Business Idioms

BUSINESS IDIOMS

Have an ace up your sleeve.

If you have

an ace up your sleeve

, it means that you have

something in reserve with which you can gain an advantage.

A person who

holds all the aces

is in a very strong position

because they have more advantages than anyone else.

employers hold all the aces.

This terms refers to a lawyer who finds work by persuading people

injured in accidents to claim money from the person who caused

the accident.

ambulance chasers -

that's how

they make their money!

Saying that you have to go

back to the salt mines

is a humorous

way of talking about returning to work, usually with some

reluctance.

mines!

This term refers to a deceptive commercial practice of advertising a

low-priced item to attract customers, then telling them that the

product

is out of stock and persuading them to buy a more expensive

article.

bait and switch

tactics.

A discussion among a group of people, who try to determine who

or

what is to blame for a particular mistake, failure or wrongdoing, is

called

'

blamestorming

'.

reviews

in the press.

If you give someone

a blank cheque

, you authorize them to do

what they think is best in a difficult situation.

possible.

This term refers to a company with a solid reputation for the quality

of

its products

and the stability of its growth and earnings.

If a situation or business is described as

above board,

it is open,

honest and legal.

above board.

People who

get down to brass tacks

start to discuss and deal with

the practical details of something

the project.

If you work extremely hard, or put a lot of effort into

achieving something,

you

break your back

to do it.

not

going to break his back for such a low price!

Hold all the aces

Ambulance chaser

Back to the salt mines

Bait and switch

Blamestorming

A blank cheque

Blue chip company

Above board

Get down to brass tacks

Break your back

Bricks and mortar/ bricks and

clicks

Pass the buck

Business as usual

Business before pleasure

Business is business

An established trading company (office/shop) is referred to as a

'

brick-and- mortar

' business.

'Click companies' refer to Internet-based operations.

Companies which do both are called 'bricks and clicks'.

operations.

If you say that someone

is passing the buck

, you are accusing

them

of not taking responsibility for a problem and expecting someone

else

to handle it.

After an unpleasant or unexpected event, this expression means

that everything is continuing in a normal way in spite of the

difficulties.

business as usual

at the supermarket the day after the

hold- up.

This expression means that it is considered preferable to finish

one's work before going to relax and enjoy oneself.

business before pleasure

I'm afraid!

This is a way of saying that in financial and commercial matters,

friendship or personal feelings should not be allowed to have any

influence.

but

business is business!

If you

can't stand the pace

, you are not able to do things well when

there is a lot of pressure.

A person or company who

carves out a niche

focuses on a

particular

segment of the market, to which they supply a product or service,

and

develop their expertise in that area.

to

become the best in that area.

A product or service which is a regular source of income for a

company

is called a

cash cow.

If you

cash in your chips,

you sell something, especially shares,

either because you need the money or because you think the value

is

going to fall.

down.

This expression refers to a situation where there are too many

people

giving instructions and not enough people doing the work.

There were

too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

In a business relationship, if you

clinch a deal

, you reach

agreement

on a proposal or offer.

Can't stand the pace

Carve out a niche

A cash cow

Cash in your chips

Too many chiefs and not enough

Indians

Clinch a deal

If you say that someone is

a cog in the machine

, you mean that,

while they are necessary, they only play a small part in an

organization or plan

.

machine.

If you

make cold calls

, you telephone potential customers from

a list of people you do not know.

directory.

To describe something such as a plan, a contract or a financial

arrangement as '

copper-bottomed

' means that it is completely

safe or reliable.

If a company dominates an area of business, and leaves no room

for

competition, it is said to have

cornered the market.

cornered the market.

This term refers to the presentation of a company's results in a way

that, although generally legal, glosses over the problems and

makes

the results appear better than they are.

attract

investors.

To refer to a situation, a problem or a solution as

cut and

dried

means

that it is considered clear and straightforward, with no likely

complications.

and

dried as he had expected.

The term

dead wood

refers to people or things which are no longer

considered useful or necessary.

wood.

Someone who

does the spadework

does the preparatory work

or the preliminary research for something.

This expression refers to intense competition and rivalry in pursuit

of

one's own interests, with no concern for morality.

dog-eat-dog

attitude.

To say that a person, a business or the economy in general is

in

the

doldrums

means that the situation is gloomy and that nothing new

is

happening.

doldrums.

Cog in the machine

Make cold calls

Copper- bottomed

Corner a market

Creative accounting

Cut and dried

Dead wood

Do the spadework

Dog eat dog

In the doldrums

This expression is used to refer to an agreement or decision which

has

A done deal

been reached on a certain matter.

a done

deal

yet.

When a project, task or activity is

done and dusted

, it is completely

finished or ready.

Done and dusted

and

dusted I'll be able to relax.

This expression is used to describe the unpleasant, boring parts of

Donkey work

a job.

the donkey work

- my boss gets the credit!

A general atmosphere of pessimism

,

and a feeling that the situation

is

Doom and gloom

not going to improve,

is referred to as

doom and gloom.

in spite of the economic situation.

To say that money, time or effort has gone

down the drain

, means

that it has been wasted or lost.

Down the drain

went bankrupt.

When faced with a difficult situation, it is sometimes necessary to

take

Drastic times call for drastic

actions which in normal circumstances would appear extreme.

measures

the

product line.

Drastic times call for drastic measures!

I

f you refer to two people as

a dream ticket

, you think they would

work well together and be successful

.

Dream ticket

dream ticket for many Democrats.

If you organize a rehearsal, a trial exercise or a practice session of

something, in realistic conditions, to see how well it will work before

Dry (or dummy) run

it is launched, you do a

dry run.

smoothly.

If a person does something which is

above and beyond the call

of

duty

,

they show a greater degree of courage or effort than is usually

Above and beyond the call of duty

required or

expected in their job.

and beyond the call of duty.

The term

eager beaver

refers to a person who is hardworking and

enthusiastic, sometimes considered overzealous.

An eager beaver

leave

-a real eager beaver!

If you

have all your eggs in one basket

, you depend on one plan

or one source of income.

Have all your eggs in one basket

one

basket.

Use elbow grease

If you

use elbow grease

, you need energy and strength to do

Farm something out

Feather your nest

Fiddling while Rome burns

Drag one's feet

Think on one's feet

Rushed off your feet.

A finger in every pie

Work your fingers to the bone

A foot in the door

A free hand

Funny business

physical

work such as cleaning or polishing.

house.

If something such as work is

farmed out,

it is sent out to be done

by

others.

To say of someone that they are

feathering their nest

is to say

that

they are taking advantage of their position in order to obtain money

so as to have a comfortable life.

If you say that somebody is

fiddling while Rome burns

, you mean

that they are doing unimportant things while there are serious

problems

to be dealt with

to

the strikers.

If you say that a person is

dragging their feet

, you think they are

unnecessarily delaying a decision which is important to you.

A person who

thinks on their feet

is capable of making good

decisions

without previous thinking or planning.

a case.

If your are

rushed off your feet

, your are extremely busy.

moment

at the office.

If someone has

a finger in every pie,

they are involved in many

activities

talk

to John Brown. He has a finger in every pie.

A person who

works their fingers to the bone

is extremely

hardworking.

when he started the business.

To say that someone has

a foot in the door

means that they have

a

small but successful start in something, and will possibly do well in

the future.

any profession.

If you

have a free hand

, you have permission to make your own

decisions, especially in a job.

An activity which is conducted in a deceitful, dishonest or unethical

manner is called

funny business

.

some

funny business.

Get down to brass tacks

Get your hands dirty

When people

get down to brass tacks

, they start to discuss the

essential aspects of a problem or situation.

they immediately got down to brass tacks.

If you

get your hands dirty

in your job, you become involved in all

aspects of it, including work that is physical, unpleasant or less

interesting.

of the whole team.

When you

get the hang of

an activity, you now know how to do it

correctly.

If you

get something off the ground

, you put it into operation after

having organized it.

If you manage to put a plan or idea into action, you

get the show

on the road

.

OK! We've got all we need, so let's get the show on the road!

If you

give someone a run for their money

, you present strong

competition in circumstances where

the other person expects to

win easily.

money.

If a business or project

goes belly up

, it is unsuccessful or goes

bankrupt.

If something

goes for a song

, it is sold at an unexpectedly low

price.

If a shop, firm or enterprise

goes out of business

, it closes down

or goes bankrupt.

business.

This expression refers to a business or activity that is dynamic

and successful.

going concern

today.

The term

golden handcuffs

refers to a large sum of money or a

generous financial arrangement granted to an executive as an

incentive

to stay in their job, or to ensure long-term cooperation after their

departure.

A

golden handshake

is a generous sum of money given to a

person

when they leave a company or retire

(sometimes given to encourage early retirement).

A

golden opportunity

is a favourable time or excellent occasion

which should not be missed.

A

golden parachute

is a clause in an executive's employment

contract

stating that the executive will receive certain large benefits if their

employment is terminated.

Get the hang of something

Get something off the ground

Get the show on the road

Give someone a run for their

money

Go belly up

Go for a song

Go out of business

Going concern

Golden handcuffs

Golden handshake

Golden opportunity

Golden parachute

Grease somebody's palm

If you accuse someone of

greasing somebody's palm

, you are

accusing them of giving money to someone in order to gain an

unfair

advantage, or to obtain something they want.

officials'

palms.

This expression means that when people cooperate and work well

together, there is a better chance of achieving results.

If a person or organization gets or gains

the upper hand

, they take

control over something.

When there is a need for

all hands on deck

, everyone must help,

especially when there's a lot of work to be done in a short amount of

time.

everything ready in time.

If a person

has their hands tied

, something, such as an agreement

or a rule, is preventing them from doing what they would like to do.

by the recent salary agreement.

hive of activity

(also: a beehive)

A place where there are lots of things happening, and everyone

is very busy, is called a

hive of activity

.

When you

hold the fort

, you look after a place or a business

in the absence of the person who is normally in charge.

When the name of someone or something becomes very familiar

because it is so often used, it is called a

household name

or

word

.

word in no time.

If you have a few, or many,

irons in the fire

, you are involved in

a number of projects at the same time.

The travel agency is not his only venture - he's got more than one

iron in the fire.

If a person or organization

jumps on the bandwagon

,

they decide to do something when it is already successful or

fashionable.

to jump on the bandwagon and promote it.

To

keep one's head above water

means to try to survive

by staying out of debt, for example a small business.

If someone

hits the ground running

, they are ready to start work

immediately on a new activity.

One hand washes the other...

(... and together they wash the

face.)

The upper hand

All hands on deck

Have one's hands tied

Hive of activity

Hold the fort

Household name/word

Irons in the fire

Jump on the bandwagon

Keep one's head above water

Hit the ground running

A person who

keeps their nose to the grindstone

is someone

Keep your nose to the grindstone

who

concentrates on working hard at his job.

If someone

knuckles down to something

, they start to work on it

Knuckle down to something

seriously.