1.
50 English Business
Idioms
That will help YOU in business meetings

2.
1. Ahead of the pack
•Meaning
To be more successful than the competition
•Example
“If we want to stay ahead of the pack, we’ll have to
increase our marketing budget.”

3.
2. Back to square one
•Meaning
To start something over again because a previous
attempt failed
•Example
“To make this software finally work, we have to go back
to square one.”

4.
3. Ballpark number/figure
•Meaning
A very inexact estimate
•Example
“To give you a ballpark figure, how much the border
wall to Mexico is going to cost, I’d say about 30 million
dollars.”

5.
4. Big picture
•Meaning
Everything that is involved with a particular situation
•Example
“Working on all these details, we have lost sight of the
big picture.”

6.
5. By the book
•Meaning
To do things exactly according to the rules or the law
•Example
“We told our auditors that we do everything by the
book.”

7.
6. Corner the market
•Meaning
To dominate a particular market
•Example
“Amazon more or less corners the online retailing
market.”

8.
7. Cut-throat
•Meaning
Very intense, aggressive, and merciless competition
•Example
“Competition in the food retailing business is cut-
throat.”

9.
8. Easy come, easy go
•Meaning
Something gained easily is also lost easily
•Example
“I lost 500 Euros in a poker game last night, but that’s
life – easy come, easy go.”

10.
9. Game plan
•Meaning
A strategy or plan for achieving success
•Example
“What is our game plan for dealing with our new
competitor?”

11.
10. Get down to business
•Meaning
Stop making small talk and start talking about
serious business topics
•Example
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get down to
business and start with the presentation.”

12.
11. Get something off the ground
•Meaning
To start something (e.g. a project or a business)
•Example
“Now that we have finished the planning phase, we’re
eager the get the project off the ground.”

13.
12. Go down the drain
•Meaning
Something is wasted or lost
•Example
“All our efforts in entering this new market went down
the drain.”

14.
13. Go the extra mile
•Meaning
To do more than what people expect
•Example
“To give our customers the best shopping experience,
we go the extra mile.”

15.
14. Hands are tied
•Meaning
Not being free to behave in the way that you would like
•Example
“I’d love to help you, but my hands are tied.”

16.
15. In a nutshell
•Meaning
Using as few words as possible
•Example
“In a nutshell, we will run out of cash in three months
time.”

17.
16. In full swing
•Meaning
At a stage when the level of activity is at its highest
•Example
“Construction of our new production site is in full swing
now.”

18.
17. In the driver’s seat
•Meaning
To be in charge or in control of a situation
•Example
“Being offered the position of managing director, I’ll
soon be in the driver’s seat.”

19.
18. Keep one’s eye on the ball
•Meaning
To give something one’s full attention and to not lose
focus
•Example
“We should not diversify our product offering too much,
but rather keep our eyes on the ball.”

20.
19. Learn the ropes
•Meaning
Learn the basics of something
•Example
“I’m learning the ropes in my new position.”

21.
20. Long shot
•Meaning
Something that has a very low probability of happening
•Example
“Winning the lottery is a long shot.”

22.
21. No-brainer
•Meaning
Something that is really obvious or easy
•Example
“Making money working for an investment bank is a
no-brainer.”

23.
22. No strings attached
•Meaning
Something is given without involving special demands
or limits
•Example
“They will let you try the product for free with no
strings attached.”

24.
23. Not going to fly
•Meaning
Something isn’t expected to work out
•Example
“This product is definitely not going to fly.”

25.
24. On the same page
•Meaning
To be in agreement about something
•Example
“Let’s go over the contract details once more to make
sure we’re on the same page.”

26.
25. Out in the open
•Meaning
Something that is public knowledge and not secret
anymore
•Example
“Our financials our out in the open anyway.”

27.
26. Put all one’s eggs in one basket
•Meaning
To rely on only one thing to bring success
•Example
“It’s not smart to invest in American tech stocks only
and put all one’s eggs in one basket.”

28.
27. Put the cart before the horse
•Meaning
To do or think about things in the wrong order
•Example
“Trying to find an investor without having a business
plan is like putting the cart before the horse.”

29.
28. Raise the bar
•Meaning
To set standards or expectations higher
•Example
“The iPhone raised the bar for smartphone makers”

30.
29. Red tape
•Meaning
Official rules and processes that seem excessive and
unnecessary
•Example
“The new law is going to create a lot of red tape.”

31.
30. Rock the boat
•Meaning
To do or say something that will upset people or cause
problems
•Example
“Don’t rock the boat until the negotiations are
finished.”

32.
31. Safe bet
•Meaning
Something that is certain to happen
•Example
“It’s a safe bet that computer processor speed will more
than triple within the next 10 years.”

33.
32. Same boat
•Meaning
To be in the same difficult situation as someone else
•Example
“None of us has any money left, so we’re all in the same
boat.”

34.
33. See eye to eye
•Meaning
To agree with somebody
•Example
“My boss doesn’t see eye to eye with me about our
marketing campaign.”

35.
34. See something through
•Meaning
To continue until something is finished.
•Example
“I want to see this project through before taking on
another one.”

36.
35. Sever ties
•Meaning
To end a relationship
•Example
“We had to sever ties with several suppliers due to
poor product quality.”

37.
36. Shoot something down
•Meaning
To reject something (e.g. an idea or a proposal)
•Example
“You shouldn’t shoot down your co-workers ideas
during a brainstorming session.”

38.
37. Smooth sailing
•Meaning
A situation where success is achieved without
difficulties
•Example
“Once our largest competitor went out of business, it
was smooth sailing.”

39.
38. Stand one’s ground
•Meaning
To not change one’s opinion or position
•Example
“They tried to cut my travel budget, but I stood my
ground.”

40.
39. Take the bull by the horns
•Meaning
To directly confront a difficult situation in a brave
and determined way
•Example
“My mid-level managers constantly delayed projects, so
I took the bull by the horns and fired several of them.”

41.
40. Talk someone out of something
•Meaning
To convince someone not to do something
•Example
“We wanted to take on more debt, but our CFO talked
us out of it.”

42.
41. Talk someone into something
•Meaning
To convince someone to do something
•Example
“I was reluctant to redesign our website, but my
employees talked me into it.”

43.
42. The elephant in the room
•Meaning
An obvious problem or controversial issue that no one
wants to discuss
•Example
“We should have discussed our pending litigation, but
no one wanted to talk about the elephant in the room.”

44.
43. Think outside the box
•Meaning
To think of creative, unconventional solutions instead
of common ones.
•Example
“Our current approach will get us nowhere. We have to
think outside the box.”

45.
44. Time’s up
•Meaning
Time for something or someone has ended.
•Example
“I think his time’s up as the CEO.”

46.
45. Touch base
•Meaning
To make contact with someone.
•Example
“I will touch base with you later today.”

47.
46. Twist someone’s arm
•Meaning
To convince someone to do something that he or
she does not want to do
•Example
“My boss thought the budget was a little high, so I
had to twist his arm to get him to agree to it.”

48.
47. Up in the air
•Meaning
Something is undecided or uncertain
•Example
“Our international expansion plan is still up in the air.”

49.
48. Uphill battle
•Meaning
Something that is difficult to achieve because of
obstacles and difficulties
•Example
“Gaining market share in this country will be an uphill
battle due to tough competition.”

50.
49. Upper hand
•Meaning
To have more power than anyone else and so have
control
•Example
“Due to my experience, I had the upper had in the
argument.”

51.
50. Word of mouth
•Meaning
Something is given or done by people talking about
something or telling people about something
•Example
“Many local stores rely on word of mouth to get new
customers.”

52.
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