ed fighting aggressi%ely o%er a
piece of food. The connection was made that people, like dogs, often compete aggressi%ely to get what
they want.
)to* dot your i+s and cross your t+s
to be %ery careful, to pay attention to details
-*ample. /hen preparing financial statements, accuracy is %ery important. <e sure to dot your i+s and
cross your t+s.
)to* drum u% &usiness
to create business, to find new customers
-*ample. 6ales ha%e been %ery slow lately. 8o you ha%e any ideas for drumming u% &usinessC
)to* face the music
to admit that there$s a problem, to deal with an unpleasant situation realistically
-*ample. -nron e*ecuti%es finally had to face the music and admit that they were in%ol%ed in some
illegal acti%ities.
)to* fast track a %ro,ect
to make a project a high priority, to speed up the time frame of a project
-*ample. "et$s fast track this %ro,ect. /e$%e heard rumors that our competitors are de%eloping similar
products.
)to* generate lots of &u--
to cause many people to start talking about a product or ser%ice, usually in a positi%e way that increases
sales
-*ample. Procter F ;amble generated lots of &u-- for its new toothpaste by gi%ing away free samples
to people on the streets of 3ew Bork 9ity.
3ote. :<u++: is a popular word for :attention.:
?to* ha(e a lot on one+s %late
to ha%e a lot to do, to ha%e too much to do, to ha%e too much to cope with
-*ample. 9arlos turned down the project, e*plaining that he already had a lot on his %late.
3ote. There is also the %ariation. to ha%e too much on one$s plate.
)the* hard sell
an aggressi%e way of selling
-*ample. 9ar salesmen are famous for using the hard sell on their customers.
3ote. The opposite of :the hard sell: is :the soft sell,: which is a sales techni0ue using little or no pressure.
)to* ,um% the gun
to start doing something too soon or ahead of e%erybody else
-*ample. The company ,um%ed the gun by releasing a new product before the results of the consumer
testing were in.
7rigin. A runner :jumps the gun: if he or she starts running before the starter$s pistol has been fired.
)to* ,um% through hoo%s
to go through a lot of difficult work for something, to face many bureaucratic obstacles
-*ample. /e had to ,um% through hoo%s to get our %isas to =ussia, but we finally got them.
)to* kee% one+s eye on the %ri-e
to stay focused on the end result, to not let small problems get in the way of good results
-*ample. 1 know it$s difficult going to class after work, but just kee% your eye on the %ri-e. At the end
of ne*t year, you$ll ha%e your 4<A.
3ote. Bou will also see the %ariation. keep one$s eyes on the pri+e.
)to* kee% something under wra%s
to keep something secret, to not let anybody know about a new project or plan
-*ample. 1$m sorry 1 can$t tell you anything about the project 1$m working on. 4y boss told me to kee% it
under wra%s.
3ote. :/raps: are things that pro%ide co%er, so if something is :under wraps: it$s co%ered up and hidden.
mum+s the word
let$s keep 0uiet about this, 1 agree not to tell anyone about this
-*ample. Please don$t tell anybody about our new project. =emember. mum+s the word>
7rigin. The word :mum: comes from the murmur :mmmmm,: the only sound you can make when your
mouth is shut firmly. Try making other sounds besides :mmmmm: with your lips and mouth shut firmly,
and you will see that it$s impossible>
my gut tells me
1 ha%e a strong feeling that, my intuition tells me
-*ample. 1t$s true that 1 don$t know him well, but my gut tells me that 2ames is the right person for the
sales director position.
3ote. The :gut: is both the intestines and stomach and also the innermost emotional response.
nothing (entured. nothing gained
1f you don$t try to do something, you$ll ne%er succeed.
-*ample. 1t$s risky to spend so much money de%eloping a new brand, but nothing (entured, nothing
gained.
on to% of trends
modern, aware and responding to the latest tastes
-*ample. The ;ap is on to% of trends. They always ha%e the latest styles in their stores.
)to* %ass the &uck
to shift the blame, to blame somebody else
-*ample. 1t$s your fault. 8on$t try to %ass the &uck>
7rigin. This e*pression comes from the world of poker. 1n the nineteenth century, a knife with a buckhorn
handle ?the :buck:@ was passed to the ne*t dealer when it was his turn to gi%e out the cards.
)to* %lug )a %roduct*
to promote a product, to talk positi%ely about a product
-*ample. American -*press often hires famous people to %lug their credit cards. 3o wonder people pay
attention to their ads>
)to* %ull one+s weight
to do one$s share of the work
-*ample. 8on$t rely on others to get your job done. Bou need to %ull your own weight.
3ote. Bou will also hear the %ariation. to pull one$s own weight.
)to* %ull the %lug
to put a stop to a project or initiati%e, usually because it$s not going well, to stop something from mo%ing
forward, to discontinue
-*ample. After losing millions of dollars drilling for oil in 3ebraska and finding nothing, the oil company
finally %ulled the %lug on its e*ploration project.
7rigin. This e*pression refers to remo%ing a plug to make something stop working ) when you pull the
plug out of the wall, your appliance doesn$t work. 1n the EGth century, when this term originated, the plug
was for a toilet. To flush the toilet, you had to pull out a plug.
)to* %ut a stake in the ground
to take the first step, to make a big mo%e to get something started, to make a commitment
-*ample. 7ur business in 9alifornia has grown steadily o%er the past two years. 3ow is the time to %ut a
stake in the ground and open a regional office there.
)to* rally the troo%s
to moti%ate others, to get other people e*cited about doing something, to do something to impro%e the
morale of the employees and get them energi+ed about doing their work
-*ample. After the lay)offs and salary cuts, the airline president organi+ed a meeting to rally the
troo%s and plan for the ne*t year.
3ote. The %erb :to rally: has se%eral definitions, but in this case means to :call together for a common
goal or purpose.: Troops is an informal way of describing a group of employees. The term comes from the
military ) a troop is a military unit.
reality check
let$s think realistically about this situation ?said when you don$t like something that$s being suggested
because you don$t think the other person is thinking practically or logically@
-*ample. Bou think we can start selling our products through our website ne*t monthC Time for a reality
check> 3obody at our company knows anything about e)commerce.
)to* scale &ack one+s hours
to reduce the number of hours one works
-*ample. /hen 9hristine had a baby, she decided to scale &ack her hours and just work part)time.
6ynonym. to cut back one$s hours
Sha%e u% or shi% out/
impro%e your beha%ior or lea%e, if you don$t impro%e your performance, you$re going to get fired
-*ample. 4artin finally had enough of Todd$s negati%e attitude. :Sha%e u% or shi% out/: he told Todd.
7rigin. This e*pression was first used in the 5.6. military during /orld /ar Two, meaning. you$d better
follow regulations and beha%e yourself ?:shape up:@, or you$re going to be sent o%erseas to a war +one
?:ship out:@.
?to@ step up to the plate
to take action, to do one$s best, to %olunteer
-*ample. /e need somebody to be in charge of organi+ing the company holiday party. /ho$d like to ste%
u% to the %late and start working on this projectC
3ote. This e*pression comes from baseball. Bou step up to the plate ?a plastic mat on the ground@ when
it$s your turn to hit the ball.
?to* throw cold water o(er )an idea. a %lan*
to present reasons why something will not work, to discourage
-*ample. Pat presented her boss with a plan to e*pand their business into 9hina, but he threw cold
water o(er her plan and told her to just focus on de%eloping business in the 5nited 6tates.
3ote. Bou will also hear the %ariation. to throw cold water on.
though the roof
%ery high, higher than e*pected
-*ample. 3o wonder people are complaining about the cost of heating their homes. 7il prices ha%e
gone through the roof>
)to* turn around one+s &usiness
to make a business profitable again, to go from not making profits to being profitable again
-*ample. The telecom company was able to turn around its &usiness by de%eloping a popular new line
of ser%ices.
)to* work down to the wire
to work until the last minute, to work until just before the deadline
-*ample. The in%estment bankers need to turn in their report at G a.m. tomorrow morning, and they$%e
still got many hours of work left on it. They$re going to be working down to the wire.
3ote. This e*pression comes from horse racing. 1n the EGth century, American racetracks placed wire
across the track abo%e the finish line. The wire helped determine which horse$s nose crossed the line first.
1f a race was :down to the wire,: it was a %ery close race, undecided until the %ery last second.
)to* work out the )or some* kinks
to sol%e the problems with
-*ample. The company announced that they will delay the launch of their new product by two weeks. They
still need to work out the kinks with their packaging process.
3ote. A :kink: is a problem or flaw in a system or plan.
yes man
an employee who always agrees with the boss or does whate%er the boss says
-*ample. 8on$t e*pect "arry to argue with the boss. 0e+s a yes man.