Business English Idioms For The Office

Business English Idioms for the Office

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Part 3 Here!

Exercises

Part 2 Here!

A lot on my plate

expression

Very busy with many responsabilities Example: I have a lot on my plate right now, so now is not the best moment.

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Back to square one

expression

Return to the starting point or start again. Example: We wasted two whole days and were back at square one.

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Back to the drawing board

expression

Start from scratch again.Example: After so much work, Andrea had to back to the drawing board

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Ballpark figure

expression

Used to refer to an estimated value (an amount of money). Example: Can you give me a ballpark figure as to what this project will cost?

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Bang for the buck

expression

Something that gives you more value for the money invested. Example: Online ads provide more bang for the buck than TV commercials.

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Belt tightening

expression

When there is a difficult economic situation and it's needed reduce costs. Example: I didn’t get full payment this month, we need to belt tightening.

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Blue-collar

expression

Someone who does manual work. Example: Jose is a blue-collar worker at the company warehouse.

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Bottom line

expression

The final total of an account or the deciding factor. Example: All I care about is the bottom line.

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Dead end job

expression

Job where there is no chance of promotion Example: Ángel has been working as a freelancer for years, so he has considered finding a new job because his current position is a dead-end job, offering no opportunities for professional advancement.

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Brain drain

expression

Loss of educated professionals to other geographic locations. Example: El Salvador suffered a brain drain during the economic crisis.

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Break-even point

expression

Not having profits and losses at the end of a commercial activity. Example: Marielos' company took two years to reach the break-even point.

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Call it a day

expression

To end activity knowing that you’ve made enough progress Example: Karla already had too many projects for today, so she´ll call it a day and leave the pending tasks for tomorrow.

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Cold call

expression

A call made without appointment to sell something Example: Alexandra works at Telus in the new sales department, and her supervisor has instructed her to meet a call target, so she is nervous about making a cold call to a new client

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Elephant in the room

expression

A huge problem that no one wants to talk about Example: Most students at the university disagree with the $5 annual raise, but no one wants to address the elephant in the room.

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Long Shot

expression

A very small chance to succeed or for something to happen. Example: Daniela has a long shot to be promoted in the company.

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On the same page

expression

To be in agreement or thinking in a similar way with others. Example: We made a proposal to expand the company and the CEO is on the same page.

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Read between the lines

expression

Look for the meaning that was suggested indirectly. Find a hidden meaning in something said or written Example: Reading between the lines is necessary in meetings with clients.

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Think outside the box

expression

Used to refer to creative thinking Example: Rosemary and her group must think outside the box to find a creative way to make the glossary for the English class.

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Touch base

expression

Make a brief contact to discuss something. Example: Alexandra just wanted to touch base to make sure everything is fine with the project.

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Up in the air

expression

Describes something that is still undecided and plans are not finalized. Example: My co-workers are still up in the air with the marketing strategy we want to apply.

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Business English Idioms for the Office

Part 3

Back-room boys

expression

People who do important work but are not visible to the general public.Example: “He was upset about being a backroom boy when Juan Carlos took all the credit.”

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Blank check

expression

Complete freedom of action or control.Example: “The board of directors gave the president of the company a blank check to introduce reforms”

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Busman’s holiday

expression

Spend your time doing the same thing you do at work.Example: “During his vacation, the pupusero decided to take a busman's holiday and experiment with new pupusa recipes.”

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By the book

expression

Strictly according to the rules.Example: “Rules are not to be broken; Abigail does everything by the book”

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Cutting edge

expression

Be innovative in an industry. Example: Our new product is really cutting edge. I’m sure it will revolutionize the market

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Cash cow

expression

Describes a consistently profitable business or product.Example: “Adoc is a real cash cow.”

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From the ground up

expression

Starting with something from the very beginning Example:Karla started her small business of healthy snacks from the ground up.

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Get the ball rolling

expression

Start a project or process. Example: Before we continue working, we need to get the ball rolling and assign specific tasks to each.

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Hit the ground running

expression

Start something with a lot of energy and without delay. Example: When Valeria started on the new project, she really hit the ground running! She’s already done more than everyone this week.

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Hands are tied

expression

When a situation is out of your control. A limited capacity to act on something. Example: Daniela wanted to change the subject of the project but her hands were tied.

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In the red

expression

A person/organization that is losing money. Example: Before getting a job, Jocelyn was in the red for 3 whole years.

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Keep someone in the loop

expression

Keep someone informed or updated about the project. Example: Please keep Karla in the loop on changes in marketing strategy so she can adapt her tactics.

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Learn the ropes

expression

Learn how to do a job or activity. Example: Marielos had to learn the ropes before start teaching to ohters.

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Let’s table it

expression

Postpone a discussion or activity until later. Example: Jocelyn and Daniela had a lot on their plate with work and didn't have time to make homework so they decided to table it.

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Last straw

expression

Final annoyance that causes you to get angry. Example: David got fired because he skipped the meeting; it was the last straw.

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Learning curve

expression

The amount of time it takes to learn a new skill Example: Alex got he´s firt job, It was a steep learning curve for him as he had no prior experience.

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No brainer

expression

An easy decision that doesn't require much thought. Example: Buying this shoes at such a discount is a complete no brainer.

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Safe bet

expression

Something that is very likely to happen. Example: It is a safe bet that the current owners will not sell the apartment

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Take with a grain of salt

expression

Consider some information with caution because there is a possibility that it is false. Example: I always take with a grain of salt what Alejandra says, because she tells many lies.

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The ball is in your court

expression

It's up to you to make the next move. Example: Andrea knows more than anyone about the project so the ball is in her court.

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Business English Idioms for the Office

Part 2

Move the needle

expression

Make a big difference or bring about a big, noticeable shift. Example: Marielos needs to come up with a new social media strategy that will really move the needle on our engagement rates.

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Take the bull by the horns

expression

Face a problem or challenge directly and with determination Example: Andrea decided to take the bull by the horns and address the declining click-through rates in her presentation.

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Go down the drain

expression

Be wasted or lost completely. Example: All the effort Rosemary put into the email marketing campaign will go down the drain if we don’t analyze the data properly.

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Gray area

expression

A situation in which it is difficult to distinguish between right & wrong Example: At the moment, the law on compensation is very much a grey area.

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Golden handcuffs

expression

Special benefits offered to keep an emplyee from leaving Example: They hired Daniela with a pair of golden handcuffs

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Head hunt

expression

To recruit the best people for top-level positions Example:A rival company headhunted Marielos.

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Weigh in

expression

To give an opinon Example: Let me weigh in on why I think the discussion will continue

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Jack of all trades

expression

Someone who can do many different jobs Example: We need someone who is jack of all trades for this position.

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Throw in the towel

expression

Give up or surrender to a difficult situation. Example: After trying various marketing techniques without success, Carlos was about to throw in the towel, but David encouraged him to try one more approach.

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Bite off more than you can chew

expression

Take more responsibilities than one can handle. Example: Adriana bit off more than she could chew by volunteering to manage three marketing campaigns at once.

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Drop the ball

expression

Make a mistake Example: Daniela drop the ball by expressing how she really felt with her friend.

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In the nick of time

expression

To arrive just in time Example: Fernando got just in the nick of time to the Bussines English class.

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Test the water

expression

Try something out to see if it works or not. Example: Andrea wants to test the water before launching her new project.

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Thick skin

expression

Not easily hurt by criticism. Example: Jocelyn needs tohave a thick skin because of her work.

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Way off the mark

expression

Completely wrong. Example: Karla is way off the mark by thinking she isn't part of our group.

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Corner the market

expression

Completely dominate a market. Example: Apple has cornered the market in smartphones.

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Cut-throat

expression

Very competitive and ruthless. Example: The business world can be cut-throat, with companies doing anything to get ahead.

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Game Plan

expression

Is a longer way of saying a plan in business Example: To launch our new product to market, we need to develop a solid game plan

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Go the extra mile

expression

Extra effort. Example: She always goes the extra mile to help her clients.

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In a nutshell

expression

In summary. Example: In a nutshell, the project was a success because of our teamwork.

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Now, practice what you learned!

Quiz here!

Hangman here!

Hands are tied

Headhunt

Call it a day

Cold call

Cutting edge

Cash cow

Hit the ground running

Hands are tied

Take with a grain of salt

The ball is in your court

Move the needle

Learn the ropes

Let's table it

Last straw

Learning curve

Take the bull by the horns

Test the water

Thick skin

Throw in the towe

Game Plan

Go down the drain

Go the extra mile

Gray area

Golden handcuffs

Back-room boys

Blank check

Busman’s holiday

By the book

Think outside the box

Touch base

In a nutshell

Back to square one

Back to the drawing board

Ballpark figure

Bang for the buck

Belt tightening

Blue-collar

Bottom line

Brain drain

Break-even point

Corner the market

Cut-Throat

Jack of all trades

Weigh in

Way of the mark

Bite off more than you can chew

Presented by:

• Cartagena Avelar, Rosemary Tatiana
• Gil Soto, Andrea María
• López Díaz, Katherine Daniela
• Moreno Moya, Jocelyn Lorena